PSI - Issue 82

ScienceDirect Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2026) 000–000 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2026) 000–000 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia

Procedia Structural Integrity 82 (2026) 58–64

© 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSID organizers Abstract The aim of the present paper is to investigate the structure and porosity of polymeric tissue-equivalent bone scaffolds produced by laser stereolithography, which could serve as templates in indirect manufacturing. Virtual cubic samples, representing the morphological structure of the bone trabeculae, were generated using scanned woman distal tibia. Two groups were created: Group 1 representing the bone tissue and Group 2 consisting of the interconnecting empty spaces (bone pores). The virtual models were proportionally enlarged with 20 % and 40 %. All samples were 3D printed of castable wax resin. The structure and porosity were investigated by optical microscopy, SEM, CBCT scanner and pore analyzer. It was found that the porosity of the bone scaffolds (49 %) was higher compared to the bone pores samples (10 %). Enlargement with 20 % led to increase of the porosity up to 60 % in the first group and 15 % in the second. The 40 % magnification caused only slight increase of the porosity with 4 % in Group 1 and 1.5 % in Group 2. The average width of pores in Group 2 varied in a very tight range (293-362 μm), while that of the bone scaffolds was larger - between 527-792 μm. This study represented an initial stage of a project for development of scaffolds for bone regeneration. © 2026 The Authors. Copy from the contract: Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSID organizers Keywords: bone scaffolds; laser stereolitography; structure; porosity 8th International Conference on Structural Integrity and Durability (ICSID2025) Structural analysis of polymeric tissue-equivalent bone scaffolds produced by laser stereolithography Tsanka Dikova a, *, Dzhendo Dzhendov a , Ivaylo Parushev a , Petar Valchanov b , Stanislav Mitkov a a Medical University of Varna, Faculty of Dental Medicine, 84 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, 9000 Varna, Bulgaria b Medical University of Varna, Faculty of Medicine, 55 Marin Drinov Str, 9000 Varna, Bulgaria Abstract The aim of the present paper is to investigate the structure and porosity of polymeric tissue-equivalent bone scaffolds produced by laser stereolithography, which could serve as templates in indirect manufacturing. Virtual cubic samples, representing the morphological structure of the bone trabeculae, were generated using scanned woman distal tibia. Two groups were created: Group 1 representing the bone tissue and Group 2 consisting of the interconnecting empty spaces (bone pores). The virtual models were proportionally enlarged with 20 % and 40 %. All samples were 3D printed of castable wax resin. The structure and porosity were investigated by optical microscopy, SEM, CBCT scanner and pore analyzer. It was found that the porosity of the bone scaffolds (49 %) was higher compared to the bone pores samples (10 %). Enlargement with 20 % led to increase of the porosity up to 60 % in the first group and 15 % in the second. The 40 % magnification caused only slight increase of the porosity with 4 % in Group 1 and 1.5 % in Group 2. The average width of pores in Group 2 varied in a very tight range (293-362 μm), while that of the bone scaffolds was larger - between 527-792 μm. This study represented an initial stage of a project for development of scaffolds for bone regeneration. © 2026 The Authors. Copy from the contract: Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSID organizers Keywords: bone scaffolds; laser stereolitography; structure; porosity 8th International Conference on Structural Integrity and Durability (ICSID2025) Structural analysis of polymeric tissue-equivalent bone scaffolds produced by laser stereolithography Tsanka Dikova a, *, Dzhendo Dzhendov a , Ivaylo Parushev a , Petar Valchanov b , Stanislav Mitkov a a Medical University of Varna, Faculty of Dental Medicine, 84 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, 9000 Varna, Bulgaria b Medical University of Varna, Faculty of Medicine, 55 Marin Drinov Str, 9000 Varna, Bulgaria

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +359-889-883-125. E-mail address: tsanka.dikova@mu-varna.bg * Corresponding author. Tel.: +359-889-883-125. E-mail address: tsanka.dikova@mu-varna.bg

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Copy from the contract: Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSID organizers 2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Copy from the contract: Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSID organizers

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSID organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2026.04.010