Research Symposium

BIO

Hello! I am a junior from Pensacola, Florida, studying Biomedical Engineering at Florida State University. I currently work as a research assistant in the NMR department at the National High Field Magnetic Laboratory. My interests include 3D printing and biomedical instrumentation, and I plan to do more research into these areas during my senior year while participating in my major’s undergraduate research program. After graduating from FSU, I hope to attend graduate school to pursue a doctoral degree.

Evaluation of SLA 3D Printing Resins for Preclinical MRI Research

Abstract

The RF (Radio Frequency) program at the National High Field Magnetic Laboratory develops MRI probes for the 900 MHz NMR magnet to aid in the preclinical studies of small rodents. In order to support the varying body sizes and anatomy of the rodents, different stereotaxic animal cradles need to be machined for each conducted study. However, machining multiple cradle variations with non-magnetic materials can quickly escalate production costs. Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing is a cost-effective alternative to machining that would allow researchers to rapidly create prototype parts.

This study evaluated the material properties of different resins (High Temp, Black, Tough, Draft) printed using the Form 3 SLA printer (Formlabs, Inc.) A quality assurance (QA) print was designed using Autodesk Inventor to evaluate each resin’s performance under the following categories: (i) temperature, (ii) solvent resistance, (iii) resolution, and (iv) machinability. After conducting all experiments, one can conclude that the resin printed with the highest resolution will have the least number of dimensional changes overall. However, since each resin type is designed with a specific function in mind, one must consider each resin’s advantages and disadvantages when selecting a resin to use. Moving forward, the MRI lab at the NHFML will begin using Black resin for their prints due to it performing well in all categories tested. The results of this project will lead to a better understanding of how 3D printing with SLA printers can be applied to MRI studies.

Keywords: 3D printing, MRI, engineering