%0 PDF %T Utilizing a Design of Experiments Approach to Optimize the Processing Parameters for Extrusion-Based Rapid Prototyping of Bombyx Mori Silk. %A Polido, Katherine. %8 2017-04-20 %R http://localhost/files/gb19fh944 %X Abstract: Rapid prototyping is quickly making its way into every industry in the world. Its impact on the speed and accuracy of manufacturing is undeniable. In recent years, many variations of rapid prototyping have been utilized in the biomedical world as a means of replicating geometries and mechanical properties to personalize prints for a person or specific body part. As computer and software capabilities continue to develop and accommodate for more printing parameters, rapid prototyping of biomaterials is becoming increasingly more advanced and useful for in vitro and in vivo applications. The variety of biomaterials that are being used is expanding and the use of live cells, in hydrogel materials specifically, after or during the printing process is quickly emerging. The combination of the mechanically attractive biomaterial, silk, and a sterile rapid prototyping device can lead to significant advances in time and material usage for biomedical applications. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the processing parameters that impact manufacturing efficiency and quality during the rapid extrusion of silk-based biopolymers. A Design of Experiments approach is used to assess which parameters have a significant effect on the overall accuracy of a print. A unique, sterile rapid prototyping machine was designed and constructed to complete all experiments. A predictive empirical model is created through a series of regression experimental design analyses to determine the accuracy of a print compared to the input CAD dimensions. The inner diameter of the extrusion tip, extrusion flow rate, and printing pattern proved to have the greatest effect on the accuracy of the printed part when printing with an aqueous 10% silk, 2% glycerol, and 88% water solution. Use of another solution could require further testing for parameter optimization. With the values of each significant parameter, the accuracy model can determine the necessary CAD dimensions to acquire a final part with desired dimensions. Rapid production of accurate and biocompatible parts can play an influential role in the biomedical industry by optimizing scaffold production and building implantable tissues with reduced labor costs.; Thesis (M.S.)--Tufts University, 2015.; Submitted to the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.; Advisors: Thomas James, and David Kaplan.; Committee: Jeffrey Guasto.; Keywords: Mechanical engineering, and Biomedical engineering. %[ 2022-10-12 %9 Text %~ Tufts Digital Library %W Institution