Abstract
The core of bioprinting related research aims to reduce the gap between
ex vivo cell cultures and in vivo cellular tissue models to further its
application within the biomedical field. While additive manufacturing is
touted as disruptive technology, bioprinter equipment costs exceed
limited resource budgets of many research laboratories restricting the
scope for further development for biomedical research and potential
medical application. In line with this, a relatively low-cost bioprinter
(SidneV1) was successfully designed and manufactured using a low-cost,
commercially available FDM Delta 3D printer as a prototype base with a
successfully custom designed and manufactured micro-extrusion printhead.
Printing accuracies assessed were 65% (for width measurements) and 64%
(for height measurements). This study aimed to demonstrate a way to
achieve low-cost bioprinting and hopefully pave the way for future
system modifications and refinements such that this technology becomes
more accessible to under-funded research groups around the world.
Although these findings are preliminary, further optimization of
printing parameters, bioink formulations and sterilization techniques
will allow for the engineering of viable, physiologically relevant
tissue models using low-cost bioprinting technology.