As we leave August and enter September, we’ve got a few webinars and virtual events to tell you about in this week’s roundup. There’s a webinar from Rize today, September 1st, one from PostProcess Technologies on the 3rd, and another by Stratasys on the 3rd as well. Check out all of the details below!
RIZE Uses SOLIDWORKS to Contribute to COVID Response
Like so many other companies during this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, RIZE has had to adapt to a new normal. The company did so by developing a brand new digital operating rhythm and moving industrial 3D printing to the home offices of its engineers, enabling them to design and create face shields for essential workers, first responders, and healthcare workers. RIZE will be hosting a webinar this Tuesday, September 1st, at 2 pm EST, titled “Accelerating Medical Devices Innovation and Improving Patient Outcomes,” where the company’s President and CEO Andy Kalambi will team up with Suchit Jain from SOLIDWORKS Dassault Systèmes and fellow RIZE employee Alex Orphanos to discuss how the company utilized SOLIDWORKS solutions to ramp up medical device innovation.
During the webinar, attendees will learn how to enable better cost and performance through engineering new materials, create smarter workflows by integrating 3D printing into the workflow, conform to FDA requirements by using the full color, text, and images for Intelligent Parts offered by RIZE, and more. Register for the webinar here. You will then receive a confirmation email with information about joining the webinar.
PostProcess Technologies to Present Trend Survey Findings
On Thursday, September 3rd, at 11:30 am EST, PostProcess Technologies will be releasing the results of its 2nd Annual Additive Post-Printing Trends Report in an interactive, real-time webinar, “What’s On the Horizon for Post-Printing: Insights from Market Trends Survey 2020.” The company tabulated and summarized the data from the survey, which has grown since its 2019 survey, with important insights and highlights, and will soon publish the results in a comprehensive report. But for now, the short webinar will reveal the proprietary data gathered during the 2020 survey on current 3D printing and post-processing trends, and will end with a Q&A session with the company’s post-process experts.
“Attend this presentation as we unveil proprietary insights tabulated from our survey data on current trends and methods for post-printing, and just what is in the cards for this developing sector.”
You can register for the 30-minute-long webinar here.
Stratasys on 3D Printing Aircraft Production Parts
Also on September 3rd, Stratasys will be holding a webinar, “Challenges Of Manufacturing Aircraft Production Parts,” about how its Aircraft Interior Solution can be used to provide aerospace companies with a “faster, more streamlined process.” Niccolò Giannelli, Aerospace Application and Account Manager for Stratasys, will be speaking during this webinar about, among other topics, how it’s easier to certify 3D printed aircraft parts using this solution.
The webinar will take place from noon to 12:30 pm on Thursday, September 3rd. You can register for this webinar here.
Will you attend any of these events and webinars, or have news to share about future ones? Let us know!
It’s another busy week in the 3D printing industry that’s packed full of webinars and virtual events, ranging in topics from medical materials and flexible electronics to polypropylene and market costs. There are four on Tuesday, August 4th, two on Wednesday, August 5th, and the week will end with the last KEX webinar on Thursday, August 6th.
ASTM’s AM General Personnel Certificate Program
Last week, the ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) training course all about additive manufacturing safety. Now, the AM CoE is starting its AM General Personnel Certificate course, which will begin August 4th and run through the 27th. One of its key focus areas is promoting AM adoption, and helping to fill the knowledge gap with training for the future AM workforce is a major way that the AM CoE is doing this. The online course is made up of eight modules covering all the general concepts of the AM process chain, and attendees will learn important technical knowledge that will allow them to earn a General AM Certificate after completing a multiple-choice exam.
“This course will feature 17 experts across the field of additive manufacturing to provide a comprehensive course covering all of the general concepts of the AM process chain to its attendees. The course will occur over the month of August consisting of two modules per week for four weeks. More information can be found in the course flyer.”
Online registration will open soon. This is not a free course—you can learn about the fees here.
Nexa3D & Henkel: Medical Materials Webinar
Nasal swabs
Recently, SLA 3D printer manufacturer Nexa3D and functional additive materials supplier Henkel announced that they were partnering up to commercialize the polypropylene-like xMED412, a durable, high-impact material that can be used to 3D print biocompatible medical and wearable devices; in fact, it’s already been cleared to print nasal swabs. Now, the two are holding a virtual leadership forum on “Advances and Breakthroughs in 3D Printed Medical Equipment and Device Materials,” like xMED412. Topics to be discussed will include new possibilities for 3D printing medical equipment and devices, the benefits of using AM to fabricate these products, and the advantages additive manufacturing has over medical materials made with traditional manufacturing. Panelists will engage with attendees after the discussion in a live Q&A session.
“3D printing has introduced all kinds of new possibilities for developing stronger and lightweighted equipment but we’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible. These past few months have driven the industry to new realms of creativity with the need to quickly deliver medical supplies, devices and materials. With new lightweight, sturdy materials designed to withstand impact, moisture and vibration, access to lower cost medical equipment is becoming more widely available thanks to 3D printing.”
Register here for the 45-minute virtual forum, which will take place on Tuesday, August 4th, at 1:30 pm EST.
SOLIDWORKS Design Solution Demonstration
Also on August 4th, at 11 am EST, Dassault Systèmes will be holding a brief demonstration of its 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS design solution. This demonstration of the platform’s capabilities will last just 22 minutes, and will teach attendees how to collaborate and stay connected to data while creating new designs with SOLIDWORKS when connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, exploring the latest tools available on the platform, and design a model using both parametric (3D Creator) and Sub-D modeling (3D Sculptor) tools with the help of complementary workflows.
“SOLIDWORKS is the design tool that has been trusted by engineers and designers around the world for decades. Part of the 3DEXPERIENCE WORKS portfolio, SOLIDWORKS is now connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform with cloud-based tools that enable everyone involved in product development to collaborate on real-time data. Doing so enables you to efficiently gain the insight needed to create revolutionary new products.”
The last August 4th event in this week’s roundup is NextFlex Innovation Days, the flagship showcase event for the consortium of academic institutions, companies, non-profits, and local and federal governments that make up NextFlex and are working to advance US manufacturing of flexible hybrid electronics (FHE). The event will run through Thursday, August 6th, and will include panel discussions on how FHEs are continuing to transform the world, including a panel featuring a special guest speaker from the US Senate. FHE innovations that will be highlighted during the event include a wearable biometrics monitor from Stretch Med, Inc., flexible skin-like sensors from Georgia Tech, a flexible UV sensor out of the NASA Ames Research Center, miniaturized gas sensors that GE Research integrated into wearables and drone formats, and Brewer Science’s integrated FHE solutions in a brewery application.
“This multi-day virtual event will feature over 50 customer, partner and member company presentations online available at no cost. If you watch live, you’ll have the chance to interact with presenters and flexible hybrid electronic (FHE) experts from the comfort of home via webinars and virtual labs, or you can watch video demonstrations at your availability.”
HP is currently sponsoring a webinar series highlighting business in the AM industry that worked to transition their production processes in order to help fill the supply chain gap that’s been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This week’s episode, which will take place at 1:30 pm EST on Wednesday, August 5th, will feature a discussion with Additive America on “the lasting impact of COVID-19 on additive manufacturing.”
“Listen in on conversations with our customers to learn how they have adapted to the change in business climate, whether it be a shift in production workflow to address supply chain gaps, enabling a faster product development cycle to support changing customers’ needs, or bridge production.”
Also on August 5th, Prodways, BASF, and full-service product development company Peridot Inc. will be holding a free webinar together called “Rethink Additive Manufacturing with Polypropylene.” Led by Lee Barbiasz from Prodways, Jeremy Vos from BASF, and Peridot owner Dave Hockemeyer, the webinar will focus on how PP 1200, a tough, chemically resistant, low density polypropylene enabled by BASF for selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printing, is being used to bridge the gap between additive manufacturing and injection molding, as well as growing opportunities and applications in short run manufacturing. Hockemeyer was an early adopter of the material, and will share a variety of use cases for PP 1200. There will also be a chance for attendees to ask questions about the material.
“3D Printing with Polypropylene is here! After more than three decades, 3D printing technology has evolved the ability to 3D print polypropylene material. Polypropylene enables scalability in manufacturing, reduces barriers to entry in 3D printing and reduces manufacturing costs by 25-50%!”
You can register for the webinar, held on Wednesday, August 5th, from 1-1:45 pm EST, here.
KEX Knowledge Exchange on Market, Costs & Innovation
A variety of topics will be covered in this week’s webinar and virtual event roundup, including additive manufacturing in aerospace, CAMWorks, product management, post-processing, and more. Read on to learn more about, and register for, these online opportunities.
AM in Aerospace Virtual Panel
On Tuesday, July 21st, Women in 3D Printing (Wi3DP) will host the third event, “Additive Manufacturing for Aerospace”, in its virtual panel series. Sponsored by AlphaSTAR and Link3D, the panel will focus on how AM is used in the aerospace industry. Moderated by AM-Cubed founder Kristin Mulherin, the speakers are Anna Tomzynska, Director and Additive Manufacturing Chief Engineer for Boeing; Deb Whitis, GE Aviation Chief Engineer; and Eliana Fu, Senior Engineer, Additive Technologies, at Relativity Space.
Pre-registration will begin at 11 am EST, with a welcome speech at 11:25. The hour-long panel will begin at 11:30, with plenty of time for live Q&A, and there will be a virtual networking reception at 12:30. Register for the virtual panel here.
3DEO Webinar – Why I Switched From CNC Machining
Also on July 21st, metal 3D printing company 3DEO is hosting a live webinar, entitled “Why I Switched From CNC Machining: An Engineer’s Perspective on Transitioning to Metal 3D Printing.” The webinar, which starts at 1 pm EST, will feature 3DEO Applications Engineer Julien Cohen, who will explain the major differences between metal 3D printing and CNC machining. The following topics will be covered:
Compare CNC machining and 3DEO’s proprietary metal 3D printing process
Understand the value metal 3D printing offers engineers in design and flexibility
Learn about the pros and cons of each process and when metal 3D printing makes sense
Discover three real-world case studies of 3DEO winning versus CNC machining
See 3DEO’s process for going from first articles to production
You can register for the webinar on 3DEO’s website.
Free CAMWorks Webinar Series
To make sure professionals in the CAM industry have easy access to educational and training materials during the COVID-19 crisis, a free CAMWorks webinar series has been launched. Each session will give attendees the opportunity to increase their CAM skills, learning about more advanced features that can help maintain business operations. “SOLIDWORKS CAM and CAMWorks: Getting Started” is on Tuesday, July 21st, at 10:30 am EST, and will be a training session on using the integrated CNC programming system SOLIDWORKS CAM Standard. It will also provide an introduction to the Technology Database (TechDB), which can automate the CNC programming process. “SOLIDWORKS CAM for Designers: A Path to Better Designs” will also take place on July 21st, at 2 pm EST, and will focus on how to use SOLIDWORKS CAM to reduce cost, improve design, and make it easier to manufacture parts.
You’ll need to attend the “Getting Started” webinar before attending “SOLIDWORKS CAM and CAMWorks: Getting Started with the TechDB” on Thursday, July 23rd at 10:30 am EST. This is a more in-depth training session for using the TechDB included in SOLIDWORKS CAM and CAMWorks. The final webinar in the series is “The Future of Manufacturing in the COVID Era,” also held on July 23rd, at 2 pm EST. This session will help attendees learn how to automate part programming to stay productive and competitive during and after the pandemic.
Protolabs Webinar: HP’s Multi Jet Fusion
On Wednesday, July 22nd, at 2 pm EST, Protolabs will be hosting a webinar with HP, called “Tips and Tricks to Leverage Multi Jet Fusion in your Product Development Cycle.” One of the company’s Applications Engineers, Joe Cretella, and Brent Ewald, HP’s Solution Architect, will discuss design tips that result in good MJF parts, how to implement the technology, and where MJF fits within additive and subtractive manufacturing.
“This webinar will help attendees understand how the HP Multi Jet Fusion technology 3D printing process can be leveraged in various stages of the product development lifecycle. The experts at HP and Protolabs have teamed up to give you key insights into Multi Jet Fusion materials, processing capabilities, and part quality. Whether the attendee is new to additive manufacturing or evaluating Multi Jet Fusion for their production project, this presentation will help identify when the technology provides the most value and what to consider when manufacturing Multi Jet Fusion parts.”
At 10 am EST on Thursday, July 23rd, Dassault Systèmes will hold a live webinar,”Discover How to Deliver Projects on Time and Under Budget, a Real-time Online Experience,” all about collaborating with integrated project management solutions connected to 3D engineering data in order to drive project success. Dassault speakers Maximilian Behre, the Online Industry Business Consultant Director, and 3DS Industry Process Consultants Siddharth Sharma and Alessandro Tolio, will discuss project management challenges, shortening the design cycle through the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, provide a demonstration of Project Management on the cloud, and answer questions.
“Whether you are managing big programs that involve hundreds of people or are leading a smaller project, an easy to use integrated project management solution will help you to seamlessly collaborate across all disciplines with any stakeholder. Connect the dots between Marketing, Engineering to Manufacturing and customer services.”
We’ve got six webinars and virtual events to tell you about in this week’s roundup, including two about ceramics 3D printing, one focused on patents and another on pharmaceuticals, a live tour, and a live look at 3DEXPERIENCE. A few of these are taking place today…read on to learn the details!
Patents in Additive Manufacturing
The European Patent Office (EPO), one of the largest public service institutions in Europe, is launching a new study on Monday, July 13th, titled “Patents and additive manufacturing – Trends in 3D printing technologies,” to offer evidence that Europe is a global 3D printing innovation hub. Ahead of the launch, there will be a panel discussion between EPO president António Campinos and Christian Archambeau, Executive Director of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), and then the EPO’s Chief Economist, Yann Ménière, will present the study.
The study is part of a four-day digital conference, from July 13-16, regarding the impact of 3D printing intellectual property, organized by the EPO and the EUIPO and including speakers like Isinnova founder and CEO Cristian Fracassi and stereolithography inventor Chuck Hull. You can register for the entire conference here.
3D Printing in Pharmaceuticals and Dietary Supplements
From 9 am to noon each day July 13-16, the US Pharmacopeia (USP) and International Association for Pharmaceutical Technology (APV) will be co-hosting a virtual workshop series, “The Promise of 3D Printing in Pharmaceuticals and Dietary Supplements: Quality and Standards Considerations,” that will look at how pharmaceutical and supplement 3D printing is progressing near and at point-of-care (POC), standards and guidance, and potential applications. Several key objectives of the series including discussing quality management needs in areas like testing, design optimization, and terminology, understanding best practices, engaging stakeholders to look at 3D printing progress in health and wellness, and determining what quality needs can be fulfilled with better guidance and standards.
These webinars are suggested for POC healthcare practitioners, 3D printing enthusiasts and industry professionals, pharmaceutical industry stakeholders, and business and science leaders from academic institutions, companies, and advocacy/professional organizations related to personalized health. You can register for the webinar series here. You can select which days you want to join, though USP and APV encourage total workshop attendance.
Exploring 3DEXPERIENCE WORKS Live
Also on July 13th, 3DEXPERIENCE experts John Martorano III and Gian Calise will begin hosting a live webinar series focused on exploring 3DEXPERIENCE WORKS. In this series of webinars, which will take place every other Monday, Calise and Martorano will answer all your questions about the platform in a fun, yet informative way. Each session will feature a different 3D design workflow, along with best practices and tips, and guest appearance from other SOLIDWORKS experts.
At the end of every webinar session, attendees can also take a poll to suggest future topics. Register for the webinar series here.
Lithoz on 3D Printing Ceramics
The first ceramics webinar this coming week will be held by Lithoz on Wednesday, July 15th, at 10 am EST, and titled “Ceramic 3D printing: advancing new applications in AM.” For the first 30 minutes, webinar moderator Davide Sher, the co-founder and CEO of 3dpbm, and Lithoz co-founder and CEO Johannes Homa will discuss the unique properties of the material, talk about how ceramics can benefit AM applications in a variety of applications, and provide some insight into LCM technology. The final 15 minutes will be reserved for Q&A.
“The impact of 3D printing is today being felt far beyond the metal and the plastic industry. This is particularly true in the world of ceramics, where processes such as Lithoz’ ceramic 3D printing technology are unlocking new applications which were previously impossible.”
Register for the free webinar here. If you miss this one, Lithoz will be holding another webinar about ceramics in August.
Live Tour of Ricoh 3D
Also on July 15th, Ricoh 3D will be offering a live tour of its Additive Manufacturing Centre, since COVID-19 is keeping it from offering an in-person look at its AM, metrology, and process control capabilities. During the tour, you’ll get a chance to see the company’s in-house 3D printing technology, in addition to learning from its material and design experts how AM can benefit your business in a low-risk way, meaning without any “capital expenditure commitments.”
The tour will take place at 10 am EST, and will also discuss more advanced 3D equipment, services, and technologies. Register for the live tour here.
Ceramics Expo 2020 Webinar
This week’s second webinar on ceramics will be held at noon EST on Thursday, July 16th, by Ceramics Expo, the largest annual trade show in the US for the technical ceramic and glass industry. The webinar, “Accelerating the Commercialization Process of Ceramic Materials to Stimulate Growth in the Wake of Covid-19,” will discuss how to speed up commercialization to stimulate growth for the glass and ceramics supply chain, how regulation helps or hurts this process and if the pandemic has changed it, and how glass and ceramics manufacturers can “work with their clients to ensure continued investment in new product development.”
“By making more efficient the processes of material characterization, prototype production and material optimization, the reduction in cost and resources will help give ceramic materials an edge over those which may have a shorter and less expensive process. This session is designed to help bridge the gap between research and engineering in order to accelerate the process of scaling up new products.”
Register for this ceramics expo here, and the Ceramics Expo Connect virtual event in September here.
Do you have news to share about future webinars and virtual events? Let us know!
A team of researchers from Marmara University, Turkey have 3D printed an artificial cornea suitable for transplantation. With the help of an aluminum mold, an FFF 3D printer was used to fabricate a PVA-chitosan corneal construct with the light bending properties of the real thing. Preliminary biostability studies revealed that the composite structures were compatible […]
With so many events going virtual due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there’s also been an increase in the number of webinars that companies in the additive manufacturing industry are holding. To make things easier for our readers, since there’s so much online content to choose from these days, 3DPrint.com is compiling all of these available webinars, and the virtual events, into a weekly roundup for you, starting today.
Freeman Technology Webinar
Characterization Tools for Evaluating Polymer Powders for Laser Sintering Webinar
This Tuesday, June 2nd, UK-based Freeman Technology, a Micromeritics company that creates systems for measuring the flow properties of powder materials, will host a webinar at 9 am ET titled “Characterization Tools for Evaluating Polymer Powders for Laser Sintering.” Enrico Gallino, Senior Engineer – Material Specialist at Ricoh UK Products Ltd, will speak about evaluating an AM powder characterization methodology, and will also discuss the results of screening the relevant properties, such as flowability, shape, and thermal properties, of a variety of materials.
“As additive manufacturing (AM) technology transitions from the fabrication of prototypes to serial production of end-use parts, the understanding of the powder properties needed to reliably produce parts of acceptable quality becomes critical,” the webinar site states.
“Achieving the optimal quality for parts does not only depend on setting the right process parameters. Material feedstock also plays an important role when aiming for high performance products. In the case of selective laser sintering, polymer powders are used as a raw material. Therefore, controlling the quality and correctly characterizing the particles used in the process is a key step to successfully apply polymer AM techniques and also to expand the range of material that can be process with this technology.”
Dassault Systèmes be will holding a live webinar on Thursday, June 4th at 10 am ET, titled “Intuitive 3D Designs with CATIA® and SOLIDWORKS® on Mobile Devices.” Participants will have the chance to learn how beneficial flexible design workflows can be when delivering products to market, faster, across many different industries. There will be a live demonstration, using tablets and PCs, on how combining CATIA and SOLIDWORKS on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform will allow your business to add engineering details with simple parametric modeling, create organic surfaces with subdivision (Sub-D) modeling, generate complex patterns and shapes quickly, optimize and evolve designs using an algorithmic approach, and more – all from your own device. The demonstration will be followed by a live Q&A session.
“Discover our portfolio of ready-to-go online Design and Engineering applications in action, which enable you to design from your laptop, your smartphone or tablet! Enjoy increased agility without compromising best-in-class design and engineering capabilities,” the webinar site states.
“With its growing app portfolio and secure cloud technology, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform enables you to manage all facets of your product development process while reducing infrastructure costs, IT overhead, software maintenance and complexity. All 3DEXPERIENCE solutions work together seamlessly making data management, sharing and collaboration easy.”
The 3DHEALS conference is going virtual this year, as the 3DHEALS 2020 Global Summit runs from 11 am-9:30 pm ET June 5th and 6th. Offering powerful networking and effective programming on a global stage, this popular bioprinting conference – sponsored by Whova and Zoom – brings together influencers and audiences from over nine countries, offering opportunities and insights that can be beneficial to stakeholders. With over 70 speakers, more than four workshops, startup events, simulated in-conference experience, an interview series hosted by Dr. Jenny Chen, and more, this is one you won’t want to miss.
“3DHEALS2020 is designed to cater to a wide range of professionals, ranging from healthcare early adopter, manufacturers, engineers, legal professionals and policymakers, C-Level executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and more. We aim to create an effective program that maximizes the attendee’s experiences and decreases the barriers in communication among stakeholders,” the event site states.
Will you attend these events and webinars, or have news to share about future ones? Let us know! Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the comments below.
Researchers from the US and Portugal are refining tissue engineering applications further, releasing the findings of their study in the recently published ‘A Multimodal Stimulation Cell Culture Bioreactor for Tissue Engineering: A Numerical Modelling Approach.’ In creating a new bioreactor for 3D printing, the authors worked to promote reproducibility and optimization, fabricating a design not possible using conventional techniques.
In most bioprinting, cells are seeded onto scaffolds—also the source of much study, whether in regard to new techniques, enhancements, or interface engineering—and then researchers must hope for viability. Promoting cell growth and sustainability is one of the greatest challenges in any type of bioprinting, and often devices like perfusion flow bioreactors are used in replacing culture mediums to remove toxins. In some cases, they are also used for mechanical stimulation through fluid flow shear stress (FFSS). Electric field stimulation devices can also be easily used to encourage cells to grow, mature, and differentiate.
The bioreactor used here was part of a previous study conducted by the authors, but now updated (using SOLIDWORKS 2018 Student Edition ) to include capabilities in E-Field stimulation and fluid flow mechanical stimulation. 3D design was performed in SOLIDWORKS 2018 Student Edition. Assessment of the new design was part of this study, leaving the team to create a numerical finite element analysis (FEA) of the model.
With FEA, the researchers could project input conditions for the bioreactor, further enhancing effectiveness of cell stimulation, determined from in vitro data. Overall, in vitro tests can offer ‘essential’ information for confirming ranges of multimodal stimulation—projected via numerical studies.
Numerical finite element analysis (FEA) analysis of the proposed bioreactor design with a DC electric stimulation parallel plate capacitor set-up with lateral and top slice views. The three top views represent the ROI upper slice (T1), the ROI middle plane slice (T2) and the ROI bottom slice (T3). (a) Electric potential distribution predicted in the bioreactor due to DC stimulation. (b) E-Field magnitude distribution predicted for the same electric DC stimulation conditions.
Numerical FEA analysis of the proposed bioreactor design for a laminar perfusion flow with lateral and top slice views. The three top views represent the ROI upper slice (T1), the ROI middle plane slice (T2) and the ROI bottom slice (T3). (a) Pressure distribution predicted considering applied inlets velocity of 0.003 m/s and a outlet pressure of 0 Pa. (b) Fluid velocity distribution predicted for the same inlet/outlet conditions. The velocity distribution at the ROI middle plane slice is presented in more detail in a top view inset at the right of the slice plane.
“Electrical and mechanical stimulation conditions in the region-of-interest (ROI) were considered for bone cell stimulation optimization, according with reference values obtained from two previous in vitro studies on bone cell stimulation, one applying mechanical stimulation, and the other using E-Field stimulation,” explained the authors.
Novel bioreactor design: (a) Vertical cut view of the bioreactor design, where the parallel electrodes set up, the upper and bottom inlets and the inlet flow splitters can be observed. (b) Horizontal cut view of the bioreactor design, where the radial outlet system can be observed. The green regions represent the region-of-interest (ROI) where the scaffold will be placed, represented by a cylinder with 4 mm of height and a diameter of 10 mm. (c) CAD bioreactor design assembled in frontal view, the main outlet hole is visible in the middle. (d) CAD bioreactor design assembled in lateral view, showing both electrode connector wires (in brown).
Flow splitters were added between the inlet and the scaffold, resulting in ‘indirect flow prevalence.’ Inlets and outlets were fitted with hose joiners, connecting them to the perfusion pump. The cell culture chamber was separated into two different areas for cell cultures and cell seeding exercises. Materials for use in the platform were required to be non-toxic and suitable according to ISO 10993-5 standards.
Bioreactor geometry volume mesh created using COMSOL Multiphysics, with 1.9 × 106 elements, and an average element quality of 0.65.
“Accordingly, in the direct contact test, cells cultured in contact with all the materials presented normal fibroblast morphology with no evidence of any inhibition halo effect or cell death. According to the cytotoxicity tests results, all candidate materials are suitable for our bioreactor AM fabrication,” concluded the researchers. “We will consider C8 and PETG as materials of interest for future design fabrication. C8 is a new material with good layer adhesion and surface quality, which are key features for the perfusion flow. The C8 supplier datasheet reveals that this material has a higher tensile strength than ABS, resulting in improved mechanical characteristics, which are important for the overall robustness of the bioreactor to withstand the tightness of pressure chambers.”
Cytotoxicity assay with L929 mouse fibroblast according to ISO 10993-5 standards: (a) indirect contact (MTT protocol); (b) direct contact (digital images of the material samples and the negative and positive controls, fresh culture medium and Latex, respectively). A one-way ANOVA with no corrections for multiple comparisons (Fisher’s test) statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism6.
“A design–numerical modelling approach will be essential to understand the underlying biophysical effects of electric and mechanical stimuli in cell cultures and can be a powerful tool for standardization of stimulation protocols considering different bioreactor designs and specific TE outcomes.”
What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.
Bone regeneration continues to challenge researchers in their work as well as medical professionals attempting to improve patient treatment:
“Many research groups have been working on bone regeneration for over 10 years, but this has not led to effective therapy in a clinical setting. If it was successful, it would enhance the quality of life for millions of people and significantly reduce the absence to work due to fractures which are considered the second higher cause of working day lost,” state the authors.
“When there are fractures with a bone defect exceeding a critical size, the bone is not able to self-regenerate and, therefore, requires the use of a temporary implant (natural and/or synthetic) to serve as support and cells to help bone regeneration. In this way, tissue engineering (TE) has emerged.”
While scaffolds are used in tissue engineering for transporting nutrients and secretion of waste, the cells must be able to imitate true tissue biology, morphology, and functionality.
Exploring the usefulness of temporary implants, the authors state that in tissue engineering for patients, it is first critical to examine native bone tissue and mechanical properties.
Human long bone properties.
3D printed implants must be able to sustain cell viability in a secure environment, and scaffolds must possess suitable elasticity for matching regular bone. High porosity is desired in most tissue engineering, along with the use of materials that are not only biocompatible but also biologically active. During trials, animal models of fractures are often used in vivo before procedures are attempted on humans.
“Animal studies are needed to understand bone regeneration. Variables such as the amount of bone formation and its kinetics, mechanical properties and safety obtained by the scaffold, including the presence of toxic degradation in different organs and in terms of inflammatory response need to be understood in detail,” explained the researchers.
“However, bone fractures performed in animals do not represent the complexity of healing human fractures. The potential of each different type of cells both in vitro and in vivo plays here a key role.”
Even more interesting though, the authors point out that growth factors are unnecessary, with cells showing the potential to secrete optimal extracellular matrix (ECM) components.
“In vitro studies are advantageous because they offer a controlled environment to experimental test molecular and cellular hypotheses,” stated the researchers. “However, cells cultured in vitro are not replicates of their in vivo counterparts.”
While tissue engineering can be a delicate process overall in terms of working to keep cells alive, bone generation is particularly challenging—and scaffolds must be relied on to maintain the same role as tissue. Biomaterials must be able to mimic the natural environment, along with possessing identical mechanical properties of the initial bone. Appropriate levels of degradation are critical for bone regeneration, and are also dependent on corrosion resistance and materials.
Characteristics of the different materials used to produce a scaffold.
Suitable materials include poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) or polylactic acid (PLA), both approved by the FDA and offering stability, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Scaffolds must be osteoinductive for sustaining cells as well as being osteoconductive, providing growth. They must also serve to:
Fill bone defect
Ensure pore connectivity
Encourage bone formation
Promote bone growth
Natural organization of long bones.
Designed in SolidWorks, the structures exhibited ‘superior advantages’ over what could be produced conventionally.
“Considering all types of materials available, associated with the desired bone regeneration and the use of synthetic polymers, as PCL or PLA, combined with collagen type I for the trabecular region and Hap for cortical region, seems to be the best strategy to follow,” concluded the researchers.
“Among the most commonly used bioreactors for bone regeneration, perfusion bioreactors appear as the most suitable, because it improves osteogenic proliferation and differentiation due to improved mass transfer and adequate shear stress. When making a design proposal for bone regeneration, it is necessary to study the mechanical effects, such as stress and tension, and link them.”
Stratasys has launched its new J55 3D printer. Aimed at professional designers and engineers, the PolyJet system looks to produce in-house ‘enterprise-quality’ prototypes at a third of the price of industrial-grade competitors. According to Stratasys, the J55 is a smaller but equally capable counterpart to the company’s established J8 series of PolyJet machines. Full-color capabilities […]
“Here’s lookin’ at you, kid.” “Hasta la vista, baby.” “Life is like a box of chocolates.” “Game over, man, game over!” These are all memorable lines from iconic films, though some people may not recognize the last one. This is a line from one of my absolute favorite movies, the 1986 Aliens, and was uttered by Private Hudson, played by Bill Paxton, after (most of) the group narrowly escapes with their lives from a close encounter with the film’s titular creatures.
(Image: IMDB)
Needless to say, I was pretty excited about multi-talented Swedish design engineer Olaf Diegel’s latest 3D printed guitar: the Xenomorph, which is what “the Company” dubbed the fully-grown alien life form in the movie.
“Yes, this was a fun little project that really got the creative juices flowing,” Diegel told me in an email.
Diegel also founded ODD Guitars, which focuses on making, according to the website, “personalisable, customisable guitars that explore the limits of 3D printing technologies and applications.” ODD uses Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) technology to make its guitars, and finishes the instruments with top quality off-the-shelf hardware.
ODD makes all kinds of guitars – there’s a Steampunk one, the Spider, American Grafitti, Beatlemania, and now the Xenomorph. I told Diegel how much I love the Alien franchise, and asked if he could tell me a little more about the making of his Alien-themed guitar.
“It started way back, about 3 years ago, when Fredrik Thordendal, from Swedish extreme metal band Meshuggah, suggested the idea of designing a biomechanical inspired guitar. And I also had a friend in the robotics field who had a lot of biomechanical tattoos, so those got me started on the guitar,” Diegel told me. “But other projects got in the way and I forgot about it until around 3 months ago, and picked the project up again, but that’s when it got morphed somewhere between a biomechanical and an Alien themed guitar which, indeed, were awesome movies…”
Diegel used mostly SOLIDWORKS, with “a bit of help from Meshmixer,” to sculpt some of the guitar’s more organic parts. He got some of the “rough details and proportions” for these parts from different Thingiverse models.
In response to a question from one of his LinkedIn followers, he said, “I did a very rough crude shape of the head and teeth, mainly trying to get the head carapace right in Solidworks and exported that as an STL, and then had to modify and massage the STL a whole heap in Meshmixer to make it look like the Alien.”
Then, he put it all together in Materialise Magics so he could merge all of the individual STL files into a single file. The body of the Xenomorph guitar was 3D printed in white nylon by i.materialise in Belgium, and its neck is a high-quality Warmoth maple neck, with a rosewood Fretboard, and a machined maple inner core that joins it to the bridge. The hardware includes Seymour Duncan hot-rodded humbuckers, a Schaller bridge and guitar strap locks, and Gotoh tuners, all in black for a good Alien vibe.
Diegel received the guitar back from Belgium right before Christmas, so he took advantage of the holidays to begin priming, sanding, and painting it.
“When I got to the colour, I started it off with ‘Hammerite’ paint, to give it almost the ‘worn’ grey metallic look of the spaceships in the Alien movies. But I then thought it needed a bit more colour to highlight the Alien bits, so took it to Ron Van Dam, the NZ airbrush artist who does the ‘fancy’ paint jobs on most of my guitars. He did an awesome job at giving it just the touch of colour it needed, as well as the glistening clearcoat that mimics the sliminess of the Alien Xenomorph,” Diegel told me.
He’s tried it out, and the 3D printed Xenomorph guitar “plays and sounds awesome.”
“This is guitar number 80, and I have one of each design in my collection, so have sold somewhere around 66 of them, so this is also makes a nice example of using 3D printing for low-volume high-value production,” Diegel said.
Other LinkedIn comments on his original post provide Diegel with some ideas for his next guitar. Harry Potter was one option, but I agree with the second one – a 3D printed Predator guitar, so the two can battle it out.
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[Images: Olaf Diegel, ODD Guitars, unless otherwise noted]
