scholarly journals Fabrication of Hard–Soft Microfluidic Devices Using Hybrid 3D Printing

Micromachines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Ruiz ◽  
Karteek Kadimisetty ◽  
Kun Yin ◽  
Michael G. Mauk ◽  
Hui Zhao ◽  
...  

Widely accessible, inexpensive, easy-to-use consumer 3D printers, such as desktop stereolithography (SLA) and fused-deposition modeling (FDM) systems are increasingly employed in prototyping and customizing miniaturized fluidic systems for diagnostics and research. However, these 3D printers are generally limited to printing parts made of only one material type, which limits the functionality of the microfluidic devices without additional assembly and bonding steps. Moreover, mating of different materials requires good sealing in such microfluidic devices. Here, we report methods to print hybrid structures comprising a hard, rigid component (clear polymethacrylate polymer) printed by a low-cost SLA printer, and where the first printed part is accurately mated and adhered to a second, soft, flexible component (thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer) printed by an FDM printer. The prescribed mounting and alignment of the first-printed SLA-printed hard component, and its pre-treatment and heating during the second FDM step, can produce leak-free bonds at material interfaces. To demonstrate the utility of such hybrid 3D-printing, we prototype and test three components: i) finger-actuated pump, ii) quick-connect fluid coupler, and iii) nucleic acid amplification test device with screw-type twist sealing for sample introduction.

Lab on a Chip ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reverson Fernandes Quero ◽  
Gessica Domingos Silveira ◽  
Jose Alberto Fracassi da Silva ◽  
Dosil Pereira de Jesus

The fabrication of microfluidic devices through Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing has faced several challenges, mainly regarding obtaining microchannels with suitable transparency and sizes. Thus, the use of this...


2017 ◽  
Vol 242 ◽  
pp. 35-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Gaal ◽  
Melissa Mendes ◽  
Tiago P. de Almeida ◽  
Maria H.O. Piazzetta ◽  
Ângelo L. Gobbi ◽  
...  

Micromachines ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Goh ◽  
Michinao Hashimoto

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) has become an indispensable tool for 3D printing of molds used for sacrificial molding to fabricate microfluidic devices. The freedom of design of a mold is, however, restricted to the capabilities of the 3D printer and associated materials. Although FDM has been used to create a sacrificial mold made with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to produce 3D microchannels, microchannels with free-hanging geometries are still difficult to achieve. Herein, dual sacrificial molding was devised to fabricate microchannels with overhang or helical features in PDMS using two complementary materials. The method uses an FDM 3D printer equipped with two extruders and filaments made of high- impact polystyrene (HIPS) and PVA. HIPS was initially removed in limonene to reveal the PVA mold harboring the design of microchannels. The PVA mold was embedded in PDMS and subsequently removed in water to create microchannels with 3D geometries such as dual helices and multilayer pyramidal networks. The complementary pairing of the HIPS and PVA filaments during printing facilitated the support of suspended features of the PVA mold. The PVA mold was robust and retained the original design after the exposure to limonene. The resilience of the technique demonstrated here allows us to create microchannels with geometries not attainable with sacrificial molding with a mold printed with a single material.


Author(s):  
Laxmi Poudel ◽  
Chandler Blair ◽  
Jace McPherson ◽  
Zhenghui Sha ◽  
Wenchao Zhou

Abstract While three-dimensional (3D) printing has been making significant strides over the past decades, it still trails behind mainstream manufacturing due to its lack of scalability in both print size and print speed. Cooperative 3D printing (C3DP) is an emerging technology that holds the promise to mitigate both of these issues by having a swarm of printhead-carrying mobile robots working together to finish a single print job cooperatively. In our previous work, we have developed a chunk-based printing strategy to enable the cooperative 3D printing with two fused deposition modeling (FDM) mobile 3D printers, which allows each of them to print one chunk at a time without interfering with the other and the printed part. In this paper, we present a novel method in discretizing the continuous 3D printing process, where the desired part is discretized into chunks, resulting in multi-stage 3D printing process. In addition, the key contribution of this study is the first working scaling strategy for cooperative 3D printing based on simple heuristics, called scalable parallel arrays of robots for 3DP (SPAR3), which enables many mobile 3D printers to work together to reduce the total printing time for large prints. In order to evaluate the performance of the printing strategy, a framework is developed based on directed dependency tree (DDT), which provides a mathematical and graphical description of dependency relationships and sequence of printing tasks. The graph-based framework can be used to estimate the total print time for a given print strategy. Along with the time evaluation metric, the developed framework provides us with a mathematical representation of geometric constraints that are temporospatially dynamic and need to be satisfied in order to achieve collision-free printing for any C3DP strategy. The DDT-based evaluation framework is then used to evaluate the proposed SPAR3 strategy. The results validate the SPAR3 as a collision-free strategy that can significantly shorten the printing time (about 11 times faster with 16 robots for the demonstrated examples) in comparison with the traditional 3D printing with single printhead.


Author(s):  
Leonardo Portilha Gomes da Costa ◽  
Stephanie Isabel Díaz Zamalloa ◽  
Fernando Amorim Mendonça Alves ◽  
Renan Spigolon ◽  
Leandro Yukio Mano ◽  
...  

3D printers manufacture objects used in various dental specialties. Objective: This literature review aims to explore different techniques of current 3D printers and their applications in printed materials for dental purposes. Methods: The online PubMed databases were searched aiming to find applications of different 3D printers in the dental area. The keywords searched were 3D printer, 3D printing, additive manufacturing, rapid prototyping, 3D prototyping, dental materials and dentistry. Results: From the search results, we describe Stereolithography (SLA), Digital Light Processing (DLP), Material Jetting (MJ), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Binder Jetting (BJ) and Dust-based printing techniques. Conclusion: 3D printing enables different additive manufacturing techniques to be used in dentistry, providing better workflows and more satisfying clinical results.


Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 516
Author(s):  
Essam Zaneldin ◽  
Waleed Ahmed ◽  
Aya Mansour ◽  
Amged El Hassan

Construction projects are often challenged by tight budgets and limited time and resources. Contractors are, therefore, looking for ways to become competitive by improving efficiency and using cost-effective materials. Using three-dimensional (3D) printing for shaping materials to produce cost-effective construction elements is becoming a feasible option to make contractors more competitive locally and globally. The process capabilities for 3D printers and related devices have been tightened in recent years with the booming of 3D printing industries and applications. Contractors are attempting to improve production skills to satisfy firm specifications and standards, while attempting to have costs within competitive ranges. The aim of this research is to investigate and test the production process capability (Cp) of 3D printers using fused deposition modeling (FDM) to manufacture 3D printed parts made from plastic waste for use in the construction of buildings with different infill structures and internal designs to reduce cost. This was accomplished by calculating the actual requirement capabilities of the 3D printers under consideration. The production capabilities and requirements of FDM printers are first examined to develop instructions and assumptions to assist in deciphering the characteristics of the 3D printers that will be used. Possible applications in construction are then presented. As an essential outcome of this study, it was noticed that the 3D printed parts made from plastic waste using FDM printers are less expensive than using traditional lightweight non-load bearing concrete hollow masonry blocks, hourdi slab hollow bocks, and concrete face bricks.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (94) ◽  
pp. 65-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.D. Dikova ◽  
D.A. Dzhendov ◽  
D. Ivanov ◽  
K. Bliznakova

Purpose: To compare the dimensions accuracy and surface roughness of polymeric dental bridges produced by different 3D printers. Design/methodology/approach: Four-part dental bridges were manufactured by three printing systems working on the basis of digital light projection (DLP) stereolithography (SLA), laser-assisted SLA and fused deposition modeling (FDM). The materials used from SLA printers are liquid methacrylate photopolymer resins, while FDM printer use thin wire plastic polylactic acid. The accuracy of the external dimensions of dental bridges was evaluated and the surface roughness was measured. Findings: It was found that compared to the base model, the dimensions of the SLA printed bridges are bigger with 1.25%-6.21%, while the corresponding dimensions of the samples, made by FDM are smaller by 1.07%-4.71%, regardless the position of the object towards the substrate. The samples, produced by FDM, are characterized with the highest roughness. The average roughness deviation (Ra) values for DLP SLA and lase-assisted SLA are 2.40 μm and 2.97 μm, respectively. Research limitations/implications: For production of high quality polymeric dental constructions next research should be targeted to investigation of the polymerization degree, stresses and deformations. Practical implications: Our study shows that 3D printers, based on laser-assisted and DLP SLA, can be successfully used for manufacturing of polymeric dental bridges – temporary restorations or cast patterns, while FDM system is more suitable for training models. The results will help the dentists to make right choice of the most suitable 3D printer. Originality/value: One of the largest fixed partial dentures – four-part bridges, produced by three different commercial 3D printing systems, were investigated by comparative analysis. The paper will attract readers’ interest in the field of biomedical materials and application of new technologies in dentistry.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maisa Araújo ◽  
Livia Sa-Barreto ◽  
Tais Gratieri ◽  
Guilherme Gelfuso ◽  
Marcilio Cunha-Filho

The pharmaceutical industry is set to join the fourth industrial revolution with the 3D printing of medicines. The application of 3D printers in compounding pharmacies will turn them into digital pharmacies, wrapping up the telemedicine care cycle and definitively modifying the pharmacotherapeutic treatment of patients. Fused deposition modeling 3D printing technology melts extruded drug-loaded filaments into any dosage form; and allows the obtainment of flexible dosages with different shapes, multiple active pharmaceutical ingredients and modulated drug release kinetics—in other words, offering customized medicine. This work aimed to present an update on this technology, discussing its challenges. The co-participation of the pharmaceutical industry and compounding pharmacies seems to be the best way to turn this technology into reality. The pharmaceutical industry can produce drug-loaded filaments on a large scale with the necessary quality and safety guarantees; while digital pharmacies can transform the filaments into personalized medicine according to specific prescriptions. For this to occur, adaptations in commercial 3D printers will need to meet health requirements for drug products preparation, and it will be necessary to make advances in regulatory gaps and discussions on patent protection. Thus, despite the conservatism of the sector, 3D drug printing has the potential to become the biggest technological leap ever seen in the pharmaceutical segment, and according to the most optimistic prognostics, it will soon be within reach.


Author(s):  
Lamis R. Darwish ◽  
Mohamed T. El-Wakad ◽  
Mahmoud Farag

Abstract The extrusion systems of the widespread Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printers enable printing only with materials in the filament form. This property hinders the usage of these FDM 3D printers in many fields where the printing materials are in forms other than filaments. Thus, this paper proposes a Heated Inductive-enabled Syringe Pump Extrusion (HISPE) multifunction open-source module with a potential application in bioprinting (i.e., extrusion-based bioprinting). The proposed HISPE module is designed to be cost-effective, simple, and easy to replicate. It is capable of replacing the conventional extrusion system of any open-source cartesian FDM 3D printer. This module widens both the range of the FDM 3D printing materials (e.g., bioinks, biopolymers, blends of materials, or composites) and their forms (e.g., hydrogels, powder, pellets, or flakes). The capabilities of the proposed module were investigated through 3D printing bone scaffolds with a filament diameter of 400 µm and pore size of 350 µm by a Polycaprolactone (PCL) biodegradable polymer in the pellets form. The morphological accuracy of the printed scaffolds was investigated by SEM. The investigation results confirm the accurateness of the proposed HISPE module in printing high-precision models.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (6(132)) ◽  
pp. 120-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Przybytek ◽  
Iga Gubańska ◽  
Justyna Kucińska-Lipka ◽  
Helena Janik

The possibility of using 3D printing technology (3DP) in medical field is a kind of revolution in health care. This has contributed to a rapid growth in demand for 3D printers, whose systems and materials are adapted to strict medical requirements. In this paper, we report a brief review of polyurethanes as a potential medical-grade filament for use in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printer technology. The advantages of polyurethanes as medical materials and the basic operating principles of FDM printers are presented. The review of present solutions in the market and literature data confirms the large interest in 3D printing technologies for the production of advanced medical devices. In addition, it is shown that thermoplastic-elastomer polyurethanes may be an effective widespread class of material in the market as thermoplastic filament for FDM 3D printers.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document