Industry: Pharmaceuticals · R&D · Healthcare
Technology: Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
Application: Functional, personalized pharmaceutical dosage forms

Overview: A New Era of Drug Printing

The Centre for Innovation and Process Engineering Research (CIPER) at the University of Greenwich is pioneering the development of pharmaceutical dosage forms using 3D printing. Known globally for their work in pharmaceutical innovation, CIPER turned to Sinterit LISA to create functional, personalized drug tablets using SLS technology.

By leveraging Sinterit’s open parameter system, they were able to process a wide range of drug/polymer powders—without needing printable filaments—and prototype new drug products tailored to individual patient needs.

The Challenge: Flexible and Precise Drug Manufacturing

Traditional pharmaceutical 3D printing methods require filament development and offer limited control over complex geometries or dosage customization. CIPER needed a solution that could:

 Print thermally stable drug substances directly from granulated or extruded powders
 Eliminate the dependency on filament production
 Enable complex tablet geometries for functional performance
 Produce tablets with variable drug strengths in a single batch
 Reduce material waste, especially for high-cost active ingredients

The Solution: Sinterit LISA and Open SLS Capabilities

In 2020, CIPER integrated Sinterit LISA into their pharmaceutical research workflow. Within just one month, they began successfully printing custom-designed structures.

Key Advantages:
 Ability to use pharmaceutical-grade polymers
 Unlimited capacity to process any thermally stable drug
 Controlled printing of personalized dosage forms
 Cost-effective batch-to-batch tablet production
 Easy-to-use software with full control over powder quantity and print parameters

By coupling the technology with Hot Melt Extrusion (HME), the team engineered SLS-compatible powders to print tablets with immediate, controlled, or sustained drug release—something previously unattainable with conventional techniques.

Results: Accelerated R&D and Personalized Medicine

With Sinterit, CIPER is now capable of:

 Accelerating pharmaceutical R&D through rapid prototyping
 Producing functional drug tablets with precise dosage control
 Creating custom therapies for individual patients
 Reducing processing steps and material waste

Post-processing tools further ensure tablets are produced cleanly—free from unbound powder—and ready for research or trial applications.

Conclusion: Personalized Pharmaceuticals, Made Practical

Sinterit LISA empowers pharmaceutical innovators like CIPER to develop the future of medicine: customized, scalable, and precise drug delivery systems. With unmatched flexibility and ease of use, the technology supports both R&D and small-batch production of pharmaceutical-grade tablets—unlocking the potential of personalized medicine.