The Holy Grail of 3D printing is in its medical applications. With thousands of people waiting on high-demand organ transplants, we all dream of a day when a new kidney could be produced as easily as 3D Composites conducts our rapid prototyping in Seattle. The technology has not yet reached this point, but a new Welsh company by the name of 3Dynamic has recently released two 3D bioprinting machines that represent a great step forward in medical 3D printing.
The first of these bioprinters, the Alpha, looks like a normal desktop 3D printer. However, through the use of a poly-capro-lactone, calcium phosphate, hydrogel matrix, it is capable of manufacturing accurate bone scaffolds. The resulting composite is even capable of tapping into the body’s regenerative powers, allowing it to be repaired by platelets and stem cells like a normal bone.
The second bioprinter, the Omega Tissue Engineering Workstation, was built to construct soft bodily tissues. It is equipped with two extruders, one which puts down a scaffold and the other which produces a bioactive gel that is seeded with stem cells. After a tissue is printed, it is then cultured over the course of three weeks to produce a viable tissue.
These two machines represent a great boon, not only to those in the medical field but also scientific research teams looking for ethical and reliable ways to test medicines and other substances. This is therefore an exciting day for health, science, and 3D printing all around.
