Preparing a 3D Printed Implant for Acute In Vivo Electrophysiology

Prepare the . Put the solid putty on a flat surface (like the bottom of a glass beaker) and heat the putty in the micro-wave oven. Check the softness of the putty every 30 s to prevent overheating. Stop heating when the putty is hot to the touch and easily malleable.

Manipulate the putty to create a flat surface with no creases.

Disinfect the implant by soaking in 70% ethanol for a few seconds.

Use the 3D-printed stamping tool to create indentations in the putty. One indentation is needed for each implant being prepared.

Insert the implants into the indentations. Gently press the implants into place, so the bottom of the implant fully makes contact with the putty. Do not press too hard, as you do not want the putty to fill the holes in the implant.

Prepare the (including Part A and Part B).

In a beaker, weigh out 20g of Part A, and 2g of Part B.

Mix the two parts together thoroughly to combine them, until the mixture is homogeneous.

Use a degasser to remove bubbles from the mixture. Keep the mixture in the degassing chamber until you see the mixture rise, then collapse as the bubbles burst. Wait another minute after the collapse before removing the mixture from the degasser.

Draw the degassed SORTA-Clear into a 1 mL Luer-lock syringe. Attach a 25G blunt needle.

Cover the top of the implants with SORTA-Clear.

Place the putty with the implants under a dissection scope to better see what you're doing.

Fill each hole in the implant with SORTA-Clear using the 25G needle. Take care not to create bubbles by dispensing SORTA-Clear near the hole and allowing it to flow into the hole on its own. If bubbles do form, try to dislodge them with the needle.

When each hole is filled, cover the entire top surface of the implant (excluding the outer lip) with a layer of SORTA-Clear.

Repeat for each implant. You have about an hour to work with the SORTA-Clear before it cures too much to work with. If it is getting very difficult to push it out of the syringe, make a fresh batch.

Allow the SORTA-Clear to fully cure for at least 24h 0m 0s before removing the implants from the putty and implanting them into animals.

Coated implants are then cleaned by rinsing in 70% ethanol, placed into individual autoclave bags, and autoclaved for 0h 5m 0s (131°C, 14.7 psi). Note that autoclaving at higher temperatures can lead to defects in the implant.