Open source 3D printer maker Aleph Objects has confirmed its entry into the 3D bioprinting market. In partnership with Massachusetts-based 3D bioprinting technology developer FluidForm, Aleph plans to launch LulzBot Bio 3D printer hardware later this year.
For Grant Flaharty, CEO and President of Aleph Objects, this work offers them an opportunity to become part of a new market that is expected to grow to $ 1.9 billion over the next nine years. According to Flaharty, "Combining proven professional 3D printer and hardware expertise with 3D biomanufacturing technology will be an absolute game changer. We are still very willing to use bio 3D printers to build real functional organizations. A partnership like the one we built at LULZBOT will help make this reality faster. "
From 3D printer to bio 3D printer
Aleph Objects has been producing Lulzbot 3D printers since 2011. The latest addition to its growing product line is the Lulzbot TAZ 6: Workhorse Edition and LulzBot TAZ Pro systems. Although 3D bioprinting is a smaller subset of 3D printing, the hardware used in the process is very similar to most common desktop 3D printers. The main differences are the materials used, the extrusion tools and the typical working environment.
Many 3D bioprinters currently on the market operate using the same Cartesian system as LulzBot's 3D printer. However, LulzBot Bio will replace hot needles and will be able to deposit semi-liquid inks and other gel-like substances. Since 3D bioprinters also come into contact with materials containing living cells at some point, basic 3D printer settings must also be suitable for clean room environments. This may mean the need to build a case for a 3D printer.
FRESH bio 3D printing
FluidForm is a startup company founded in 2018 and a spin-off company of Carnegie Mellon University's Regenerative Biomaterials and Therapy Group. Its proprietary FRESH technology uses non-Newtonian gels as support materials for 3D bioprinting materials. The unique properties of non-Newton gels allow objects (ie, needle printheads) to pass through them as if they were liquid. At the same time, the gel supports deposited materials such as solids. In FRESH, a small piece of non-Newtonian gel FuildForm's LifeSupport material was used to replace the printing bed. The needle deposition system is then 3D printed by a gel to obtain the desired shape, such as a blood vessel. After this process, the material is solidified-the support gel can then be melted to leave the 3D printed object.
The first product that Aleph and FluidForm collaborate is expected to be released in the summer of 2019.