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A hackable, multi-functional, and modular extrusion 3D printer for soft materials

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Change log

Authors

Lei, Iek Man 
Sheng, Yaqi 
Lei, Chon Lok 
Leow, Cillian 
Huang, Yan Yan Shery 

Abstract

jats:titleAbstract</jats:title>jats:pThree-dimensional (3D) printing has emerged as a powerful tool for material, food, and life science research and development, where the technology’s democratization necessitates the advancement of open-source platforms. Herein, we developed a hackable, multi-functional, and modular extrusion 3D printer for soft materials, nicknamed Printer.HM. Multi-printhead modules are established based on a robotic arm for heterogeneous construct creation, where ink printability can be tuned by accessories such as heating and UV modules. Software associated with Printer.HM were designed to accept geometry inputs including computer-aided design models, coordinates, equations, and pictures, to create prints of distinct characteristics. Printer.HM could further perform versatile operations, such as liquid dispensing, non-planar printing, and pick-and-place of meso-objects. By ‘mix-and-match’ software and hardware settings, Printer.HM demonstrated printing of pH-responsive soft actuators, plant-based functional hydrogels, and organ macro-anatomical models. Integrating affordability and open design, Printer.HM is envisaged to democratize 3D printing for soft, biological, and sustainable material architectures. </jats:p>

Description

Funder: W.D Armstrong Trust Fund


Funder: Chinese Government Scholarship; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100010890

Keywords

Article, /639/166/985, /639/301/54, /639/301/923, article

Journal Title

Scientific Reports

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2045-2322

Volume Title

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Sponsorship
European Research Council (ERC-StG, 758865)