TissueDB/Materials/PLA
Polylactic Acid (PLA) is a biodegradable thermoplastic derived from renewable resources (corn starch, sugarcane). In medical simulation, PLA filament is used for 3D printing anatomically accurate rigid structures. Available in multiple colours, PLA can be printed at various infill densities to adjust mechanical properties such as rigidity, weight, and drill resistance. White PLA filament is the usual choice where the printed part stands in for bone, and the 3D-printed bone models made from it serve as the rigid structural surrogate in fracture-fixation and drilling practice.
Published builds record what PLA gives a trainee. Temporal bones printed from anonymised patient CT on a desktop Ultimaker 3 Extended in PLA filament reached an XYZ accuracy of 12.5, 12.5 and 5 µm at a material cost of about US$1.50 per model; ten junior otolaryngology residents drilled a simple mastoidectomy on both these models and cadaveric temporal bones and judged the printed tactile feedback under the surgical drill appropriate.[1] A head printed in thermoplastic PLA for external ventricular drain training was built to give the outer table, cancellous bone and inner table each their own tactile feedback, with replaceable frontal-bone pieces for repeated use; neurosurgical residents noted the feel of drilling it resembled in vivo.[2] A review of 3D-printed PLA in medicine places training models and simulators among its established uses, alongside scaffolds, drug-eluting constructs, prostheses, orthoses and surgical guides.[3]
Tissues
| Tissue | Visual | Tactile | Recipe | Simulator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bone | PLA filament; print settings vary by simulator. | Pediatric Forearm Fracture Simulator, Humeral Fracture Fixation Simulator, Lower Limb Deformity Correction Simulator, Tibial Shaft Transverse Fracture Simulator | Rigid 3D-printed bone substitute for fracture fixation and deformity correction training. | ||
| Bone (ribs) | PLA filament (grade inferred — not specified in source) | Chest Tube Simulator (Bettega) | 3D-printed rib framework derived from a chest CT scan; provides rigid bony landmarks for chest tube insertion training. Included in US$133 total build cost. | ||
| Bone (ribs) | PLA filament (grade inferred — not specified in source; printed on Ultimaker 3 with PVA support) | Brannan Chest Tube Simulator | 3D-printed rib framework derived from a chest CT scan; provides rigid bony landmarks for tube thoracostomy training in a multifunctional thorax model simulator. Filament grade not specified in Brannan 2021. | ||
| Bone (infant tibia) | Ecotough PLA filament (0% infill, 1.2 mm wall) | Infant Intraosseous Infusion Simulator (Micallef) | Hollow 3D-printed infant proximal tibial bone fragments for intraosseous needle insertion training. Consumable — replaced after each use.[4] | ||
| Trachea | Kei REAL CRIC Trainer | 3D-printed rigid tracheal scaffold providing anatomical form for cricothyrotomy incision site; does not simulate tracheal tissue compliance. | |||
| Skull | STA-MCA Bypass Trainer | Rigid 3D-printed cranial model providing the anatomical working corridor through which microsurgical extracranial-to-intracranial bypass is performed. | |||
| Bladder | PLA filament printed on Ultimaker 3 (20 per cent infill, 0.2 mm layer height) | Urinary Catheterization Simulator (Gillis) | 3D-printed PLA bladder body and base houses the threaded insert and screw-in valve body of the one-way bladder valve; the acrylic front window seated with silicone caulking is non-PLA. Source: Gillis CJ, Bishop N, Walsh G, Harvey D 2020, Cureus 12(5):e8377. DOI 10.7759/cureus.8377. PMID 32626621. PMC PMC7328704. | ||
| (Structural — printed mould and tabletop clamp, not tissue simulant) | Habti Bowel Anastomosis Simulator | 3D-printed bowel mold (720 g, reusable — produces up to 4 silicone bowel segments) and maxSIMclamp+ tabletop clamp (160 g). Printed on Ultimaker S5 using 3D-Fuel Pro PLA (white). The PLA is the mould that casts the bowel, not the bowel itself. See the simulator page for build detail and sources. | |||
| (Structural — maxSIMbox platform components, not tissue simulant) | Infant Intraosseous Infusion Simulator (Micallef) | maxSIMbox platform components (stand, slides, clamp — 20% infill), printed alongside the consumable bone fragments. The platform holds the model; it simulates no tissue.[4] |
Troubleshooting
- Soft tissue simulation — PLA is rigid and brittle; it does not provide elastic deformation or tear characteristics. Use silicone or gelatin instead.
- Procedures requiring biological feedback — cannot simulate bleeding, tissue perfusion, or temperature changes.
- Infill and print settings — infill and wall thickness are set per simulator, from hollow 0%-infill shells (e.g. the Micallef infant tibia) to denser fills for load-bearing drilling; too thin or sparse a print can crack under drilling, so match the print settings to the procedure.
Alternatives
| Alternative | Best For | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Bone | Named as a bone-drilling analog in the ETALO Bone Drilling Module, offered in varying sizes for a more human-like bone feel; untested comparison.[5] | Requires sourcing and cleaning; variable quality; single-use biological waste. |
| PVC | Standardised resistance, uniform properties | No anatomical accuracy, lacks cortical-cancellous transition |
| Bamboo | Named as a bone-drilling analog in the ETALO Bone Drilling Module and used as the Variant A bone analog in the Long Bone Drilling Simulator; low-cost and locally available; untested comparison.[5] | Variable diameter and wall thickness; no anatomical shaping. |
References
- ↑ Gadaleta DJ, Huang D, Rankin N, Hsue V, Sakkal M, Bovenzi C, Huntley CT, Willcox T, Pelosi S, Pugliese R, Ku B. 3D printed temporal bone as a tool for otologic surgery simulation. Am J Otolaryngol 2020;41(3):102273. DOI: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2019.08.004. PMID: 32209234.
- ↑ Podkovik S, Kashyap S, Bonda S, Wiginton JG 4th, Sweiss R, Wacker MR, Miulli DE. External Ventricular Drain (EVD) Placement Using a Hands-On Training Session on a Simple Three-Dimensional (3D) Model. Cureus 2022;14(8):e28014. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.28014. PMID: 36134074. PMC: PMC9470865.
- ↑ Barcena AJR, Ravi P, Kundu S, Tappa K. Emerging Biomedical and Clinical Applications of 3D-Printed Poly(Lactic Acid)-Based Devices and Delivery Systems. Bioengineering (Basel) 2024;11(7):705. DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering11070705. PMID: 39061787. PMC: PMC11273440.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Micallef J, Arutiunian A, Hiley J, Benson A, Dubrowski A. The Development of a Cost-Effective Infant Intraosseous Infusion Simulator for Neonatal Resuscitation Program Training. Cureus 2021;13(10):e18824. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.18824. PMID: 34804681.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 ETALO Bone Drilling Module (Education To Advance Limb-saving Options), Global Surgical Training Challenge 2020. Its Simulator Layer Options list PVC/PPR pipe, bamboo and animal bone (cow, goat, pig, lamb) as interchangeable bone-drilling analogs; the overview describes progressing from locally-sourced options to 3-D-printed models, and the bamboo and PVC-pipe prototypes were field-tested in Mbale, Uganda. Appropedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Authors | Arturopelayo |
|---|---|
| License | CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| Cite as | Arturopelayo (2026). "TissueDB/Materials/PLA". Appropedia. Retrieved August 18, 2026. |