Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Desktop Health, a division of Desktop Metal, Inc., has unveiled an exciting advancement in the field of bioprinting called PrintRoll™. This innovative rotating build platform is designed to complement the 3D-Bioplotter, a leading bioprinting system. Its main capability lies in producing intelligent tubular solutions for various channels within the human body, including the vascular, digestive, respiratory, and reproductive systems.
The 3D-Bioplotter is a highly sophisticated 3D printer that uses extrusion-based technology to process various materials, such as liquids, pastes, gels, and even cells, through a needle tip on a precise 3-axis gantry system. The system offers eight printheads with a wide temperature range, enabling the creation of complex and multi-material medical parts.
PrintRoll™ functions as an attachment to the 3D-Bioplotter's modular build plate. It features a motor-driven rotating mandrel equipped with easily replaceable drums of different sizes. The rotation speed is controlled through user-friendly software integrated with the 3D-Bioplotter.
During the printing process, the PrintRoll™ tool rotates while the printhead moves back and forth, depositing the desired material on the surface. For instance, medical-grade polycaprolactone (PCL), a biodegradable plastic used in FDA-cleared implants and devices, solidifies quickly on the drum after being printed. In bioprinting, this method is commonly employed to create scaffolds or structures using stiff or flexible biocompatible materials that can integrate with the body's cells over time.
The PrintRoll™ system offers a standard 10 mm diameter drum, with additional sizes of 20 mm and 40 mm available. These different drum sizes cater to the development of solutions for various human channels, which may differ based on age and gender. The standard diameters align with essential channels such as the femoral artery, trachea, fallopian tube, aorta, esophagus, and different segments of the intestine.
This platform supports the printing of hollow cylindrical structures up to 140 mm in length, depending on the specific printhead used. Custom sizes may also be accommodated. Previously, creating thin-walled cylindrical devices with complex structures using regenerative materials was a challenge. However, the PrintRoll™ offers a novel approach by directly patterning materials on a rolling substrate while the printhead moves, thereby supporting the deposited layers and expanding the range of 3D printable materials for such critical structures. After printing, the devices can be easily removed from the PrintRoll™, leaving behind high-resolution and reproducible parts, which have become synonymous with the 3D-Bioplotter system.
The introduction of PrintRoll™ adds to the long-standing legacy of bioprinting innovations associated with the extensively researched 3D-Bioplotter system. Furthermore, this tradition continues with CMFlex™, the first FDA-cleared 3D printed regenerative bone graft substitute product. Developed by Dimension Inx, CMFlex™ offers an easy-to-use flexible bone graft product, manufactured using a standard 3D-Bioplotter Manufacturer model. This groundbreaking product serves as an alternative to the traditional autograft procedure, where bone is harvested from one area of a patient's body to repair damaged or diseased bone elsewhere.
Source: businesswire.com
