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3D Printing of Pharmaceuticals pp 81–105Cite as

Powder Bed Fusion: The Working Process, Current Applications and Opportunities

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Part of the book series: AAPS Advances in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Series ((AAPS,volume 31))

Abstract

Powder bed fusion (PBF) is an umbrella term for three separate three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies; selective laser sintering (SLS), direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) and selective laser melting (SLM). These processes share the same printing procedure where powder particles are selectively fused by a local thermal process generated from a laser in a layer-by-layer manner. However, they differ in the materials used and energy transmitted. Thermoplastic polymers are often employed by SLS whereby a laser superficially connects the powder particles together by a process known as sintering. DMLS and SLM is still a sintering process although metals and powders are most often used. DMLS and SLM are mainly used in the aerospace, maritime and automotive industries although SLS has been successfully introduced into the medical arena for its applications in tissue engineering. In this chapter, we further explore how the SLS technology has proven its amenability in the printing and manufacture of pharmaceuticals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmaceutics, UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, UK

    Fabrizio Fina, Simon Gaisford & Abdul W. Basit

  2. FabRx Ltd., Ashford, Kent, UK

    Simon Gaisford & Abdul W. Basit

Authors
  1. Fabrizio Fina
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  2. Simon Gaisford
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  3. Abdul W. Basit
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Correspondence to Fabrizio Fina .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmaceutics, UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom

    Abdul W. Basit

  2. Department of Pharmaceutics, UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom

    Simon Gaisford

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Fina, F., Gaisford, S., Basit, A.W. (2018). Powder Bed Fusion: The Working Process, Current Applications and Opportunities. In: Basit, A., Gaisford, S. (eds) 3D Printing of Pharmaceuticals. AAPS Advances in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Series, vol 31. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90755-0_5

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