Bioprinting · Extrusion · Microextrusion bioprinter · 2023 · Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
Development and implementation of a significantly low-cost 3D bioprinter using recycled scrap material
Low-cost 3D bioprinter built from recycled scrap metal and off-the-shelf electronics; no 3D printer required to build it
Performance the paper reports
1 of 5- Motion10 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 accuracy10 µm
[curated metric] Z-axis step resolution of 10 µm; 40 mm/s max non-printing move speed; 2-10 mm/s typical print speed
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
not scoredno clear evidence of printing resolution
Throughput
2/2–5Operation appears single-unit or manually constrained.
Parts sourcing
4/2–4Mostly off-the-shelf or kit-based components.
Skill needed
4/2–4Build/operation described as low-skill or basic assembly.
Facilities needed
3/2–4Requires accessible but nontrivial lab/maker equipment.
Documentation
4/2–5Open resources include several build or operation artifacts.
Validation effort
4/2–4Validation includes standards, benchmarking, replicates, or multi-condition tests.
Cycle time
4/1–4Speed evidence suggests rapid, real-time, or automated operation.
2 further criteria are recorded but not shown
- Application Level — scored 2 (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.
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Report what it took, including attempts that stalled. A failed build tells the next laboratory what the documentation leaves out.
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Record metadata
Publication data
Matched by doi · retrieved 2026-07-21
Abstract
The field of 3D bioengineering proposes to effectively contribute to the manufacture of artificial multicellular organ/tissues and the understanding of complex cellular mechanisms. In this regard, 3D cell cultures comprise a promising bioengineering possibility for the alternative treatment of organ function loss, potentially improving patient life expectancies. Patients with end-stage disease, for example, could benefit from treatment until organ transplantation or even undergo organ function restoration. Currently, 3D bioprinters can produce tissues such as trachea cartilage or artificial skin. Most low-cost 3D bioprinters are built from fused deposition modeling 3D printer frames modified for the deposition of biologically compatible material, ranging between $13.000,00 and $300.000,00. Furthermore, the cost of consumables should also be considered as they, can range from $3,85 and $100.000,00 per gram, making biomaterials expensive, hindering bioprinting access. In this context, our report describes the first prototype of a significantly low-cost 3D bioprinter built from recycled scrap metal and off-the-shelf electronics. We demonstrate the functionalized process and methodology proof of concept and aim to test it in different biological tissue scaffolds in the future, using affordable materials and open-source methodologies, thus democratizing the state of the art of this technology.
Bibliographic details
Access and metrics
Topics and keywords
Funding
- Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa Do Estado do Rio de Janeiro · 001
Perspective and practical signals
Why it matters
Shows extreme cost-reduction approach; practical for access/democratization discussions.
Limitations
Resolution/precision tradeoffs from using scrap/recycled components; build quality may vary with available scrap materials