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Laser-based direct writing of materials has undergone significant development in recent years. The ability to modify a variety of materials at small length scales and using short production times provides laser direct writing with unique capabilities for fabrication of medical devices. In many laser-based rapid prototyping methods, microscale and submicroscale structuring of materials is controlled by computer-generated models. Various laser-based direct write methods, including selective laser sintering/melting, laser machining, matrix-assisted pulsed-laser evaporation direct write, stereolithography and two-photon polymerization, are described. Their use in fabrication of microstructured and nanostructured medical devices is discussed. Laser direct writing may be used for processing a wide variety of advanced medical devices, including patient-specific prostheses, drug delivery devices, biosensors, stents and tissue-engineering scaffolds.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0936110. Roger Narayan is principal investigator on grants from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health on laser-based rapid prototyping of medical devices, including devices for transdermal drug delivery and scaffolds for tissue engineering. In addition, he has received financial support from two companies with an interest in laser direct writing technology in the form of contract research and consulting work; this funding was used to support research and prepare expert guidance on the development of novel drug delivery technologies. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.