Robot Skin 3D Printer Close to First-in-Human Clinical Trials

In just two years a robotic device that prints a patient’s own skin cells directly onto a burn or wound could have its first-in-human clinical trials. The 3D bioprinting system for intraoperative skin regeneration developed by Australian biotech start-up Inventia Life Science has gained new momentum thanks to major investments from the Australian government and two powerful new partners, world-renowned burns expert Fiona Wood and leading bioprinting researcher Gordon Wallace.

Codenamed Ligō from the Latin “to bind”, the system is expected to revolutionize wound repairs by delivering multiple cell types and biomaterials rapidly and precisely, creating a new layer of skin where it has been damaged. The novel system is slated to replace current wound healing methods that simply attempt to repair the skin, and is being developed by Inventia Skin, a subsidiary of Inventia Life Science.

“When we started Inventia Life Science, our vision was to create a technology platform with the potential to bring enormous benefit to human health. We are pleased to see how fast that vision is progressing alongside our fantastic collaborators. This Federal Government support will definitely help us accelerate even faster,” said Dr. Julio Ribeiro, CEO, and co-founder of Inventia.

Seeking to support Australia’s biomedical and medical technology sector, the Australian government announced it will invest AU$1 million (US$723,085) to supercharge the Ligõ 3D bioprinting system for regenerating skin. The project is one of 21 initiatives to receive support from the Federal Government’s BioMedTech Horizons (BMTH) program, operated by MTPConnect, a non-profit organization aiming to accelerate the rate of growth of the medical technologies, biotechnologies, and pharmaceuticals sector in Australia.

Late in July 2020, Australia’s Federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt announced that the program’s funding is expected to move the device faster into first-in-human clinical trials. Separately, the team also received funding from the Medical Research Future Fund Stem Cell Therapies Mission to collaborate with stem cell expert Pritinder Kaur from Curtin University, in Perth, to use the Ligō device to deliver stem cell-based products that could improve skin regeneration.

According to Inventia, the skin is the first point of injury in accidents and some diseases and, when significantly damaged, it heals slowly, usually leaving a scar. Moreover, throughout the regeneration process, it is open to infection, a major problem in the body’s first protective barrier, and a good enough reason to find new ways to speed up the healing process.

Focusing energies on creating a robot capable of printing tiny droplets containing the patient’s skin cells and biomaterials directly on the wound gave Inventia the potential to recreate functional and aesthetically normal skin. Moreover, the researchers behind the Ligõ technology suggest this can be achieved in a single procedure in the operating theatre, reducing treatment cost and hospital stays, and minimizing the risk of infection.

The device uses Inventia’s patented technology, which was already successfully featured in its RASTRUM platform for lab-based medical research and drug discovery. By taking this core technology into the clinic through the Ligō robot, the company expects to break new ground with some of Australia’s leaders in skin regeneration.

Researchers from Inventia Life Science at the Translational Research Initiative for Cell Engineering and Printing (TRICEP) at Wollongong. (Image courtesy of TRICEP)

Researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES) at the University of Wollongong, in Australia, will also lend their internationally renowned expertise in bioinks to develop the new 3D bioprinting system to treat burns during surgery. Led by ACES Director Gordon Wallace, the researchers will provide critical input in the bioprinter and bioink development process. This news comes as no surprise as the ACES team already had a strong working relationship with Inventia.

“ACES is at the forefront of building new approaches to 3D printing, and this project will draw on this significant success we have had in this space in recent years,” Wallace said. “3D printing has emerged as the most exciting advance in fabrication in decades, and I’m excited to continue to build our local capabilities in this area to establish a new, innovative and sustainable industry for the Illawarra [a region in the Australian state of New South Wales]. Being part of this skin regeneration project will help to put Wollongong on the map for the commercial manufacture of bioprinting technologies.”

Leading bioprinting researcher Gordon Wallace. (Image courtesy of the ARC Center for Excellence for Electromaterials Science)

For project partner Fiona Wood, a world-leading burns specialist and surgeon, and Director of the Burns Service of Western Australia, this is not the first time that she has looked towards bioengineering to help her patients. In the early 90s, the expert pioneered the innovative “spray-on skin” technique, which greatly reduces permanent scarring in burns victims, and came to notice in 2002, when the largest proportion of survivors from the Bali bombings arrived at Royal Perth Hospital.

“The combination of these grants is an excellent example of the way the Medical Research Future Fund is being applied across the continuum of translational research to commercialization, leading to better patient outcomes,” commented Wood.

Fiona Wood at the Burns Service of Western Australia. (Image credit Fiona Woods Foundation)

Burns are the fourth most common type of trauma worldwide, with an estimated 11 million burned patients treated every year worldwide, and over 300,000 deaths resulting from serious wounds. In Australia alone Wood’s foundation reported that 200,000 people suffer burns annually, costing the Australian community over AU$150 million per year. Burn injuries are horrific and they present complex problems for both the patient and clinicians to deal with, with a road to recovery beyond easy to tackle. Inventia Skin expects bioprinting technology will be a game-changer in wound medicine. Moreover, the combined expertise of leading specialists in bioprinting and burn wounds, along with funding and support from the local government could lead to one of the most innovative 3D bioprinting systems to treat burns during surgery, and best of all, it could be available in 2022.

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COVID-19: Ivaldi’s Nora Toure on 3D Printing and the Supply Chain

Last year, Nora Toure made a very interesting talk on the impact of 3D printing on the global supply chain. The topic was a prescient one, given the events to come in 2020. In turn, I have interviewed Toure about how the topic has evolved since the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s been a year since you last gave your talk on how 3D printing will disrupt the global supply chain. Can you give a review of the supply chain and 3D printing between that talk and now?

A lot has happened since then, as far as implementing Ivaldi Group’s distributed manufacturing solution! Since my TEDx talk on disrupting supply chains with additive manufacturing, we’ve delivered the world’s first maritime spare parts on merchant vessels, we continued digitizing, optimizing and reviewing performance of thousands of spare parts, not only in maritime, but also in automotive, construction and mining.

The world’s first 3D-printed scupper plug.

I believe the adoption of additive manufacturing in supply chains optimization will be boosted in the next few months as heavy industries will go back to business and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The potential of additive manufacturing goes beyond technical comparison between materials and manufacturing process. Shipping, warehousing,  procurement, CO2 emissions, downtime are all savings that need to be taken into account when comparing current supply chain models to distributed manufacturing enhanced supply chains.

A closer look at the first 3D-printed scupper plug.

We have experienced COVID-19 the world over and it has almost completely changed the way we have been doing things. Have you noticed an impact on 3D printing in the global supply chain, particular as a disruptive technology?

As much as I’d rather COVID-19 wasn’t our new reality, I have to admit I’ve been impressed by our additive manufacturing community. It’s fantastic to see how we’ve organized ourselves in such a short amount of time. What strikes me the most is how fast individuals, but also companies of various sizes organize themselves and build their own supply chains, from designing and testing, producing, sanitizing and getting the PPE to the hospitals.

I see disruption of supply chains on two levels:

  1. Simplification of supply chains, with a more limited number of intermediaries and a collaborative approach in product sourcing and design are leading to efficient supply chains, even when triggered by individuals,

  2. Removing shipping from supply chains and focusing on sending files rather than physical products is not only fastening the entire process and saving on CO2 emissions, it’s also now proven that it’s improving efficiency all over

Interestingly, you are the founder and president of Women in 3D Printing. What role is your organization playing in 3D printing in the global supply chain, if any?

Since we do not provide parts nor any technology service, it was a bit challenging to see how we could contribute in manufacturing [personal protection equipment]. I was involved on a personal level in some local initiatives, but I wanted to keep Wi3DP agnostic because, again, we don’t have a full-time team nor employees we could dedicate to any project.

That being said, being a large community, we get information. So, our contribution has been to provide a directory of those 3D printing responses.

But I have to say, I am impressed with the work our ambassadors have done during this time, as many of them have been involved with local 3D printing responses to COVID-19.

How do you view the impact of 3D printing in the supply chain for developing nations, particularly in Africa?

Wherever supply chains aren’t fully developed and established, I believe there is an opportunity to adopt distributed manufacturing solutions sooner and implement those strategies faster.

Organizations such as 3DAfrica are doing a great job at enabling local businesses adopting 3D printing. This could be taken a step further with corporates adopting the technology as well.

Role of Additive Manufacturing in Supply Chain courtesy of Croftam UK.

What is your financial outlook for 3D printing in the supply chain in the next five years, especially after the effects of COVID-19. Do you see a rise in financial growth for 3D printing services in the supply chain or a drop?

The savings enabled by on-demand distributed manufacturing, enabled by 3D printing services, are so big and are impacting, from a financial point of view, more than unit parts cost comparison. The impact is the entire supply chain—on warehousing, shipping, delivery etc.—that it just makes sense to switch some of the traditionally sourced spare parts to additive manufacturing.

 

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Interview with Roscher Van Tonder on Simplified Manufacturing with Additive Manufacturing

Roscher Van Tonder

Managing Director and Founder of AMTC, Roscher Van Tonder takes us through an interesting topic on Simplified Manufacturing in 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing. Currently based and operating in South Africa, Roscher is actively involved in the sector through consulting and printing as a service.

What is it that you do? 

The manufacturing world is changing and it is daunting to many companies out there, the rise of I4.0 has a lot of people unsure of what the correct direction is for the business relating to AM.

AMTC Pty Ltd goal is to supply a unique set of systems, strategies, additive manufacturing equipment, and materials to our customers and to cater for a wide range of industries ranging from, Aerospace, Automotive, Manufacturing industry, Mining, Oil & Gas, Metal Casting to the Defence industries.

Our scope is to assist companies to adopt AM by creating successful business cases with exceptional ROI. These business cases complement the current business workflow. We look at the business as a whole and we identify the core areas where the maximum benefit will be reached by implementing AM for sustainable successes.

AM-WorX addresses all the business areas to ensure total coverage and ensures maximum benefit to the bottom line.

The main stages of AM-WorX

  • An onsite audit (Gauge potential AMT scope)
  • Business readiness analyst (Current and lacking AM Experience/Gaps/Skills )
  • Market review ( current and potential new markets and opportunities)
  • Parts/Product review (Ascertain the printability of the product/parts)
  • Develop the new processes and skill framework for AMT integration

By aligning with some of the bleeding edge technology companies out there the result is a business case that shows a minimum potential revenue increase compared to current company revenue over the planning horizon by showing the 10x Value guarantee by unlockable the value of AMT in the business.

Can you also explain the Simplified Manufacturing line of thought concerning 3D printing and Additive Manufacturing?

Our slogan “simplified manufacturing” comes from the benefits that technology brings to the table.

Time Reduction of the new product to market.

Additive Manufacturing has been seen as an R&D tool, the last 2 years the change to the final product has taken shape. The company that gets the product out into the market the fastest has the leverage, the technology typically cuts these times by 40-60%.

Customization & Mass customization

The instant gratification culture created by online stores and the internet is spilling over to the manufacturing industry. The ability of a company to leverage mass customization will give them an advantage on their competition, Additive manufacturing is allowing companies to move away from minimum batch volumes and give the freedom to offer customized products on-demand as per customer preference in a short amount of time.

 

Various Products and models from Prototyping to Mass Customization

On Demand Manufacturing

One of the biggest benefits of Additive Manufacturing is that it enables on-demand manufacturing. The ability to manufacture parts at the point of need points to a shift from “make-to-stock” to a more sustainable “make-to-order” model for low-volume production of spare parts.

Lead Time reduction

Hydroforming is primarily used for low volume forming of sheet metal parts while thermoforming is mainly used for high volume forming of plastic sheets. The tooling used in these processes is typically produced by CNC machining of materials such as aluminum or wood which typically involves high costs and long lead times. Additive manufacturing makes it possible to substantially reduce the cost and lead time involved in making these tools while offering additional design freedom and reducing tooling weight.

Simplified Manufacturing process

Part consolidation

AM is uniquely capable of producing complex geometries that can’t be manufactured using legacy manufacturing. A mechanical assembly that would normally have many parts fabricated as separate components and then assembled can be additively manufactured as a single unit, even if the geometry is very complex. In addition to design simplification, there are other tangible benefits to using AM for part consolidation. This leads to lower overall project costs, less material, lower overall risk, better performance.

Tool-less manufacturing

We give users the ability to deliver end-use parts directly from CAD files, saving cost by cutting out tooling requirements. Benefits: Accuracy and repeatable production, High-speed printing production, Material flexibility, and versatility, improved time-to-market and part mass-customization, Low Total Cost of Operation (TCO) and low per part cost & scalable options to meet growing needs.

Manufacturing Process step reduction

The technology can reduce current legacy manufacturing processes by up to 70%. Cost-saving implications are extensive as well as risk reduction and resource savings to the company. For exaample, in an investment cast application AM can reduce the production steps from 7 steps to 3 steps.

What impact can Simplified manufacturing with 3D Printing have, especially on African economies?

We believe that Africa is sitting on an opportunity that could change the Africa continent forever. AM technology brings the ability for SMEs to not just compete but to lead supply of manufactured parts, become self-sufficient, by exporting final products that are created from our raw materials, creating sustainable economies throughout Africa. The danger is if we miss this opportunity Africa will probably never become a major player in the manufacturing world. Why should we be following if we can lead?

Are companies especially in supply chain ready or prepared for 3D printing?

The process of manufacturing, storing, and delivering spare parts is a time-consuming and laborious one for OEM, s and remote operations. Costly warehouse, transport & logistics, storage of spare parts in addition to time-intensive lead times and shipping are just some of the difficulties faced. I believe that some Multi-national companies are getting ready, however in South Africa only a handful are starting to look at AM. As Africans, we are very slow to change and adapt to “New” we don’t like change and have a mentality of “if it’s not broken why fix it” and this is hindering the widespread adoption of AM.

The change and adoption must come with a clear vision from top management that drives the vision, this is a new way of doing things potential changing the whole business model and logistics will be one of the hardest hits I believe. Savings of 30-60% on stock holding can be achieved with AM.

 

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Techshot’s Bioprinter Successfully Fabricates Human Menisci in Space

Current Bioprinting in space could become a pathway that guides future decisions for biofabrication on Earth as well as in orbit. Astronauts have already used two bioprinters on the International Space Station (ISS), experimenting with human bone tissue and even heart tissue. Interest in creating these machines arose as Earth’s gravity was making printing functional organ-like structures quite challenging, making the space environment a feasible alternative. Techshot, a commercial space company, chose to develop a BioFabrication Facility (BFF) that has been mounted inside the ISS U.S. National Laboratory and is being used by astronauts on board since last summer. This week the company announced that the space-based 3D bioprinter was used to successfully manufacture human knee cartilage test prints in space.

Techshot’s BFF, which aims to print organ-like tissues that could one day lead to 3D printing human organs in space for transplants, was used to successfully manufacture test prints of a partial human meniscus aboard the ISS last month. The meniscus pattern was manufactured for the company’s customer: the 4D Bioprinting, Biofabrication, and Biomanufacturing (4D Bio3) program, which is based at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU). The program is a collaboration between the university and The Geneva Foundation, a non-profit organization that advances military medical research.

BioFabrication Facility Patch (Image: Techshot)

Manufacturing human tissue in the microgravity conditions of space could ultimately aid in the race to manufacture hearts and other organs using a 3D bioprinter. Although the actual fabrication of functional organs that could finally replace the shortage of donor organs to help patients in need of a transplant could be a decade away – if not more – the team at Techshot was optimistic around this project since research in space might illuminate a lot of the work done on Earth.

In the last six months, astronauts, like NASA’s flight engineer Christina Koch, have tested the ability of the BFF to print cells. Using adult human cells (such as stem or pluripotent cells) and adult tissue-derived proteins as its bioink, the BFF is able to create viable tissue.

Astronaut Jessica Meir is using the BFF at the International Space Station (Image: Techshot)

According to the ISS U.S. National Lab, although researchers have had some success with 3D printing of bones and cartilage on Earth, the manufacturing of soft human tissue (such as blood vessels and muscle) has been difficult. What they claim occurs is that, on Earth, when attempting to print with soft, easily flowing biomaterials, tissues collapse under their own weight, resulting in little more than a puddle; but if these same materials are produced in the microgravity environment of space, the 3D printed structures will keep their shapes.

A meniscus, which is a crescent-shaped disc of soft cartilage that sits between the femur and the tibia, acts as a significant cushion or shock absorber, yet when the meniscus tears, the cushioning effect functions poorly, leading to arthritis and knee pain. Meniscal injuries are one of the most commonly treated orthopedic injuries and have a much higher incidence in military service members and sports players.

Early in March, Techshot sent equipment and samples supporting plant, heart and cartilage research for three of its customers to the ISS on SpaceX mission CRS-20. Astronauts on-board the station used the BFF to manufacture human knee menisci as a test of the materials and the processes required to print a meniscus in space. According to Techshot, the first experiment for 4D Bio3 aboard the ISS U.S. National Laboratory served as a test of the materials and the processes required to print a meniscus in space. Astronaut Andrew Morgan, a medical doctor and graduate of USU loaded biomaterials into BFF, while Techshot engineers uploaded a customer-provided design file to the printer from the company’s Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) located in Greenville, Indiana, from which the devices in space are controlled. The success of the print was evaluated via real-time video from inside the unit.

“Some of our criteria for mission success, such as the ability to work with customer-specified print materials and customer-supplied design files, were met before we even launched back on March 6,” said Techshot Senior Scientist Carlos Chang. “But commanding BFF to print from here at Techshot, and watching it all literally come together in real-time, provided the confirmation we needed that we’re on the right track.”

Founded more than 30 years ago, Techshot operates its own commercial research equipment in space and serves as the manager of NASA-owned ISS payloads – such as the Advanced Plant Habitat and two materials-science research furnaces. The company provides its catalog of equipment and services for a fee to those with their own independent research programs – serving as a one-stop resource for organizations seeking access to space. And launched to the station in July 2019 aboard SpaceX CRS-18, the BFF has been tested since. Techshot has even suggested that biomaterials for a second meniscus print, which will be returned to Earth for more extensive testing, will launch on a later SpaceX mission.

As astronauts stationed at the ISS U.S. National Lab continue to advance work with Techshot’s 3D bioprinter and microgravity research, we can expect to hear more about the cutting edge science that is being done that aims to improve patient care. The technology offers a unique opportunity to support bioprinting structures and construct tissues, providing an ideal scenario that will enable remarkable changes to move forth the medicine of the future.

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UNICAEN: New Bioprinted Tumor Models Help Researchers in France Study Its Biology

Studying cancer biology is among the top priorities for researchers around the world. From consortiums to universities, pharma companies, newcomers in the drug development industry, and research institutions, current research to understand how tumors develop is crucial to progress against the disease. At the University of Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), in France, two teams of more than 30 researchers, clinicians, and doctoral students are developing a new 3D bioprinted tumor model that will provide a novel alternative tool for studying tumor biology and response to anti-cancer treatments.

Many of them are part of CERVOxy, one of the scientific teams of the Imaging and Therapeutic Strategies of Cerebral and Tumoral Pathologies (ISTCT) unit, which was created in early 2012 by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Commission for Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies (CEA) and the UNICAEN, and hosted at the GIP CYCERON imaging platform in Caen, France. CERVOxy’s scientific team focuses on hypoxia and its role in glioblastoma (a fast-growing brain tumor) and brain metastases.

All of these topics are developed in different axes to study tumorigenic or tumor-forming processes, to develop new therapeutic strategies. For example, they are researching how to use hadrontherapy (protons and carbon ions) to treat brain tumors. Moreover, the effects of these therapies on healthy brain tissue are also being evaluated using in vitro and in vivo methods, which is why they have started to develop new models based on bioprinting technology.

3DPrint.com spoke to Nolwenn Pasquet, a post-doctoral fellow from the University of Caen and one of the researchers at CERVOxy focused on studying the effects of radiotherapy and hadrontherapy on the brain healthy tissue in the context of a glioblastoma. Along with her colleagues, Pasquet is using Cellink’s INKREDIBLE+ to perform a great deal of the work.

“Despite recent improvements, treatment of glioblastoma is still challenging and the physiopathology of these tumors is so complex that the use of 2D in vitro models fails to recapitulate the in vivo situation,” indicated Pasquet. “Moreover, there is a lack of relevant models to mimic interactions between the cells, for example, it is not possible for the 2D models to reflect the tumor microenvironment such as the hypoxic gradient and the presence of surrounding cerebral and inflammatory cells. In this context, new 3D brain models obtained by bioprinting are very attractive for glioblastoma studies.”

For this study, Pasquet and fellow researchers used a murine glioblastoma cell line to develop a novel 3D bioprinted glioblastoma model. These cells were then embedded into specific bioinks from Cellink to mimic the extracellular matrix, and followed by bioprinting of the models, which was performed by the INKREDIBLE+ bioprinter, provided to CERVOxy by the LARIA team, part of the François Jacob Institute of Biology, and a collaborator in the development of the model.

According to Pasquet, in further experiments, it will be possible to observe the crosstalk between glioblastoma cells and surrounding cells (astrocytes, inflammatory cells, and more) by combining these cells in the same 3D model and analyzing cell progression, invasiveness, and interactions between them.

“In terms of preliminary results, we observed after bioprinting that glioblastoma cells have a homogeneous distribution until six days and then start to form cell clusters at the periphery of the model at 14 days of cell culture,” explained Pasquet. “Interestingly, these models recapitulate one of the most important features of glioblastomas: hypoxia. Indeed, 14 days after biobrinting we observed a hypoxic gradient in our model with hypoxic cells in the core of the model not observed in the periphery or at six days.”

Pasquet indicated that they also performed x-ray irradiation on these models. X-ray radiotherapy as a complement to surgery and chemotherapy is part of the standard protocol for the treatment of brain tumors. As in medical radiography, it involves delivering photons in different doses, except in this case it is to destroy cancer cells. Through these 3D bioprinted models, the researchers wished to evaluate the response and sensitivity of the cells to irradiation and thanks to specific markers, they were able to evaluate the proliferation of the cells which gives them indications on the evolution of the tumor in its environment.

Researcher at the CERVOxy lab (Image: CERVOxy)

“For now, we are starting with this new methodology and it is necessary to further characterize the model well and to know its limitations in order to reach a conclusion on the results obtained. For example, it is difficult to rule out the fact that cells interact with each other in this model and real-time microscopy experiments would allow us to verify it. This is an important point and is part of the reason why we decided to develop this type of model in order to recreate the microenvironment that these cells have within the patient’s brain tissue. These results are positive and encourage us to continue our research in this direction.”

The project is led by the laboratory, which is a French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) unit –a public-funded institution that covers all scientific disciplines. It is financed by several sponsors, notably the ARCHADE center for hadrontherapy in Caen; HABIONOR European project, co-funded by the Normandy County Council, the French State in the framework of the interregional development Contract “Vallée de la Seine”, and Région Normandie for the Normandy Network for Therapeutic Innovation in Oncology (ONCOTHERA) project.

Pasquet suggested that without bioprinting technology, the information obtained would not have been the same. She explained that “this technology is in full development,” and that “we’ve only been using it for a short period of time, just over a year, and there’s an important characterization step depending on what you want to study before you can do tests.”

The expert concluded that she “believes that there is a relevant distinction to be made about the models used in bioprinting, and many are going to be used to reproduce a fully functional organ in the fields of medicine and tissue engineering. The interest in 3D bioprinting is to create complex cellular structures through a process of superimposition of successive layers, and it is this aspect that is of particular interest to us in order to have a new and more complex study model for our research.”

The CERVOxy research team (Image: CERVOxy)

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Stratodyne: New Space Company Wants to 3D Print Stratospheric Satellites and CubeSats

With a growing directory of space companies gaining momentum, research and development in rocket science, aerospace engineering, and space travel are at an all-time high. After a continuous decrease in orbital launches since the early 1990s, companies began sending payloads into orbit in the mid-2000s, and whether successful or not (although usually successful), the sharp string of experimental technology for spacecraft, rockets, and space exploration vehicles has quickly revved up our faith in the space industry. Rocket launches have been streaming online more often than ever before and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is leveling the playing field to allow for students and space researchers everywhere to sent forth their creations into orbit.
With over 100 startup space companies competing in the vast commercialization of space, many college students are beginning to see an opportunity in the field. Such is the case with Stratodyne, a startup working on applying additive manufacturing technology towards spaceflight and stratospheric science, which involves having balloon-borne stratospheric satellites at the edge of Earth’s atmosphere for mission lengths of days, weeks, and even months at a time.
Founded in January of this year by 20-year old Edward Ge, a finance major from the University of Missouri, along with a few of his High School and college friends, the startup company is focused around applying advances in 3D printing technology to lower costs for space and high altitude research.

The completed vehicle with the CubeSat frame that houses the payload (Image: Stratodyne)

3DPrint.com spoke to the young entrepreneur, who described his company as “originally envisioned as a manufacturer of CubeSat frames and a provider of testing services in near-space conditions due to the lack of affordable parts and services in the CubeSat industry.” However, along with fellow founders, he decided to pursue a multi-role route with their ideas, seeking to create a 3D printed modular and remotely controlled airship that could serve as a satellite, testbed, and even a launch platform for small rockets into space.
“As part of our development towards a 3D printed stratospheric satellite and 3D printing CubeSats, we recently launched a small prototype consisting of a CubeSat, a truss, and an engine frame with twin solar-powered drone motors to an altitude of 27 kilometers. All the components were 3D printed out of common thermoplastic polymers ABS and ASA, with the exception of the solar-powered motor and onboard electronics and parachute,” said Ge. “The flight lasted a total of six hours, with our experimental motor nearly doubling the flight time of the balloon. We intend to perform another launch in April using a prototype altitude control system with the aim of having the stratospheric satellite remain aloft for 24 hours straight.”
To deal with all their 3D printing needs, Ge and fellow founders currently have multiple machines at their disposal. The University of Missouri has loaned them a Stratasys FDM machine 400mc which uses polycarbonate to manufacture parts for sounding rockets and even satellites, multiple Prusa open-source 3D printers, and a custom-built CNC printer in the works.

Edward Ge next to one of the 3D printing machines, a Stratasys FDM, that Stratodyne is using to create their CubeSats (Image: Stratodyne)

Ge, who acts as both CFO and CEO of the company, indicated that “these machines give us a massive range of materials to work with but at the moment we primarily use parts made from Polycarbonate, thermoplastic polymers ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and ASA (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), and are even experimenting with Nylon powder and laser printing.”

In the early months of the company, they experimented with 3D printed rockets before deciding that it just wasn’t feasible to develop a true launch system with the resources and budget at hand. At the time, the plan was to crowdfund the development of a 3D printed sounding rocket comparable to the ones Black Brant used by NASA or rockets from Up Aerospace for an estimated program cost of $40,000. Ge does not exclude working with rockets in the future, he considers that there is still an experimental 3D printed composite rocket motor on the drawing board, but the majority of the work has pivoted towards stratospheric satellites since it will take a lower cost to commercialize.

“We plan on launching a crowdfunding campaign soon, once our weather balloon altitude control valve goes past the prototype stage which should be around April. During the summer months of June and July, the plan is to begin pitching to venture capital companies in the Midwest or go back to our plan of crowdfunding development with tangible prototypes and successful flights under our belt,” explained Ge. “However, we know that crowdfunding is fickle, and would only use it to generate a surplus for us to pursue stretch goals such as upscaling the stratospheric satellites or resuming development of a high altitude launch vehicle.  On the technical side, our plan is to have regular flights every two to three weeks on weather balloons to flesh out the altitude control system and engine work.”

Stratodyne plans to go commercial by mid-2021, but for now, the majority of their planning is on an R&D phase. Ge expects that this may change depending on how fast their pace is and how much venture capital funding they get.

The completed vehicle during its ascent (Image: Stratodyne)

“The ultimate goal of Stratodyne is to make space something that is accessible to, not just big corporations or governments, but to your average High School student or the typical guy you’d find on the street. It might sound like a cliché – and it is since every startup says that – but it’s something that needs to happen if we are ever going to be a truly spacefaring species and that’s one goal we can all believe in,” concluded Ge.
Although they are still working on an official webpage, Stratodyne’s news can be found at their Instagram account: @stratodynecorp. The young business partners are proving that their generation is ready to take risks to create what they expect is an undeniable force on the horizon, in this case, the space horizon. Although it is a new company, born only two months ago, the team shows great determination and vision, and are moving very fast, in part thanks to 3D printing providing the necessary tools and autonomy to develop whatever they need, to make their dream a reality.

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The Countdown to the “Don’t Stop Me Now” Mission Has Begun for Rocket Labs

Space is one of the most attractive frontiers for humans and 2020 has been one of the most exciting years for space exploration. For starters, companies are sending rockets to space, uncrewed rockets that is, at least for now, as they prepare for future missions to the Moon and later on, to Mars. March is not over yet and we have already witnessed 17 successful rocket launches to orbit. And space technology company Rocket Lab is quickening the pace, now planning its second mission set to launch by the end of the month.

Called “Don’t Stop Me Now”, the next mission launch will deploy payloads for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Canberra Space.

Founded in New Zealand in 2006 by engineer Peter Beck, Rocket Lab is well known for 3D printing lightweight, high-performance rocket engines, like the Rutherford. The payload on the next mission will launch aboard the company’s Electron rocket, Rocket Lab’s twelfth Electron launch since the company began launches in May 2017.

Overall, this mission will enable university research into Earth’s magnetic field, support the testing of new smallsat comms architecture, and demonstrate a fast, commercial approach for getting government small satellites into space, which helps advance scientific and human exploration.

Rocket Lab’s next launch will be the second for the NRO, a major US intelligence agency, the first one was on board the company’s last dedicated mission, “Birds of a Feather”, which was launched aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket on January 31 from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, in New Zealand.

Rocket Lab’s last Electron mission also deployed NRO satellites (Image: Rocket Lab)

Beck said the mission is a great example of the kind of cutting-edge research and fast-paced innovation that small satellites are enabling.

“It’s a privilege to have NASA and the NRO launch on Electron again, and we’re excited to welcome the UNSW onto our manifest for the first time, too,” he went on. “We created Electron to make getting to space easy for all, so it’s gratifying to be meeting the needs of national security payloads and student research projects on the same mission.”

Peter Beck, Rocket Lab founder (Image: Rocket Lab)

According to the company, the rideshare mission will launch several small satellites, including the ANDESITE (Ad-Hoc Network Demonstration for Extended Satellite-Based Inquiry and Other Team Endeavors) satellite created by electrical and mechanical engineering students and professors at Boston University (BU). The satellite will launch as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) and will conduct a groundbreaking scientific study into Earth’s magnetic field.

Once in space, the ANDESITE satellite will initiate measurements of the magnetosphere with onboard sensors, later releasing eight pico satellites carrying small magnetometer sensors to track electric currents flowing in and out of the atmosphere, a phenomenon also known as space weather. These variations in electrical activity racing through space can have a big impact on our lives here on Earth, causing interruptions to things like radio communications and electrical systems.

The ANDESITE satellite follows on from Rocket Lab’s first Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) launch for NASA, the ELaNa-19 mission, which launched a host of educational satellites to orbit on Electron in December 2018, as part of an initiative to attract and retain students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The mission also carries three payloads designed, built and operated by the NRO. The mission was procured under the agency’s Rapid Acquisition of a Small Rocket (RASR) contract vehicle. RASR allows the NRO to explore new launch opportunities that provide a streamlined, commercial approach for getting small satellites into space, as well as provide those working in the small satellite community with timely and cost-effective access to space.

“We’re excited to be partnering with Rocket Lab on another mission under our RASR contract,” indicated Chad Davis, Director of NRO’s Office of Space Launch. “This latest mission is a great example of the collaborative nature of the space community and our goal as space partners to procure rideshare missions that not only meet our mission needs but provide opportunities for those working with smallsats to gain easy access to space.”

A statement by the company also suggests that the ANDESITE and NRO payloads will be joined on the mission by the M2 Pathfinder satellite, a collaboration between the UNSW Canberra Space and the Australian Government. The M2 Pathfinder will test communications architecture and other technologies that will assist in informing the future space capabilities of Australia. The satellite will demonstrate the ability of an onboard software-based radio to operate and reconfigure while in orbit.

The Spacecraft Project Lead at UNSW Canberra and space systems engineer, Andrin Tomaschett, revealed that “we’re very excited to be launching M2 Pathfinder with Rocket Lab who have been so very flexible in accommodating our spacecraft specific needs, let alone the ambitious nine-month project timeframe. The success of this spacecraft will unlock so much more, for our customers and for Australia, by feeding into the complex spacecraft projects and missions our team is currently working on.”

While NASA Launch Services Program (LSP) ELaNa Mission Lead, Scott Higginbotham, considered that through the CubeSat Launch Initiative, NASA engages the next generation of space explorers, providing university teams, like ANDESITE, with real-life, hands-on experience in conducting an actual space research mission in conjunction with NASA.

Named in recognition of Rocket Lab board member and avid rock band Queen fan Scott Smith, who recently passed away, the mission will have a 14-day launch window that opens on March 27, at New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula. The best way audiences can view the launch is via Rocket Lab’s live video webcast: a live stream will be made available approximately 15 to 20 minutes prior to the launch attempt. If you are a serial space observer and follow all news relating to 3D printed rockets, launches, commercialization of low Earth orbit, and more, stay up to date with our articles at 3DPrint.com.

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Long Beach: The New Site for Relativity Space’s 3D Printed Rockets

Commercial space companies are looking to get their technology to orbit. This decade could mark a big shift in the race for space domination, with a few big names taking over Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and beyond. Moreover, as NASA begins to transition the domain of LEO to the commercial space industry, these enterprises are preparing to make up the backbone of their engines, rockets, and space crew vehicles to travel beyond Earth. On that path, is Relativity Space, a Los Angeles based startup that is quickly expanding its commercial orbital launch services. Just today, CEO and co-founder, Tim Ellis, announced that it has secured new headquarters in Long Beach, California.

Relativity is using Stargate 3D printers to make big and small parts, like this sub-scale vessel designed for pressure testing (Image: Relativity Space)

The 120,000 square feet site will house both the company’s business operations and an unprecedented manufacturing facility, as they will be producing the their 3D printed rocket, the Terran 1, a launch vehicle that the company plans to build in only 60 days from raw materials and by 3D printing the structure as well as the engine. The company is already printing large-scale, flight-ready parts of their Terran 1 rocket and this move to the new headquarters will give them five times the space to add more Stargate 2.0 3D printers, print higher structures and parts, even assemble and load rocket sections onto trucks to ship to Cape Canaveral for launch.
“Relativity is disrupting nearly sixty years of prior aerospace technology by building a new manufacturing platform using robotics, 3D printing, and Artificial Inteligence (AI). With no fixed tooling, Relativity has enabled a massive part count and risk reduction, increased iteration speed and created an entirely new value chain,” said Ellis. “I’m confident our autonomous factory will become the future technology stack for the entire aerospace industry.”

Relativity Space integrates machine learning, software, robotics with metal additive manufacturing technology to try to build an almost entirely 3D printed rocket. It claims that it is the first company to utilize additive manufacturing and robotics to build an entire launch vehicle. Relativity’s platform vertically integrates intelligent robotics and 3D autonomous manufacturing technology to build Terran 1, which has 100 times lower part count than traditional rockets and a radically much simpler supply chain. The aerospace startup hopes to launch the world’s first entirely 3D printed rocket into orbit and enter commercial service in 2021.

The new headquarters in Long Beach (Image: Relativity Space)

The autonomous factory will have high ceilings, at 36 feet, that will enable the company to print taller structures, and the 120,000 sq. ft. space will have a 300 person capacity, that’s a pretty big move, considering they currently employ 150 people across their Los Angeles office space and production facilities, their factory building at the NASA Stennis Space Center in Mississipi, and at the Launch Complex 16 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The new headquarters facility will not only provide a new blank slate to support innovation and creation, but it is also located in the heart of Southern California’s next-generation aerospace community. With more than 35 aerospace companies in the area, the place is keeping up with a long-standing tradition as an aerospace hub, with space launch-service providers, satellite makers, and even drone developers coexisting.

“Long Beach has an extensive history as a leader in aerospace and aviation, and now we are at the forefront of the space economy,” indicated California Senator Lena Gonzalez. “We are excited to welcome Relativity to our ever-growing community of innovative tech companies.”

The new site will serve as headquarters and manufacturing facility for Relativity Space (Image: Relativity Space)

While 70th District Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell said: “I am proud to welcome Relativity Space to our community and wish them success as they go higher, further and faster to the stars. The aerospace industry is undergoing an economic resurgence in Long Beach, providing the prospects of good-paying jobs and further opening up the bounds of space for research.”

The Stage 2 Iron Bird, which will be the first additively manufactured tank to feed propellants to a rocket engine (Image: Relativity Space)

Relativity has already begun migrating staff to its new headquarters and is transitioning its patented additive manufacturing infrastructure as it builds out the first-ever mostly autonomous rocket factory. The factory will house all of the production for Terran 1, including the Aeon engine assembly, as well as integrated software, avionics, and materials development labs. The new facility enables the production of almost the entire Terran 1 rocket, including an enlarged fairing, now accommodating double the payload volume. The company claims that the combination of agile manufacturing and payload capacity makes Relativity the most competitive launch provider in its class, meeting the growing demands of an expanding satellite market.

The first stage of Terran 1 is powered by nine Aeon-1 engines, fueled by liquid oxygen (LOX) and methane; while the second stage is powered by a single restartable Aeon-1 Vacuum engine. Terran 1 will be able to carry a payload of 1250 kg to LEO, and 900 kg to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit. The first test launch is planned for late 2020 at the Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral.

The new headquarters and factory mark another milestone in Relativity’s steady execution towards its first launch. Relativity recently closed a $140 million funding round led by Bond and Tribe Capital and has already secured a launch site Right of Entry at Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 16, an exclusive-use Commercial Space Launch Act (CSLA) agreement for several NASA test sites, including the E4 Test Facility at the NASA Stennis Space Center, and a 20-year exclusive use lease for a 220,000 square feet factory also at the NASA Stennis Space Center.

This type of initiative broadens the range of opportunities and continues to build the fundamental basis of the future of aerospace exploration. Rockets, like Terran 1, could move forth more science, better technology, and advance research significantly. In 2019, we saw many payloads delivered to the International Space Station (ISS), all of them filled with scientific experiments, medical research and much more, and all of them aimed at improving human life on Earth and in space. With more payload, launch, and delivery options satellites, exploration and space stations could become much less expensive. Cost reduction through competition could make space a much more accessible place. Relativity Space is breaking ground with the technology, allowing its engineers to create what they can imagine, and with this new rocket facility, the startup could become a leading force in the industry.

3D printed rocket by Relativity Space (Image: Relativity Space)

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The Year in Review: The 3D Printing Research Frontiers of 2019—from Medicine to the Moon

The gift of human life is so miraculous that you may find yourself overwhelmed with the complexity of it all if you think too long. The fact that we have streamlined machines for bodies, with numerous efficient, connected systems continually at work within us—from the respiratory system to the nervous system and much more—is extraordinary, to say the least.

You may feel the same way about much technology today too, and understandably so with 3D printing—along with robotics, virtual reality, and even 4D printing. Attempting to comprehend how an inventor like Chuck Hull arrived at the concept of creating such software, hardware, and materials running on so many levels and systems will have you shaking your head. But what about the amazing number of innovations that have come forth via users since the arrival of the first 3D printer in 1983?

3D printed bust of Hull, printed on a 3D Systems ProJet x60 printer, and his famed first 3D printer, the SLA-1.(Photo: National Inventors Hall of Fame)

Researchers today delve deeply not only into what makes the human body tick, but also how to understand, create, and use intricate technology that helps them forge ahead in making discoveries and creating new products and tools for critical applications. And while the medical realm has been heavily impacted by research in 2019 especially, so have many other areas. Beginning with medicine, here are five areas of research that have been the focus of major headlines this year:

Medicine

The innovations within the field of medicine brought forth by 3D printing this year have been spectacular, fascinating—and again, almost beyond comprehension in some ways—for those of us who don’t spend our days in think tanks or in front of microscopes.

It is undeniable that much about 3D printing is fun and games; after all, today you may find a 3D printer in many elementary schools with children learning how to make small objects and trinkets, and you may even find surprisingly young students in your local library in the afternoon or early evening sitting in labs making 3D designs on their own, then watching intently as the layers print one by one from a desktop 3D printer. This is how initial interest turns into a passion for learning and creating, and many of those students may go on to print medical devices such as prosthetics or work on other research projects.

The subject of 3D printing becomes much weightier, however, when we look into the important research that is being done to help patients who may be on the brink of losing their lives–or the quality of life they had always known previously. Researchers are intent on finding better ways to treat patients, especially those who are suffering from cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.

3D models can be made to replicate tumors and help surgeons in many ways, from diagnosis and education of patients and their families to helping medical students train, but ultimately surgeons may be able to prepare for some of the most innovative procedures they have ever performed. A 3D model may be with them for a long period of time, spanning from the time of diagnosis until the time it serves as a surgical guide in the operating room for a procedure centered around pediatric orthopedics, as an example.

Over this past year, medical inventors created a host of implants, devices, and more. And from nearly every reach of the world (developed and still developing), volunteers researched ways to help those in need to receive 3D printed prosthetics, as e-NABLE celebrated their eighth anniversary of helping others.

Happy Eighth Anniversary, e-NABLE! (Photo: e-NABLE)

The potential for 3D printed medications continued to emerge also, along with assorted peripheral devices like dispensers. Bioprinting is the standout highlight this year, again, without question though, and although scientists have not reached the true point of printing replacement organs for the human body that will replace the need for donors and waiting lists, they have continued to create incredibly life-life and useful 3D printed models for treatment and training, a 3D printed titanium sternum for a patient desperately in need, and even a mini-heart-part.

A 3D printed mini-heart (Photo: BIOLIFE4D)

This area of 3D printing is only expected to expand further in 2020, and eventually, researchers will reach the holy grail of bioprinting and manufacturing human organs.

(Photo: BIOLIFE4D)

Materials: 3D Printing with Metal & Composites

While researchers in labs continue to create their own software and hardware to complete complicated research studies (often making modifications to existing 3D printers or using open source ware), the study of materials has expanded far beyond what we would have imagined years ago. Today, not only is 3D printing with metal continuing to grow, researchers are learning more about composites that can strengthen metal powders, like particle reinforced metal composites, helpful in major applications and industries like aerospace, automotive and much more.

Schematic of nanoparticle distribution in TiC/Ti nanocomposite powders produced by ball milling and direct mixing, prepared for SLM. (Photo: Singapore University of Technology and Design)

Combinations of additives and metals (as well as polymers) open up even more options to scientists, but also manufacturers in nearly every industry, from carmakers to the military. 3D printing with metal in space has been a focal point for researchers too, advancing in the micro- or zero-gravity environment.

Aerospace

Scientists never seem to tire of research regarding space travel, colonization, materials for building on-demand away from Earth, and so much more. While of course much of the research is driven by NASA, the public is continually fascinated by the idea of traveling to Mars in the near future—or any type of space colonization, which of course must be accompanied by a variety of options in construction, to include robotics. Again, materials and composites are an important area of study for researchers, such as sintering thermoset composites at high temperatures, and other research into aerospace technology.

From ‘Sintering Thermoset Composites at High Temperatures for Aerospace Applications‘ (Image: ‘Laser Sintering of Thermoset Polyimide Composites’)

Many different engine components have been created too, along with extensive research studies regarding engine thrusters and other parts for optimizing rockets and satellite technology.

Construction

While the reality of 3D printed housing being available to all in the very near future may be a stretch, advances have been made in the fabrication of constructions on all levels from offices to nice houses to tiny homes and possible affordable housing.

[Image: 3DPrinthuset]

Massive 3D printers have been manufactured by researchers in numerous countries, with the idea of offering incredible benefits to construction companies such as affordability, on-demand (and rapid) production, less need for men on the job, and more. These printers may also be capable of creating entire communities quickly.

Harkening back to the study of materials, concrete is of ongoing interest as researchers find a multitude of ways to extrude what has always been a very conventional substance. Now, scientists are making alternatives for construction such as concrete foam panels, geo-polymer concrete meant to replace conventional manufacturing methods, along with creating more lightweight spatial structures—using one of the greatest benefits in 3D printing as much lighter parts can be made—and often, parts that simply were not possible to create before at all via traditional techniques.

Concrete foam panels (Photo: ‘Fiber-reinforced lightweight foamed concrete panels suitable for 3D printing applications’)

Energy and Power Generation

From porous anodes to new techniques for creating batteries, researchers continue to find new ways to store energy—as well as creating it. Wind turbines have received a lot of attention from the 3D printing realm, as parts can be created and maintained easier. Scientists around the globe are trying to figure out better ways to use wind turbines, as they have an endless source of energy but historically can be expensive and challenging to deal with overall. With 3D printing, researchers have been able to explore ways to refine smaller wind turbine designs too.

Force and velocity vector acting on the cross-section of a HAWT blade, θ⌢ is the tangential direction of the blade. (Photo: ‘Small wind generation using complex airfoil turbine’}

What do you think of this review of 2019 research in 3D printing? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

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LiDar and its Applications Part 10 – Flood Prevention

Flood Plain

Floods have various impacts on environmental ecosystems. Some of these can be positive, while others are very detrimental. Flooding is a natural ecological process that plays an integral role in ensuring biological productivity and diversity within a flood plain. There are a myriad of impacts in the detrimental sense. This typically includes environmental degradation. Flood damage is usually the most extensive and difficult to repair within the environment. Flooding directly impacts the health and well-being of wildlife and lifestock. A list of problems associated with flooding includes riverbank erosion and sedimentation, the dispersal of nutrients and pollutants, restructuring of surface and groundwater resources, as well as landscape editing of habitats. So how can we use LiDar to mitigate some of the problems with floods, and maybe use floods to our benefit?

We have outlined the importance of risk analysis within our series a number of times so far. In flood modeling, small changes in elevation are the difference between a high risk flood zone and low risk. LiDar is used to model floodplain morphology. A floodplain is an area of low lying flat land that is seasonally submerged by overspill from neighboring rivers, lakes, or swamps. Based on elevation levels, we can predict a good amount of flood risk before a flood occurs.

New Orleans Hurricane Katrina Flood Map

Flood risk evaluation has a lot of nuances to the overall problem. There lies a lot of uncertainties and typical oversight from observed data. This is most difficult to solve when we are analyzing the LiDar data from 3D terrains of flat lands. Flat lands have extremely small changes within their land surface elevation models. The presence of man made structures also significantly changes the flood distribution and variable flow of a flood. In order to analyze flood risks in flat lands, we focus our attention to LiDar and its capabilities in micro-topography.

We have briefly explained micro-topography before. Micro-topography and LiDar analysis allows us to measure micro changes within topological maps. We can use this data from our Digital Terrain Models as well as Digital Elevation Models to now make better predictions of ebbs and flows within a flood, or the likelihood of a flood to even occur. A good river and floodplain description is possible using high resolution input data. Advancements in modeling and remote sensing technologies such as LiDar make it possible to generate high resolution DEMs at a reasonable cost. We can produce DEMs with accuracy less than ±25 cm, depending on the land cover, slope, flight parameters and environmental conditions.

DEMs for microtographic analysis in wetlands

The ability to analyze land in a microscale fashion is so useful for this field of study. Within the larger context of 3D data, being able to go from the macroscale to microscale is of utmost importance. The ability to use this for our prevention of major destruction is important. We cannot take care of unexpected large scale random events, but most of the predictable events can be taken care of.

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