Aortic stenosis is a serious cardiovascular disease that requires urgent attention and surgical intervention. If not treated, aortic stenosis can result in heart attack or cardiac arrest. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement is a surgical technique that is used to treat aortic stenosis. Like all heart surgery, the procedure is difficult to perform and may lead to life-threatening complications. It is therefore important for a surgeon to be able to plan and rehearse the surgery before the operation to minimise risk to the patient. A detailed study was carried out to develop a 3D-printed, improved surgical tool for patient-specific planning and rehearsal of a Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement procedure. With this new tool, a cardiologist will be able better to understand a specific patient’s heart geometry and practice the procedure in advance. Computer tomography images were processed using image segmentation software to identify the anatomy of a specific patient’s heart and the surrounding blood vessels. Using materials design concepts, a polymer composite was developed that is able to mimic the mechanical properties of aortic tissue. State-of-art multi-material 3D printing technology was then used to produce a replica aorta with a geometry that matched that of the patient. An artificial aortic valve, identical to the type used in the Transcatheter Aortic valve replacement procedure, was then fitted to the replica aorta and was shown, using a standard test, to be a good fit with no obvious leaks. / Aortastenos är en hjärtsjukdom som får mycket uppmärksamhet och kräver kirurgi på grund av dess katastrofala komplikationer. Den allvarligaste komplikationen av aortastenos är hjärtinfarkt och resulterande hjärtstopp. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement är en kardiovaskulär intervention som erbjuds för patienter med aortastenos. Denna typ av hjärtkirurgi är komplex och kan orsaka livshotande situationer för patienten om något går snett under operationen. Det är därför viktigt för kirurgen att kunna planera ingreppet innan han eller hon utför själva operationen för att minimera fara för patienten. Denna detaljerade studie ämnar utveckla och förbättra det kirurgiska verktyget för preoperativ planering av Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement genom 3D- tryckning. Forskningsarbetet kommer att ge kardiologer ett nytt sätt att förstå patientens hjärta i detalj och ett ökat förtroende för att träna på ingreppet på förhand. Datortomografibilder behandlades med hjälp av en bildsegmentationsprogramvara för att kunna skapa en anatomiskt korrekt kopia av patientens hjärta och tillhörande kärl. Genom att applicera material-vetenskapslära kan ett nytt kompositmaterial utvecklas med exakt samma mekaniska egenskaper som naturlig aortavävnad. Den mest moderna 3D-trycktekniken användes sedan för att producera en patientspecifik aorta. En artificiell aortaklaff placerades i den nyproducerade aortamodellen och tester visade en perfekt matchning utan läckage.

Mini-/microchannel components have received attention over the past few decades owing to their compactness and superior thermal performance. Microchannel heat sinks are typically manufactured through traditional manufacturing practices (milling and sawing, electrodischarge machining, and water jet cutting) by changing their components to work in microscale environments or microfabrication techniques (etching and lost wax molding), which have emerged from the semiconductor industry. An extrusion process is used to produce multiport minichannel-based heat exchangers (HXs). However, geometric manufacturing limitations can be considered as drawbacks for all of these techniques. For example, a complex out-of-plane geometry is extremely difficult to fabricate, if not impossible. Such imposed design constraints can be eliminated using additive manufacturing (AM), generally known as three-dimensional (3D) printing. AM is a new and growing technique that has received attention in recent years. The inherent design freedom that it provides to the designer can result in sophisticated geometries that are impossible to produce by traditional technologies and all for the redesign and optimization of existing models. The work presented in this thesis aims to investigate the thermal performance of enhanced minichannel HXs manufactured via metal 3D printing both numerically and experimentally. Rectangular winglet vortex generators (VGs) have been chosen as the thermal enhancement method embedded inside the flat tube. COMSOL Multiphysics, a commercial software package using a finite element method (FEM), has been used as a numerical tool. The influence of the geometric VG parameters on the heat transfer and flow friction characteristics was studied by solving a 3D conjugate heat transfer and laminar flow. The ranges of studied parameters utilized in simulation section were obtained from our previous interaction with various AM technologies including direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) and electron-beam melting (EBM). For the simulation setup, distilled water was chosen as the working fluid with temperaturedependent thermal properties. The minichannel HX was assumed to be made of AlSi10Mg with a hydraulic diameter of 2.86 mm. The minichannel was heated by a constant heat flux of 5 Wcm−2 , and the Reynolds number was varied from 230 to 950. A sensitivity analysis showed that the angle of attack, VG height, VG length, and longitudinal pitch have notable effects on the heat transfer and flow friction characteristics. In contrast, the VG thickness and the distance from the sidewalls do not have a significant influence on the HX performance over the studied range. On the basis of the simulation results, four different prototypes including a smooth channel as a reference were manufactured with AlSi10Mg via DMLS technology owing to the better surface roughness and greater design uniformity. A test rig was developed to test the prototypes. Owing to the experimental facility and working fluid (distilled water), the experiment was categorized as either a simultaneously developing flow or a hydrodynamically developed but thermally developing flow. The Reynolds number ranged from 175 to 1370, and the HX was tested with two different heat fluxes of 1.5 kWm−2 and 3 kWm−2 . The experimental results for the smooth channel were compared to widely accepted correlations in the literature. It was found that 79% of the experimental data were within a range of ±10% of the values from existing correlations developed for the thermal entry length. However, a formula developed for the simultaneously developing flow overpredicted the Nusselt number. Furthermore, the results for the enhanced channels showed that embedding VGs can considerably boost the thermal performance up to three times within the parameters of the printed parts. Finally, the thermal performance of the 3D-printed channel showed that AM is a promising solution for the development of minichannel HXs. The generation of 3D vortices caused by the presence of VGs ii can notably boost the thermal performance, thereby reducing the HX size for a given heat duty.

Aortic aneurysms are the 14th leading cause of death in the United States. Annually, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) ruptures are responsible for 4500 deaths. There are another 45,000 repair procedures performed to prevent rupture, and of these approximately 1400 lead to deaths. With proper detection, the aneurysm may be treated using endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Understanding how the flow of the blood within the artery is affected by the aneurysm is important in determining the growth of the aneurysm, as well as how to properly treat the aneurysm. The goal of this project was to develop a physical construct of the AAA, and use this construct to validate a computational model of the same aneurysm through flow visualization. The hypothesis was that the fluid velocities within the physical construct would accurately mimic the fluid velocities used in the computational model. The physical model was created from a CT scan of an AAA using 3D printing and polymer casting. The result was a translucent box containing a region in the shape of the aneurysm. Fluid was pumped through the construct to visualize and quantify the velocity of the fluid within the aneurysm. COMSOL Multiphysics® was used to create a computational model of the same aneurysm, as well as obtain velocity measurements to statistically compare to those from the physical construct. There was no significant difference between the velocity values for the physical construct and the COMSOL Multiphysics® model, confirming the hypothesis. This study used a CT scan to create an anatomically accurate model of an AAA that was used to validate a computational model using a novel technique of flow visualization. As EVAR technologies continue to progress, it will become increasingly important to understand how the blood flow within the aneurysm affects the growth and treatment of AAAs.

Design of Controlled Environment for Tissue Engineering Malcolm Lapera Tissue engineering aims at relieving the need for donor tissue and organs by developing a process of creating viable tissues in the laboratory setting. With over 120,000 people awaiting a transplant, the need for generating tissue engineered organs is very large [3]. In order for organs to be engineered, a few issues need to be overcome. A work space that both creates an environment which maintains cell viability over an extended period of time as well as accommodates the necessary fabrication equipment will be needed to further tissue engineering research. Therefore, a design for a “Tissue Engineering Hood,” will be developed and evaluated. The goal of this design will provide an environment capable of providing 37°C, 95% humidity, and 5% CO2, actively deter contamination, and provide the necessary support hardware for a 3D printer designed for tissue engineering. The design detailed in this paper was implemented successfully and evaluated. The current design has issues creating the proper environmental conditions, however does actively prevent contamination, and provides the necessary support hardware for a 3D printer. The current design was capable of reaching a temperature of 32°C, had issues increasing the humidity while incorporating the laminar air flow aspect of the design, and design flaws in the door allowed CO2 to leak too rapidly. After remedying these and a few other minor issues described in the report, the tissue engineering hood will be a beneficial tool for use in tissue engineering.

The purpose of this lab was to investigate the printability of cellulose nanofiber/carbon nanotubes, their functions as actuators, and to compare these properties with MXene/nano cellulose gels. Data on MXene/nano cellulose gel was obtained from previous research made by Hamedi labs. Data on carbon nanotubes were collected through experiments evaluating different concentrations and sonication times to yield a gel with high conductivity and viscosity. While it was concluded that both gels could be printed into 2D or 3D shapes, the latter failed to maintain its structure over time due to issues with drying. However, it was found that only 2D MXene/CNF could be used as a reversible actuator. / Syftet med laborationen var att undersöka 3D skrivningsförmågan för nanocellulosa/ kolnanorör samt samt deras förmåga att fungera att svälla elektroniskt. Vidare jämfördes dessa egenskaper med MXene/nanocellulosageler. Data på MXene/nanocellulosa insamlades från tidigare experiment gjorda av Hamedi labs. Data på kolnanorör insamlades genom en rad experiment, vilka utvärderade olika koncentrationer och sonikeringstider för att producera geler med hög konduktivitet och viskositet. Slutsatsen blev att båda gelerna kunde 3D printas, men endast MXene/nanocellulosageler kunde användas för elektronisk svällning och avsvällning. Inga geler kunde göras till 3D strukturer.

This work presents the development of 3D printed microfluidic devices and their application to microchip analysis. Initial work was focused on the development of the printer resin as well as the development of the general rules for resolution that can be achieved with stereolithographic 3D printing. The next stage of this work involved the characterization of the printer with a variety of interior and exterior resolution features. I found that the minimum positive and negative feature sizes were about 20 μm in either case. Additionally, micropillar arrays were printed with pillar diameters as small as 16 μm. To demonstrate one possible application of these small resolution features I created microfluidic bead traps capable of capturing 25 μm polystyrene particles as a step toward capturing cells. A second application which I pioneered was the creation of devices for microchip electrophoresis. I separated 3 preterm birth biomarkers with good resolution (2.1) and efficiency (3600 plates), comparable to what has been achieved in conventionally fabricated devices. Lastly, I have applied some of the unique capabilities of our 3D printer to a variety of other device applications through collaborative projects. I have created microchips with a natural masking monolith polymerization window, spiral electrodes for capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection, and a removable electrode insert chip. This work demonstrates the ability to 3D print microfluidic structures and their application to a variety of analyses.

3D-printing is a new and upcoming manufacturing technique that can significantly reduce time and material losses in production. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is one of the most commonly used 3D-printing methods for processing conventional thermoplastic polymers. To reduce the printing time and usage of material via FDM technology, a user typically specifies infill density. Therefore, it is important to understand how this printing parameter affects the fire and mechanical properties of the 3D-printed object.  This study aims to investigate the effect of various infill densities on mechanical and fire properties of polylactic acid (PLA) composites produced by FDM 3D-printing technology. PLA composites of five different infill densities were 3D-printed: 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%. The samples for all tests were designed in AutoCAD and then imported into the slicing software, Ultimaker Cura. The 3D-printer used for printing was the Ultimaker S3 which uses FDM technology. To test the fire and mechanical behavior of 3D-printed PLA composites three tests were conducted: cone calorimeter test, tensile test and UL-94 flammability test. The cone calorimeter testing was done using the incident radiation of 35 kW/m2. The results showed that the trend of HHR curves of all infill densities are akin to each other, though the peak heat release rate and total heat released increases with higher infill density. Time to ignition was also longer for samples with higher infill density. Tensile testing was conducted according to the ASTM D638 standard. The results showed that with increasing infill density mechanical properties improved, with 100% infill density having the highest tensile strength (58.15 MPa) and elastic modulus (1472.1 MPa). From the UL-94 test results no difference in flammability could be observed. Every sample had no rating, which implies that PLA specimens of all infill densities are very flammable, with long afterflame and heavy flammable dripping. The study concludes that among the examined infill densities, no ideal percentage of infill density could be found. Requirements based on application will determine what infill density is most appropriate. Nevertheless, the data collected can hopefully provide a useful reference in designing and manufacturing 3D-printed PLA composites.

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Background Brain biopsy of intracranial lesions is often necessary to determine specific therapy. The cost of the currently used stereotactic rigid frame and optical tracking systems for brain biopsy in dogs is often prohibitive or accuracy is not sufficient for all types of lesion. Objectives To evaluate the application accuracy of an inexpensive magnetic resonance imaging-based personalized, 3D printed brain biopsy device. Animals Twenty-two dog heads from cadavers were separated into 2 groups according to body weight (<15 kg, >20 kg). Methods Experimental study. Two target points in each cadaver head were used (target point 1: caudate nucleus, target point 2: piriform lobe). Comparison between groups was performed using the independent Student's t test or the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U Test. Results The total median target point deviation was 0.83 mm (range 0.09-2.76 mm). The separate median target point deviations for target points 1 and 2 in all dogs were 0.57 mm (range: 0.09-1.25 mm) and 0.85 mm (range: 0.14-2.76 mm), respectively. Conclusion and Clinical Importance This magnetic resonance imaging-based 3D printed stereotactic brain biopsy device achieved an application accuracy that was better than the accuracy of most brain biopsy systems that are currently used in veterinary medicine. The device can be applied to every size and shape of skull and allows precise positioning of brain biopsy needles in dogs.