Ceramics-Silikáty

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) scaffolds were prepared through the granule casting method. The variables considered in the manufacturing of the scaffolds were the wet process, dry process, granule size (mesh), and sintering temperature. The novelty of this study: In the first stage, a solid cylindrical commercial PMMA was reduced in size using the Hot Cutting method (HCm) at different temperature variations. The products were then sieved with diversified mesh sizes, namely M 40-50, M 50-60, M 60-70, M 70-80, and M 80-100, to be treated with the granule casting method in aluminium moulds under the wet and the dry processes. The sintering process was established with a temperature of 130 °C, a holding time of 60 min, and a heating rate of 5 °C/min. The best products were recommended to be treated in the next stage. In the second stage, PMMA scaffolds were made from the recommended products, namely the M 80-100 PMMA granules treated in the wet process. The sintering temperature was the variable that determined the scaffolds’ physical and mechanical properties. The resulting PMMA scaffold was proven thus satisfying the quality criteria at the sintering temperatures of 125 °C, 130 °C, and 135 °C. The SEM images showed good interconnections between the pores in the PMMA scaffolds.