Syringe Pump Extruder and Curing System for 3D Printing of Photopolymers

Development of new additive manufacturing materials often requires the production of several batches of relatively large volumes in order to print and test objects. This can be difficult for many materials that are expensive or difficult to produce in large volumes on the laboratory scale. Bioprinter systems are advantageous in this regard, however, commercial systems are expensive or do not have the ability to use photopolymers. Herein, we outline a Syringe Pump Extruder and Curing System (SPECS) modification for inexpensive filament-based 3D printers which enables the use of standard bioplotter materials and photopolymers. The system is capable of using multiple syringe volumes and needle sizes that can be quickly and easily exchanged. The SPECS modification is demonstrated using a Prusa i3 mk3 fused filament fabrication printer to print several 3D objects and films using stereolithography (SLA) photopolymer resin. Geometric accuracy in the X, Y, and Z directions was ±0.1 mm using a 5 mL syringe, 22-gauge needle, and commercial SLA resin. The SPECS system could be of great benefit for laboratories pursing material development in the area of additive manufacturing.

This repository includes diagrams, assembly instructions, STL models of components to be 3D printed, a configuration file for the slicing software used in this conversion, and a full CAD model of the system outlined in the HardwareX submission.

新式增材制造材料的研发往往需要生产数批相对大体积的产品以进行打印和测试。这对于许多在实验室规模上难以大量生产或成本高昂的材料而言，往往是一项挑战。然而，生物打印机系统在这一方面具有优势，但商业系统往往价格昂贵或无法使用光聚合材料。本文中，我们概述了一种针对经济型丝材3D打印机进行的注射泵挤出机和固化系统（SPECS）的改进，该改进使得标准生物绘图材料及光聚合材料的使用成为可能。该系统能够使用多种注射筒体积和针头尺寸，且能够快速便捷地进行更换。SPECS改进通过使用Prusa i3 mk3熔融丝材制造打印机，成功打印出多个3D物体和薄膜，并采用立体光刻（SLA）光聚合树脂。在X、Y、Z三个方向上的几何精度达到±0.1毫米，使用5毫升注射筒、22号针头和商业SLA树脂。SPECS系统对于从事增材制造材料研发的实验室而言，将具有极大的益处。本存储库包括图表、组装说明、待3D打印组件的STL模型、用于此转换的切片软件配置文件以及HardwareX投稿中所述系统的完整CAD模型。