Development of an Open-Source Low-Cost Modular Quad-Extrusion 3D Bioprinter

Abstract

Abstract Advanced additive manufacturing (AM) technologies are being harnessed to capture the complex range and specificity of native tissue properties towards fully functional bioprinted tissue constructs. Such enabling technologies have been reported to recapitulate the complexity and heterogeneity of the native tissues. However, the challenges of cost and scalability hamper broad AM process adoption and implementation for fundamental research in the life sciences as well as for clinical end-use applications. In order to address the cost barrier to AM adoption, an open-source low-cost modular quad-extrusion multi-material 3D bioprinting system is developed herein to enable the fabrication of complex tissue constructs. The developed quad-extrusion bioprinter (QEB) is established with two divergent printing modes, namely in-air printing (IAP) and support bath printing (SBP), using gelatin methacryloyl as a model hydrogel bioink. Bioprinted performance outcomes are then measured for structural fidelity with benchmarking to the computer-aided design models. Moreover, biological outcomes are qualified by way of a LIVE/DEAD cell viability assay over a 3-day time course. In summary, the developed QEB is shown to be a robust platform that enables the scalable fabrication of multi-material complex tissue constructs at an accessible cost under $300, further closing the gap between developmental and clinical AM platforms.