A Study on Metal Sputtering of 3D Printing Materials and Their Radiological Utility: Effects of Magnetic Materials on MRI Image Artifacts

Conventional metal 3D printing has limitations in customized manufacturing and is expensive. Additionally, metal-printed objects can cause artifacts in radiological and MRI imaging when used in vivo. In contrast, polymer-based 3D printing is relatively cost-effective and accessible, resulting in its active application in the medical 3D printing field. Therefore, this study utilized FDM and SLA 3D printing technologies to produce specimens from various polymer materials and applied metal sputtering using titanium. The polymer-based metal-sputtered specimens were evaluated for their completeness using radiological imaging, and the compatibility and utility of the metal specimens were confirmed in MRI imaging. Through this research, a novel composite material and technique called polymer-based metal sputtering was proposed, which could serve as foundational research for the development of biocompatible composite materials in the future.