Gomez-Guevara, Rachelle; Kamat, Vivek; Hamed, Basil Usama; Pretell-Mazzini, Juan; Bhansali, Shekhar; Prasad, Anamika. (2026). . Scientific Reports, 16(1), 22452.
Fused deposition modeling (FDM), a common form of 3D printing, offers a low-cost and accessible way to produce medical devices and tissue scaffolds directly at the point of care. However, reliable clinical use requires consistent printing under different environmental conditions. This study examined how temperature and humidity affect porous scaffolds made from polylactic acid (PLA), a widely used biocompatible material. Scaffolds were printed at temperatures ranging from 25鈥�40 掳C and relative humidity levels of 30鈥�70%, then evaluated for pore structure, water-holding capacity, mechanical strength, and compatibility with cells. Temperature and humidity had little effect on the overall shape and visible pore structure of the printed scaffolds. However, higher printing temperatures increased scaffold stiffness and were associated with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), molecules that can indicate cellular stress. Changes in humidity had little effect on mechanical properties but influenced cell survival and ROS production. Overall, moderate temperatures of 25鈥�35 掳C and low-to-moderate humidity of 30鈥�50% provided the best balance between mechanical stability and biological compatibility. These findings may help improve the consistency and reliability of FDM-printed medical scaffolds for affordable point-of-care applications.
Fig 1 – Advantages, applications, and manufacturing techniques of porous scaffolds (image regenerated using BioRender).