Hi Setareh,

The mechanical testig depends on the materials properties. On the other side the chemical composition and the material processing influence on the mechanical behaviour of the material.

If your material is metal, I would suggest you to do tensile or compression test.

Hello Shirin,

Thanks for your reply. You're absolutely right. I forgot to mention that our 3D-printing stent is made of PLA, a polymeric stent. So the platform is not metal. In addition, the scale we work is not the bulk scale as other mechanical scales. We deal with millimeters and in rare cases centimeters with the size of at most 1.5 cm in the outer diameter of the tubular mesh-like stent.

I really need to know which type of devices could meet our need.

with the best wishes.

Dear Setareh

I think you can go for these tests:

- Volume Fraction

-  weight fraction

- Elasticity test 

- Destructive Test which include( Tensile Test, Compression Test, Torsion Test , Bending Test, and Hardness Test)

- Non Destructive Test(NDT) which include :( Visual Technique, Liquid Penetrant, Ultrasonic Test ,  Impact Resonance, Pulse Velocity, and vibration dampingtechnique).

 Regard

 Raid

Dear Setareh,

I think Jawad had given you the clear picture of testing.

Additionally, you can go for nano-indentation test of PLA sample, acetone treatment test, and bio-film formation test.

You can also go for MPM study for cellular interaction study.

Wishes & Regards

AB

I agree that testing is important for all 3D printed items.  However, please do not forget that 3D printed objects are anisotropic when it comes to mechanical properties.

 A 3D printer using PLA is most likely a Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) machine, in which molten PLA is extruded through a nozzle and laid down in layers.  Each time a layer is complete, the print nozzle (or bed) moves up (or down) one layer thickness and then prints another layer.  The adhesion between layers is not as strong as the material within the layer, creating an anisotropic condition.  An important variable is the orientation of the object relative to the build platform, the so-called build angle.  By changing the build angle, it is possible to align the mechanical properties with the object's form.

So, to accurately predict material strength, testing must be done.    Typical tests are tension, compression, flexural, shear, impact.  All should be done at variable build angles.  The best reference and explanation of this phenomenon I have found is Anisotropic Mechanical Properties of ABS Parts Fabricated by Fused Deposition Modelling by Constance Ziemian, Mala Sharma and Sophia Ziemian.

The idea of a 3D printed stent is quite interesting.  If accuracy or strength become a problem, there are other 3D printing technologies and bio-compatible materials available.  Good luck!