Cabeçote de impressão 3D para biomateriais com múltiplas ponteiras, troca automática e sistema de sucção e pressão por bomba peristáltica

Abstract

Additive manufacturing, known as 3D printing, is the precursor of many types of research in several areas, becoming a priority in health and biology. Scientists seek to solve the significant problem of the lack of organs and tissues to supply the demand for transplants. Researchers and institutes often have difficulty accessing equipment due to their high cost. This research shows an integrable platform, called a head, for the uniform deposition of biomaterials, with the ability to change up to 15 tips automatically. Through a systematic search of articles published in Spacenet, Web of Science, Scopus databases, and patents in Google Patents, INPI, and other international bodies, it became evident that the technology is expanding and demands a lot of research due to the low number of publications. An auto-change head system adjacent to a peristaltic pump, developed to reduce pulsation and achieve high precision in displacing low viscosity liquids and gels, was built and installed on a 3D printer. Was used the Marlin firmware as the bioprinter’s operating system, and was implemented tool change control algorithms, tip center location, and Z height. On a Raspberry Pi 3B with a camera and WiFi communication. The extrusion tests performed by the author use Vick Vaporub® and a water preparation with corn starch and vegetable triacylglycerol derived from corn, obtaining 40 layers of 0.2 mm in different printing forms. The cost of producing the prototype is attractive, in addition to allowing low-value supplies, such as micropipette tips and disposable syringes, the development of bioinks, biocompatible hydrogels, and biological tissues in three dimensions. The device proposed was forwarded to the invention patent filing with the responsible body in Brazil.