Rapid Form Copying and Rapid Mould-Making Systems for Biodevices - Advanced Design and Manufacturing Technologies for Biomedical Devices - page 208

Fig. 11.5 Rapid mould with original models ( scaffolds ), obtained by additive manufacturing,
prepared for replication. Agar gel fi lm obtained by sol-gel process
through fermentation of glucose through the action of the bacteria sphingomonas
elodea ).
The sol-gel process involves preparation of the sol by pouring around 5-6 % in
weight of the mentioned powders in different water containers and continuous agi-
tation during heating until boiling. Once the sol is boiling, pouring into the box,
with the different micro-textured prototypes to replicate, and cooling down leads to
gelation (Fig. 11.5 ). After around 1-2 h in the refrigerator, the gel can be extracted
and cut for obtaining fi nal parts (Fig. 11.6 ). By careful control of the weight ratio of
powder used for obtaining the sol, mechanical strength can be tuned to desired
applications. Additional information can be found in the specifi cation sheets of the
suppliers of these or similar materials.