Experimental investigation on process parameters of near-field deposition of electrospinning-based rapid prototyping

Near-field electrospinning (NFES) with its capability to produce a straight fine fibre has been integrated into additive manufacturing for the fabrication of scaffolds with controllable pattern structures. However, building the third dimension with NFES is not easy due to the unsolidified fibre while being deposited. Presented in this paper is an investigation on the influence of process parameters on achieving a small cylindrical fibre from the near-field fibre deposition of an electrospinning-based rapid prototyping. A set of experiments have been conducted on solutions of polycaprolactone (PCL) in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). Parameters of interest are voltage, standoff distance, polymer concentration, environmental condition and needle size. From the experimental results, polymer concentration, environmental condition and needle size had influence on achieving a small cylindrical fibre. Under near-field deposition, the concentration should be high, the needle should be small and the temperature should be maintained during the process.