Abstract
Engineered tendon and ligament scaffolds are ideally a bunch of biocompatible and biodegradable microfibers that are three-dimensionally aligned with no fusion between individual fibers. In this paper, a simple yet effective device that is able to fabricate this nearly native structure is presented, including design and operation method. Briefly, the device is die-free and requires only simple components such as a plate with an orifice, an aluminum holder, a ring heater and a rotating mandrel. The fabrication is done by a single step with microfiber (10 µm diameter) bundles being directly obtained at a very low take-up speed. The as-spun microfiber bundles appear silvery and shiny, apparently similar to a native tendon. This device and the method associated opens up a new way to diversify the structure of biomaterials.