Stereolithography 3D Printing of a Heat Exchanger for Advanced Temperature Control in Wire Myography

• Published in: Polymers 2022-01, Vol.14 (3), p.471
• Main Authors: Kelava, Leonardo, Ivić, Ivan, Pakai, Eszter, Fekete, Kata, Maroti, Peter, Told, Roland, Ujfalusi, Zoltan, Garami, Andras
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3-D printers; Additive manufacturing; Arteries; Biomedical materials; Blood vessels; Cold; Cooling; Differential scanning calorimetry; Heat conductivity; Heat exchange; Heat exchangers; High density polyethylenes; Impact strength; Impact tests; Lithography; Manufacturing; Polymers; Resins; Skin; Stability analysis; Temperature; Temperature control; Temperature dependence; Tensile strength; Thermal conductivity; Thermodynamic properties; Thermogravimetry; Three dimensional printing; Vasoconstriction; Wire
• ISSN: 2073-4360; 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym14030471

We report the additive manufacturing of a heat-exchange device that can be used as a cooling accessory in a wire myograph. Wire myography is used for measuring vasomotor responses in small resistance arteries; however, the commercially available devices are not capable of active cooling. Here, we critically evaluated a transparent resin material, in terms of mechanical, structural, and thermal behavior. Tensile strength tests (67.66 ± 1.31 MPa), Charpy impact strength test (20.70 ± 2.30 kJ/m ), and Shore D hardness measurements (83.0 ± 0.47) underlined the mechanical stability of the material, supported by digital microscopy, which revealed a glass-like structure. Differential scanning calorimetry with thermogravimetry analysis and thermal conductivity measurements showed heat stability until ~250 °C and effective heat insulation. The 3D-printed heat exchanger was tested in thermophysiology experiments measuring the vasomotor responses of rat tail arteries at different temperatures (13, 16, and 36 °C). The heat-exchange device was successfully used as an accessory of the wire myograph system to cool down the experimental chambers and steadily maintain the targeted temperatures. We observed temperature-dependent differences in the vasoconstriction induced by phenylephrine and KCl. In conclusion, the transparent resin material can be used in additive manufacturing of heat-exchange devices for biomedical research, such as wire myography. Our animal experiments underline the importance of temperature-dependent physiological mechanisms, which should be further studied to understand the background of the thermal changes and their consequences.