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Despite the growing significance of generating highly porous, high‐precision 3D printed scaffolds using melt electrowriting (MEW), the absence of easy‐to‐use and robust design and g‐code generation tools hinders its effectiveness and widespread adoption. This article introduces a versatile scaffold design workflow for MEW fabrication, drawing on learnings in scaffold design and fabrication optimization from pioneers in the field and unifies innovative approaches into one user‐friendly platform. The application contains a library of validated flat and tubular patterns, as well as incorporating automated solutions to common challenges such as scaffold dimension fitting and toolpath corrections previously reported in the literature and historically challenging to deploy into new g‐codes. Available to users via GitHub, this application readily generates a g‐code that compensates for MEW fiber lag across diverse geometries on a variety of flat and cylindrical collectors. The application's capabilities are demonstrated through proof‐of‐concept prints, including layer‐shifting strategies, and their effects on scaffold mechanical properties. By integrating design flexibility, layer‐shifting strategies, and advanced visualization, this application streamlines the MEW scaffold design process, offering a valuable tool for researchers and promises to both advance the field and enable greater access to tools required to produce high‐quality, reproducible scaffolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have seen a surge of interest in the potential use of 3D bioprinting technologies for the development of tissues and organs with the aim of restoring, maintaining, or improving tissue function. Bioprinting studies frequently claim to be close to clinical translation, yet only report research at very early stages of the translational pipeline. Technology readiness levels (TRLs) are a systematic metric used to objectively assess the maturity of a technology, allowing researchers and stakeholders to understand how far a particular project has progressed from the conceptual stage towards clinical application. Bioprinting is an annex of additive manufacturing, as defined by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards, characterized by the automated deposition of living cells and biomaterials. The tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TE&RM) community has eagerly adopted bioprinting, while review articles regularly herald its imminent translation to the clinic as functional tissues and organs. Here we argue that such proclamations are premature and counterproductive; they place emphasis on technological progress while typically ignoring the critical stage-gates that must be passed through to bring a technology to market. We suggest the technology readiness level (TRL) scale as a valuable metric for gauging the relative maturity of a bioprinting technology in relation to how it has passed a series of key milestones. We suggest guidelines for a bioprinting-oriented scale and use this to discuss the state-of-the-art of bioprinting in regenerative medicine (BRM) today. Finally, we make corresponding recommendations for improvements to BRM research that would support its progression to clinical translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In vitro skin models are validated methods for screening cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, but still have limitations. The bilayer poly(ε‐caprolactone) scaffold/membrane model described here overcomes some of these deficits by integrating a solution electrospun (SES) membrane at the dermoepidermal interface and a melt electrowritten (MEW) scaffold that provides an optimal open‐pore environment for the dermis. To the knowledge, this scaffold/membrane model is the only one capable of creating a properly differentiated, full thickness skin model with neosynthesized extracellular matrix (ECM) in only 18 days. Both the wavy and straight fiber scaffold designs create a well‐organized dermis, but dermal collagen organization differs between designs. Adding cells and vitamin C to the scaffolds improves the mechanical properties to more closely mimic native human skin. These findings establish bicomponent scaffolds as a promising advancement for rapidly creating different skin models with varied properties. The versatility and adaptability of the described model can be used for studying how the biological and physical microenvironment impact skin, and testing dermo‐cosmetics and pharmaceutical treatments on different ages of skin. Furthermore, it can be an excellent new tool for studying wound healing and development into its use as a graft or wound dressing is ongoing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrates a new approach to manufacturing biomimetic auricular surgical implants using melt electrowriting (MEW) technology to fabricate microfiber high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) scaffolds. An emerging filament‐driven printhead and MEW printer, termed the "MEWron", is used to enable precise control over the material extrusion process and fiber formation. By predicting the optimal extrusion conditions, continuous and uninterrupted fiber production is achieved, enabling further optimization of filament‐driven MEW fibers with a diameter of 60.5 ± 2.6 µm. As a case study, an application of microfiber HDPE fabrication is selected that comprised the design and fabrication of personalized auricular (ear) surgical implants, specifically tailored to match the unique morphology of individual patients. Patient‐specific implant models matched to the natural shape and structure of the human ear are successfully fabricated. Furthermore, the manufactured implants exhibit excellent mechanical properties, offering a 13‐fold increase in tensile stiffness compared to MEW PCL scaffolds. Overall, this research demonstrates the feasibility and potential of MEW‐based HDPE implants as a promising alternative to traditional auricular reconstruction methods, offering an alternative avenue for improved patient outcomes and enhanced aesthetic results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melt electrowriting is an additive manufacturing technique utilizing electrohydrodynamic forces to create nano‐ to micro‐scale fibrous polymer objects. It is a useful research tool but has yet to reach commercial scale‐up mainly due to the intrinsically slow nature of extruding a single polymer jet. Here the concept of dual nozzle melts electrowriting requiring no new hardware other than the nozzle is introduced. Experimental data using a dual nozzle shows the possibility of doubling throughput including the phenomenon of semi‐woven structures with fibers from one nozzle either on top or under the fiber from the other nozzle depending on programmed collector movement. The study highlights the complexity of melt electrowriting when using more than one nozzle, and provides a framework for multi‐nozzle, high‐throughput melt electrowriting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]