The core of bioprinting related research aims to reduce the gap betweenex 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
Keywords: 3D Printing, additive manufacturing, tissue
engineering, bioprinting.