You can try polyethylene glycol as it has a wide range of molecular weight. You do need to select the best one that suits your research. I do suggest start low MWs.

You need to be very careful with your selection because of extractables and leachables. It depends on your application (patient contact/long term vs short term). Maybe take a closer look at some of the USP Class VI or ISO 10993 rated Polyurethane based photopolymer resins but you might need to use a top down printer to reduce the need for supports depending on the length of the wire and overall geometry. These usually contain some degree of PEGDMA. Also be careful of what type of photointiator you are planning on using.

The end result after curing is typically a polymer with low molecule weight photolites left over that can migrate easily out of the polymer itself after curing and through skin, food packaging and other similar examples. A lot of work is being done to reduce extractables and leachables but applications such as long and or short term skin contact (intact skin vs rating for contact with mucosal membranes) has been successful if you look around at some offerings from some of the larger 3d printing names in the industry.

Polymer 3D Printing Review: Materials, Process, and Design Strategies for Medical Applications

*📷by📷Amit M. E. Arefin,📷Nava Raj Khatri📷,📷Nitin Kulkarni📷 and📷Paul F. Egan

Mechanical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA

*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Academic Editor: Chin-San Wu

Polymers 2021, 13(9), 1499; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13091499

Received: 20 April 2021/ Accepted: 23 April 2021/ Published: 6 May 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of 3D Printing for Polymers)

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Abstract

Polymer 3D printing is an emerging technology with recent research translating towards increased use in industry, particularly in medical fields. Polymer printing is advantageous because it enables printing low-cost functional parts with diverse properties and capabilities. Here, we provide a review of recent research advances for polymer 3D printing by investigating research related to materials, processes, and design strategies for medical applications. Research in materials has led to the development of polymers with advantageous characteristics for mechanics and biocompatibility, with tuning of mechanical properties achieved by altering printing process parameters. Suitable polymer printing processes include extrusion, resin, and powder 3D printing, which enable directed material deposition for the design of advantageous and customized architectures. Design strategies, such as hierarchical distribution of materials, enable balancing of conflicting properties, such as mechanical and biological needs for tissue scaffolds. Further medical applications reviewed include safety equipment, dental implants, and drug delivery systems, with findings suggesting a need for improved design methods to navigate the complex decision space enabled by 3D printing. Further research across these areas will lead to continued improvement of 3D-printed design performance that is essential for advancing frontiers across engineering and medicine.

Keywords: 3D printing; additive manufacturing; materials; polymers; design; lattices; mechanics; simulation; engineering; medical

1. Introduction