Syringe Pump Extruder for 3D Printing of Highly Elastic Natural-Based Biogels
Abstract
3D printing is primarily done using filaments such as PLA and other plastics. The purpose of our research was to restructure a 3D printer to print with biogels and to create a new biogel for the printer to utilize. We restructured the 3D printer by designing and assembling a syringe pump system that would extrude the biogel by compressing a syringe using a stepper motor and vertical press system. These parts were designed using CAD then printed with our 3D printer and altered using machinery. We attached this syringe pump to our printer and connected the stepper motor to the printer's original filament feed system wiring. During this process, we created and tested different biogel mixtures of guar gum and kappa carrageenan to find an optimal solution. Guar gum is positively charged and carrageenan is negatively charged, allowing for strong bonds in the biogel. These biogels were made with pure water and mixed using magnetic stirrers and a vortex. Salt, a negatively charged substance, was added to break down bonds that were too strong. The optimal biogel was 0.4 concentration with 0.05g of salt. The project was ultimately successful as the printer can print biogels into accurate and rigid forms. These results can be used for future endeavors to print more functioning bodies such as organ tissues and medicinal sheaths with soft matter and other biological forms.
Syringe Pump Extruder for 3D Printing of Highly Elastic Natural-Based Biogels
HSS 113
3D printing is primarily done using filaments such as PLA and other plastics. The purpose of our research was to restructure a 3D printer to print with biogels and to create a new biogel for the printer to utilize. We restructured the 3D printer by designing and assembling a syringe pump system that would extrude the biogel by compressing a syringe using a stepper motor and vertical press system. These parts were designed using CAD then printed with our 3D printer and altered using machinery. We attached this syringe pump to our printer and connected the stepper motor to the printer's original filament feed system wiring. During this process, we created and tested different biogel mixtures of guar gum and kappa carrageenan to find an optimal solution. Guar gum is positively charged and carrageenan is negatively charged, allowing for strong bonds in the biogel. These biogels were made with pure water and mixed using magnetic stirrers and a vortex. Salt, a negatively charged substance, was added to break down bonds that were too strong. The optimal biogel was 0.4 concentration with 0.05g of salt. The project was ultimately successful as the printer can print biogels into accurate and rigid forms. These results can be used for future endeavors to print more functioning bodies such as organ tissues and medicinal sheaths with soft matter and other biological forms.
