mSLAb – an open-source masked stereolithography (mSLA) bioprinter
Description
Abstract: 3D bioprinting is a tissue engineering approach using additive manufacturing to fabricate tissue equivalents for regenerative medicine or medical drug testing. For this purpose, biomaterials that provide the essential microenvironment to support the viability of cells integrated directly or seeded after printing are processed into three-dimensional (3D) structures. Compared to extrusion-based 3D printing, which is most commonly used in bioprinting, stereolithography (SLA) offers a higher printing resolution and faster processing speeds with a wide range of cell-friendly materials such as gelatin- or collagen-based hydrogels and SLA is, therefore, well suited to generate 3D tissue constructs. While there have been numerous publications of conversions and upgrades for extrusion-based printers, this is not the case for state-of-the-art SLA technology in bioprinting. The high cost of proprietary printers severely limits teaching and research in SLA bioprinting. With mSLAb, we present a low cost and open source high resolution 3D bioprinter based on masked SLA (mSLA). mSLAb is based on an entry level (€350) desktop mSLA printer (Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K), equipped with temperature control and humidification of the printing chamber to enable the processing of cell-friendly hydrogels. Additionally, the build platform was redesigned for easy sample handling and microscopic analysis of the printed constructs. All modifications were done with off-the-shelf hardware and in-house designed 3D printed components, printed with the same printer that was being modified. We validated the system by printing macroscopic porous scaffolds as well as hollow channels from gelatin-based hydrogels as representative structures needed in tissue engineering. ----------------------------------------------------- Files: Design file name File type Open source license • Base Plate CAD files CC-BY-SA 4.0 • Build Platform 30mm CAD files CC-BY-SA 4.0 • Cable Grommet CAD files CC-BY-SA 4.0 • Case Bottom CAD files CC BY-SA 3.0 • Case Stand CAD files CC BY-SA 4.0 • Case Top CAD files CC BY-SA 3.0 • Keypad Mold Bottom CAD files CC BY-SA 3.0 • Keypad Mold Top CAD files CC BY-SA 3.0 • Molding Stand CAD files CC-BY-SA 4.0 • Printable Petri Dish CAD files CC-BY-SA 4.0 • Sensor Seal Mold CAD files CC-BY-SA 4.0 • mSLAb Code Code CC-BY-SA 4.0 • Circuit Schematic Figures CC-BY-SA 4.0 • Molding Process Video CC-BY-SA 4.0 • Bioprinting Process Video CC-BY-SA 4.0 All CAD-type files consist of modifiable .step files, .stl files for slicing, and ready-to-print .ctb files. • Keypad Mold Top and Keypad Mold Bottom are unmodified parts of "Mmintbox 1 Enclosure" by Vector_Mayhem under CC BY-SA 3.0 • Case Top and Bottom are modified parts of "Mmintbox 1 Enclosure" by Vector_Mayhem under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modifications include holes for the LED, screw terminals, and magnets.