Method of fabricating a casting

Abstract

A method of fabricating a casting, the method including applying a substrate to a sacrificial mold, the sacrificial mold including a shaped non-planar receiving surface to receive the substrate and provide a casting of the substrate having a shaped structure corresponding to the receiving surface; and subjecting the sacrificial mold and casting to freeze drying conditions and sublimating the sacrificial mold from the casting to form a cast article including the shaped non-planar structure.

1 . A method of fabricating a cast biomaterial, the method including:
 applying a substrate biomaterial to a sacrificial ice mold, the sacrificial ice mold including a shaped non-planar receiving surface to receive the substrate biomaterial and provide a casting of the substrate biomaterial having a shaped structure corresponding to the receiving surface; and   subjecting the sacrificial ice mold and casting to freeze drying conditions and sublimating the sacrificial ice mold from the casting to form a cast biomaterial including the shaped structure.   
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sacrificial ice mold consists of ice. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate biomaterial includes one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: oligomers, proteins, polypeptides, amino acids, polysaccharides, saccharides, plant or animal tissue, plant or animal cells, food materials, composite materials including at least one of the foregoing, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein prior to the step of applying a substrate biomaterial to the sacrificial ice mold, the method further includes forming the sacrificial ice mold by a method selected from: sculpting or machining the sacrificial ice mold from solid ice; or casting or 3D printing a liquid mold material comprising water and solidifying the liquid mold material comprising water to form the sacrificial ice mold. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the step of forming the sacrificial ice mold includes 3D printing the liquid mold material comprising water. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the step of 3D printing the liquid mold material is conducted in an environment at a temperature that is at least 5° C. below the solidus temperature of the liquid mold material. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the liquid mold material consists of water. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of applying the substrate biomaterial to the sacrificial ice mold to form the casting of the substrate biomaterial on the receiving surface of the sacrificial ice mold includes forming a layer of the substrate biomaterial with a layer thickness of 10 mm or less. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein after the step of sublimating the sacrificial ice mold from the casting, the method further includes applying one or more coating layers to at least one surface of the cast biomaterial, and forming a coated and/or multilayered cast biomaterial. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the receiving surface is an external receiving surface and the step of applying a substrate biomaterial to the sacrificial ice mold includes coating at least a portion of the external receiving surface with the substrate biomaterial. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the substrate is applied to the external receiving surface of the sacrificial ice mold by dip coating the sacrificial ice mold into the substrate biomaterial or spray coating the substrate biomaterial onto the external receiving surface of the sacrificial ice mold. 
     
     
         13 .- 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of applying the substrate biomaterial to the sacrificial ice mold includes forming a tubular layer of the substrate biomaterial around a tubular receiving surface of the sacrificial ice mold. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein prior to the step of sublimating the sacrificial ice mold from the casting, the method further includes applying one or more coating layers to at least one surface of the casting, and forming a coated and/or multilayered casting. 
     
     
         22 . A cast article fabricated according to the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         23 . A vascular structure formed according to the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the shaped non-planar receiving surface of the sacrificial ice mold is non-hierarchical.