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Microfabrication · MEWron · 2023 · Macromolecular Rapid Communications

Melt Electrowriting of Nylon‐12 Microfibers with an Open‐Source 3D Printer

Melt-electrowriting printer built on the open-source MEWron platform (a converted Voron 0.1 3D printer), with a heated flat or cylindrical collector for printing nylon-12 microfibres and tubes.

Performance the paper reports

0 of 5
  1. Motion—Motion accuracy: not reported
  2. Volume—Volumetric accuracy: not reported
  3. Viability—Cell viability: not reported
  4. Unattended—Unattended operation: not reported
  5. Standard—Standard compliance: not reported

The full text was read and states no figure for any of the five.

How hard this is to adopt

3.5 of 5, higher is easier

Each 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

    4/1–5

    Smallest feature/positioning evidence about 33 µm.

  • Throughput

    3/2–5

    Throughput not explicit; assigned moderate default.

  • Parts sourcing

    3/2–4

    Mix of common parts and custom/printed components.

  • Skill needed

    4/2–4

    Build/operation described as low-skill or basic assembly.

  • Facilities needed

    3/2–4

    Requires accessible but nontrivial lab/maker equipment.

  • Documentation

    3/2–5

    Some open documentation or files are available.

  • Validation effort

    4/2–4

    Validation includes standards, benchmarking, replicates, or multi-condition tests.

  • Cycle time

    4/1–4

    Speed evidence suggests rapid, real-time, or automated operation.

2 further criteria are recorded but not shown
  • Application Level — scored 4 (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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Record metadata

Publication

Year
2023
Venue
Macromolecular Rapid Communications
DOI
10.1002/marc.202300424
Type
Unspecified
Also described in
MEWron: An open-source melt electrowriting platform · Additive Manufacturing, 2023

Implementation

Open-source
Yes
Repository
Linked record
Repository still accessible
Yes, last activity 2025-08-25 — checked 2026-11-10
Build complexity
Unspecified
Approximate cost
~500 USD (heated cylindrical-collector modification; excluding the MEWron base printer)
Publication data

Matched by doi · retrieved 2026-07-21

Abstract

This study demonstrates how either a heated flat or cylindrical collector enables defect-free melt electrowriting (MEW) of complex geometries from high melting temperature polymers. The open-source "MEWron" printer uses nylon-12 filament and combined with a heated flat or cylindrical collector, produces well-defined fibers with diameters ranging from 33 ± 4 to 95 ± 3 µm. Full abstract at the publisher

Bibliographic details

Published
2023-10-11
Journal/source
Macromolecular Rapid Communications
Publisher
Wiley
DOI
10.1002/marc.202300424
Type
journal-article
Language
en
Volume / issue
44 / 24
Pages
Not supplied
ISSN
1022-1336, 1521-3927

Access and metrics

Open access
No
OA status
closed
License
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor
Version
publishedVersion
Cited by
20
References
22
Retracted
No
Open-access landing page

Authors and affiliations

  1. Ander ReizabalCorresponding authorUniversity of Oregon · Basque Center for Materials, Applications and Nanostructures
  2. Brenna L. DevlinQueensland University of Technology
  3. Naomi C. PaxtonQueensland University of Technology · University of Oregon
  4. Paula G. SaizUniversity of the Basque Country · University of Oregon
  5. Ievgenii LiashenkoUniversity of Oregon
  6. Simon LuposchainskyUniversity of Oregon
  7. Maria A. WoodruffQueensland University of Technology
  8. S. Lanceros‐MéndezIkerbasque · Basque Center for Materials, Applications and Nanostructures
  9. Paul D. DaltonCorresponding authorUniversity of Oregon

Topics and keywords

Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing TechnologiesRecycling and Waste Management TechniquesAdvanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting MaterialsMicrofiber3d printerMaterials scienceNylon 6Polymer scienceOpen sourceComposite materialComputer graphics (images)Computer scienceEngineeringPolymerMechanical engineering

Funding

  • Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science
Perspective and practical signals

Why it matters

Extends open-source melt electrowriting beyond low-melting polymers such as PCL to nylon-12, producing well-defined fibres 33–95 µm in diameter on flat and tubular collectors.

Limitations

The cylindrical collector heats less efficiently than the flat collector, and annealing makes printed nylon-12 markedly more brittle.