Low cost lab-on-a-chip prototyping with a consumer grade 3D printer

Lab on a Chip ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 2978-2982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Germán Comina ◽  
Anke Suska ◽  
Daniel Filippini
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  

Versatile prototyping of 3D printed lab-on-a-chip devices, supporting different forms of sample delivery, transport, functionalization and readout, is demonstrated with a consumer grade printer, which centralizes all critical fabrication tasks.

Author(s):  
Alejandro Bonnet De León ◽  
Jose Luis Saorin ◽  
Jorge De la Torre-Cantero ◽  
Cecile Meier ◽  
María Cabrera-Pardo

<p class="0abstract"><span lang="EN-US">One of the drawbacks of using 3D printers in educational environments is that the creation time of each piece is high and therefore it is difficult to manufacture at least one piece for each student. This aspect is important so that each student can feel part of the manufacturing process. To achieve this, 3D printers can be used, not to make pieces, but to make the molds that students use to create replicas. On the other hand, for a mold to be used to make several pieces, it is convenient to make it with flexible material. However, most used material for 3D printers (PLA) is very rigid. To solve this problem, this article designs a methodology that allows the use of low-cost 3D printers (most common in school environments) with flexible material so that each mold can be used to manufacture parts for several students. To print flexible material with low-cost printers, it is necessary to adapt the machine and the print parameters to work properly. This article analyzes the changes to be made with a low cost 3D printer and validates the use of molds in school environments. A pilot test has been carried out with 8 students of the subject of Typography, in the School of Art and Superior of Design of Tenerife. During the activity, the students carried out the process of designing a typography and creating digital molds for 3D printing with flexible material. The designs were made using free 3D modeling programs and low-cost technologies.</span></p>


Author(s):  
A. Elibiary ◽  
W. Oakey ◽  
S. Jun ◽  
B. Sanz-Izquierdo ◽  
D. Bird ◽  
...  

10.2196/19792 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. e19792
Author(s):  
Michelle Ho ◽  
Jared Goldfarb ◽  
Roxana Moayer ◽  
Uche Nwagu ◽  
Rohan Ganti ◽  
...  

Background Nasal osteotomy is a commonly performed procedure during rhinoplasty for both functional and cosmetic reasons. Teaching and learning this procedure proves difficult due to the reliance on nuanced tactile feedback. For surgical simulation, trainees are traditionally limited to cadaveric bones, which can be costly and difficult to obtain. Objective This study aimed to design and print a low-cost midface model for nasal osteotomy simulation. Methods A 3D reconstruction of the midface was modified using the free open-source design software Meshmixer (Autodesk Inc). The pyriform aperture was smoothed, and support rods were added to hold the fragments generated from the simulation in place. Several models with various infill densities were printed using a desktop 3D printer to determine which model best mimicked human facial bone. Results A midface simulation set was designed using a desktop 3D printer, polylactic acid filament, and easily accessible tools. A nasal osteotomy procedure was successfully simulated using the model. Conclusions 3D printing is a low-cost, accessible technology that can be used to create simulation models. With growing restrictions on trainee duty hours, the simulation set can be used by programs to augment surgical training.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Osti ◽  
Gian Santi ◽  
Marco Neri ◽  
Alfredo Liverani ◽  
Leonardo Frizziero ◽  
...  

This paper presents the application of a low-cost 3D printing technology in pre-operative planning and intra-operative decision-making. Starting from Computed Tomography (CT) scans, we were able to reconstruct a 3D model of the area of interest with a very simple and rapid workflow, using open-source software and an entry level 3D printer. The use of High Temperature Poly-Lactic Acid (HTPLA) by ProtoPasta allowed fabricating sterilizable models, which could be used within the surgical field. We believe that our method is an appealing alternative to high-end commercial products, being superior for cost and speed of production. It could be advantageous especially for small and less affluent hospitals that could produce customized sterilizable tools with little investment and high versatility.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2144
Author(s):  
Maria Sevastaki ◽  
Mirela Petruta Suchea ◽  
George Kenanakis

In the present work, the use of nanocomposite polymeric filaments based on 100% recycled solid polystyrene everyday products, enriched with TiO2 nanoparticles with mass concentrations up to 40% w/w, and the production of 3D photocatalytic structures using a typical fused deposition modeling (FDM)-type 3D printer are reported. We provide evidence that the fabricated 3D structures offer promising photocatalytic properties, indicating that the proposed technique is indeed a novel low-cost alternative route for fabricating large-scale photocatalysts, suitable for practical real-life applications.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Ho ◽  
Jared Goldfarb ◽  
Roxana Moayer ◽  
Uche Nwagu ◽  
Rohan Ganti ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Nasal osteotomy is a commonly performed procedure during rhinoplasty for both functional and cosmetic reasons. Teaching and learning this procedure proves difficult due to the reliance on nuanced tactile feedback. For surgical simulation, trainees are traditionally limited to cadaveric bones, which can be costly and difficult to obtain. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to design and print a low-cost midface model for nasal osteotomy simulation. METHODS A 3D reconstruction of the midface was modified using the free open-source design software Meshmixer (Autodesk Inc). The pyriform aperture was smoothed, and support rods were added to hold the fragments generated from the simulation in place. Several models with various infill densities were printed using a desktop 3D printer to determine which model best mimicked human facial bone. RESULTS A midface simulation set was designed using a desktop 3D printer, polylactic acid filament, and easily accessible tools. A nasal osteotomy procedure was successfully simulated using the model. CONCLUSIONS 3D printing is a low-cost, accessible technology that can be used to create simulation models. With growing restrictions on trainee duty hours, the simulation set can be used by programs to augment surgical training.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiang Xu ◽  
Zhuowei Du ◽  
Paul Hsi Liu ◽  
Yi Kou ◽  
Lin Chen

We introduce OPAM, an Open source, low-cost (under $150), 3D-Printed, stepper motor driven, Arduino based, single cell Micromanipulator (OPAM). Modification of a commercial stepper motor led to dramatically increased stability and maneuverability of the motor, based on which the micromanipulator was designed. All components of this micromanipulator can be 3D printed using an entry-level 3D printer and assembled with ease. With this single cell manipulator, successful targeted single cell capture and transfer was confirmed under the microscope, which showed great promise for single cell related experiments.


Catalysts ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Rossi ◽  
Alessandra Puglisi ◽  
Laura Maria Raimondi ◽  
Maurizio Benaglia

This article describes the synthesis of stereolithography (SLA) 3D-printed catalyst-impregnated devices and their evaluation in the organocatalyzed Friedel–Crafts alkylation of N–Me–indole with trans-β-nitrostyrene. Using a low-cost SLA 3D printer and freeware design software, different devices were designed and 3D-printed using a photopolymerizable resin containing a thiourea-based organocatalyst. The architectural control offered by the 3D-printing process allows a straightforward production of devices endowed with different shapes and surface areas, with high reproducibility. The 3D-printed organocatalytic materials promoted the formation of the desired product up to a 79% yield, although with longer reaction times compared to reactions under homogeneous conditions.


Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 437
Author(s):  
Pardy ◽  
Sink ◽  
Koel ◽  
Rang

Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) are widely used for the detection of living organisms, recently applied in Lab-on-a-Chip (LoC) devices to make portable DNA analysis platforms. While portable LoC-NAAT can provide definitive test results on the spot, it requires specialized temperature control equipment. This work focuses on delivering a generalized low-cost, wireless smart thermostat for isothermal NAAT protocols in 2 cm × 3 cm LoC cartridges. We report on the design, prototyping, and evaluation results of our smart thermostat. The thermostat was evaluated by experimental and simulated thermal analysis using 3D printed LoC cartridges, in order to verify its applicability to various isothermal NAAT protocols. Furthermore, it was tested at the boundaries of its operating ambient temperature range as well as its battery life was evaluated. The prototype thermostat was proven functional in 20–30 °C ambient range, capable of maintaining the required reaction temperature of 12 isothermal NAAT protocols with 0.7 °C steady-state error in the worst case.


Electronics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1456
Author(s):  
Rifky Ismail ◽  
Rilo Berdin Taqriban ◽  
Mochammad Ariyanto ◽  
Ali Tri Atmaja ◽  
Sugiyanto ◽  
...  

This study aims to invent a new, low-cost, and faster method of prosthetic socket fabrication, especially in Indonesia. In this paper, the photogrammetry with the 3D printing method is introduced as the new applicative way for transradial prosthetic making. Photogrammetry is used to retrieve a 3D model of the amputated hand stump using a digital camera. A digital camera is used for photogrammetry technique and the resulting 3D model is printed using a circular 3D printer with Polylactic acid (PLA) material. The conventional casting socket fabrication method was also conducted in this study as a comparison. Both prosthetic sockets were analyzed for usability, and sectional area conformities to determine the size deviation using the image processing method. This study concludes that the manufacturing of transradial prosthetic sockets incorporating the photogrammetry technique reduces the total man-hour production. Based on the results, it can be implied that the photogrammetry technique is a more efficient and economical method compared to the conventional casting method. The 3D printed socket resulting from the photogrammetry method has a 5–19% area deviation to the casting socket but it is still preferable and adjustable for the transradial amputee when applied to the stump of the remaining hand.


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