Liquid Handling · Bioprinting · Extrusion · FRESH · Replistruder 4 · 2021 · (check full text)
A high performance open-source syringe extruder optimized for extrusion and retraction during FRESH 3D bioprinting
High-performance open-source syringe extruder for extrusion/retraction control in FRESH 3D bioprinting
Performance the paper reports
1 of 5- Motion300 µmMotion accuracy: reported
- Volume—Volumetric accuracy: not reported
- Viability—Cell viability: not reported
- Unattended—Unattended operation: not reported
- Standard—Standard compliance: not reported
- Motion / positional accuracy300 µm
[curated metric] Filaments down to 3.35 nL volume; printed channels patent down to 300 µm width; printer travel accuracy <35 µm (3 axes)
How hard this is to adopt
3.6 of 5, higher is easierEach score is shown against the range the other 59 builds actually occupy, because no criterion uses the full 1–5 scale. These describe how reproducible the build is, not how good the science is.
Resolution
5/1–5Microstep swept volume 2.71 nL with a 2.5 mL Hamilton syringe and 109 pL with a 100 uL syringe; printed 3.35 nL filaments and 300 µm channels.
Throughput
3/2–5Single syringe channel of 2.5 mL capacity printing a complete construct unattended; the dual-pump multimaterial arrangement is only pictured, never demonstrated or independently controlled.
Parts sourcing
3/2–4Mix of common parts and custom/printed components.
Skill needed
4/2–4Build/operation described as low-skill or basic assembly.
Facilities needed
4/2–4Uses common benchtop/desktop equipment or generic consumables.
Documentation
4/2–5Open resources include several build or operation artifacts.
Validation effort
3/2–4Channel widths of 300/400/500 µm measured by OCT with ANOVA plus caliper steps/mm calibration, but one ink only and no experimental benchmark against a pneumatic or commercial extruder.
Cycle time
3/1–4No timing comparison reported; only print speeds of 10-20 mm/s, never measured against commercial extruders or manual deposition.
2 further criteria are recorded but not shown
- Application Level — scored 5 (75% of records share one value), so it cannot separate one build from another.
- Build Time (scored for only 6 of 60 records), so it cannot separate one build from another.
Both remain in the published dataset.
Have you built this?
Report what it took, including attempts that stalled. A failed build tells the next laboratory what the documentation leaves out.
Record metadata
Publication data
Matched by title · retrieved 2026-07-21
Abstract
Recent advances in embedded 3D bioprinting have significantly improved the resolution of individual filaments to below 100 μm; however, printing with such small filaments requires accurate extrusion of nanoliter volumes of bioink. Commercially available bioprinters and extruders are expensive and most utilize pneumatic control, which limits the minimum extrusion volume and prevents retraction (pulling bioink back into the reservoir), which is essential to printing high resolution features and complex internal geometry. Here we present a new generation of our open-source syringe pump designed for extrusion-based 3D bioprinting of soft materials: the Replistruder 4. The Replistruder 4 takes advantage of the geometry customizability and ease of 3D plastic printing while improving performance by integrating mass produced high-precision linear motion components. Simultaneously this new syringe pump remains compact and lightweight enough for several to be utilized on a 3D bioprinter for multimaterial bioprinting. To facilitate multiple use cases the Replistruder 4 is compatible with a range of syringes including disposable BD and Hamilton gastight syringes. In addition, we describe the process of designing clamps for other syringes. We demonstrate the performance of a Replistruder 4 with a 2.5 mL Hamilton gastight syringe by printing collagen type I constructs with individual filaments comprising 3.35 nL and patent channels down to 300 μm in width. With smaller volume Hamilton gastight syringes this performance can be further improved. Thus, the Replistruder 4 provides an open-source solution to print soft materials at the resolution limits of current embedded bioprinting platforms.
Bibliographic details
Access and metrics
Topics and keywords
Funding
- National Institutes of Health · F30HL154728
- National Institutes of Health · F32HL142229
- US Food and Drug Administration · R01FD006582
Perspective and practical signals
Why it matters
Directly comparable to Replistruder—an open syringe/extrusion tool that enables better bioink handling.
Limitations
no commercial benchmarking, no biological validation | Requires a separate host 3D printer/motion platform; overall print quality depends on rigidity of that host platform