{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T22:35:32Z","timestamp":1791930932521,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785801600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Microneedle (MN) arrays offer a novel and minimally invasive platform for transdermal drug delivery. This study presents an approach for the design and fabrication of MN array models for biomedical applications using custom 3D-printed micro-molds. Material analysis of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) matrix in a 3:1 weight ratio was conducted under varying geometric configurations, curcumin (CUR) dosages, and target penetration depths of 300 to 500 \u03bcm. Computational simulation using computer-aided design (CAD) and finite element analysis (FEA) on ANSYS (Canonsburg, PN, USA) measured for total deformation, stress distribution, insertion pressure, and factor of safety. Elimination criteria were applied, narrowing down to specific models that were experimentally validated through material formulation, micro-molding, and material characterization. The selected MN models were analyzed by insertion and penetration efficiency testing on porcine skin. The results showed that higher CUR concentrations reduced mechanical strength and Young\u2019s modulus, while mid-range dosages (2\u20136 mg) combined with optimized geometric spacing produced MNs with maintained structural integrity and effective performance. Conical microneedles demonstrated the most favorable balance of mechanical stability, controlled swelling behavior, and high insertion efficiency. The study recommends this approach as a feasible and reproducible method for localized wound-healing applications.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym18151912","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T12:32:43Z","timestamp":1785846763000},"page":"1912","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Fabrication, Simulation, and Mechanical Characterization of Curcumin-Loaded PVA\/PVP Microneedle Arrays Using Custom 3D-Printed Molds"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-6319-0044","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bryan Angelo S. J.","family":"Basa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Management, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-5090-3811","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Charlize Dawn Z.","family":"Batin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Management, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-1942-8801","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Izabelle Nisha Maxine D.","family":"Chan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Management, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-9221-5704","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adrian Ray B.","family":"Gabay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Management, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5789-1380","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"John Ray C.","family":"Estrellado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Management, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines"},{"name":"Center of Engineering and Sustainable Development Research, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines"},{"name":"Department of Chemical Engineering, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-8132-6709","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ron Gilbert R.","family":"Rallos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Engineering and Sustainable Development Research, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9717-0062","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mary Stephanie S.","family":"Carranza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Engineering and Sustainable Development Research, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-0683-8503","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mark Jefferson U.","family":"Lim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Engineering and Sustainable Development Research, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8541-4362","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jubert C.","family":"Marquez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Center, Paik Hospital, Inje University, Busan 47392, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6671-4079","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joseph Rey H.","family":"Sta Agueda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Management, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines"},{"name":"Center of Engineering and Sustainable Development Research, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mishra, B., and Bonde, G.V. 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