Review of Current Trends, Materials and Challenges in 3D Printing for Biomedical Applications Using Polylactic Acid

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a widely used biomaterial in additive manufacturing (AM) because of its biodegradable and biocompatible nature and availability. Hence, this study focuses on the importance of PLA in biomedical applications such as personalised medicine, tissue engineering, drug delivery and customised implants and explores the possibility of PLA-based biomedical products. Different AM technologies, such as fused deposition modelling, stereolithography, and selective laser sintering, and their possible uses with PLA are presented. Apart from pure PLA, the use of composite materials based on PLA is important, as these materials can improve mechanical and biological properties, which are highly desirable for various clinical applications. Several critical issues, such as material properties, resolution, regulatory affairs, biodegradability and sustainability, are examined and discussed. In addition, the potential of PLA-based 3D printing technologies, including multimaterial 3D printing and bioprinting for biomedical applications, is explored