The Enderstruder: An accessible open-source syringe extruder compatible with Ender series 3D printers
Bioprinting has enabled the precise spatiotemporal deposition of cells and biomaterials, opening new avenues of research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Although several open-source syringe extruder adaptations for bioprinters have been published and adopted by end users, only one h...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-03-01
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| Series: | HardwareX |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S246806722400004X |
| _version_ | 1797266512057204736 |
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| author | Domenic J. Cordova Angel A. Rodriguez Sabrina C. Woodward Cody O. Crosby |
| author_facet | Domenic J. Cordova Angel A. Rodriguez Sabrina C. Woodward Cody O. Crosby |
| author_sort | Domenic J. Cordova |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bioprinting has enabled the precise spatiotemporal deposition of cells and biomaterials, opening new avenues of research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Although several open-source syringe extruder adaptations for bioprinters have been published and adopted by end users, only one has been specifically adapted for the Ender series, an affordable and open-source line of thermoplastic 3D printers. Here, we introduce the Enderstruder, a cost-effective extruder attachment that uses a standard 10 mL BD syringe, positions the stepper motor at the level of the gantry, enhances x-axis stability with a linear rail, and uses the originally included stepper motor, resulting in reduced cost and simplified assembly. Furthermore, we present an iterative process to fine-tune printing profiles for high-viscosity biomaterial inks. To facilitate the implementation of our work by other researchers, we provide fully editable Cura profiles for five commonly used biomaterials. Using these five materials to validate and characterize our design, we employ the Enderstruder to print established calibration patterns and complex shapes. By presenting the Enderstruder and its iterative development process, this study contributes to the growing repository of open-source bioprinting solutions, fostering greater accessibility and affordability for researchers in tissue engineering. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T08:26:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a938b51a30924bc991e90297f822082b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2468-0672 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T01:01:52Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | HardwareX |
| spelling | doaj.art-a938b51a30924bc991e90297f822082b2024-03-11T04:11:00ZengElsevierHardwareX2468-06722024-03-0117e00510The Enderstruder: An accessible open-source syringe extruder compatible with Ender series 3D printersDomenic J. Cordova0Angel A. Rodriguez1Sabrina C. Woodward2Cody O. Crosby3Department of Physics, Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX, United StatesDepartment of Physics, Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX, United States; Department of Mathematics, Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX, United StatesDepartment of Physics, Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX, United StatesDepartment of Physics, Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States; Corresponding author at: Department of Physics, Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX, United States.Bioprinting has enabled the precise spatiotemporal deposition of cells and biomaterials, opening new avenues of research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Although several open-source syringe extruder adaptations for bioprinters have been published and adopted by end users, only one has been specifically adapted for the Ender series, an affordable and open-source line of thermoplastic 3D printers. Here, we introduce the Enderstruder, a cost-effective extruder attachment that uses a standard 10 mL BD syringe, positions the stepper motor at the level of the gantry, enhances x-axis stability with a linear rail, and uses the originally included stepper motor, resulting in reduced cost and simplified assembly. Furthermore, we present an iterative process to fine-tune printing profiles for high-viscosity biomaterial inks. To facilitate the implementation of our work by other researchers, we provide fully editable Cura profiles for five commonly used biomaterials. Using these five materials to validate and characterize our design, we employ the Enderstruder to print established calibration patterns and complex shapes. By presenting the Enderstruder and its iterative development process, this study contributes to the growing repository of open-source bioprinting solutions, fostering greater accessibility and affordability for researchers in tissue engineering.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S246806722400004X3D bioprintingExtrusionHydrogelOpen-sourcePrintabilitySyringe pump |
| spellingShingle | Domenic J. Cordova Angel A. Rodriguez Sabrina C. Woodward Cody O. Crosby The Enderstruder: An accessible open-source syringe extruder compatible with Ender series 3D printers HardwareX 3D bioprinting Extrusion Hydrogel Open-source Printability Syringe pump |
| title | The Enderstruder: An accessible open-source syringe extruder compatible with Ender series 3D printers |
| title_full | The Enderstruder: An accessible open-source syringe extruder compatible with Ender series 3D printers |
| title_fullStr | The Enderstruder: An accessible open-source syringe extruder compatible with Ender series 3D printers |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Enderstruder: An accessible open-source syringe extruder compatible with Ender series 3D printers |
| title_short | The Enderstruder: An accessible open-source syringe extruder compatible with Ender series 3D printers |
| title_sort | enderstruder an accessible open source syringe extruder compatible with ender series 3d printers |
| topic | 3D bioprinting Extrusion Hydrogel Open-source Printability Syringe pump |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S246806722400004X |
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