EnvisionTEC Expands Bioprinting Capabilities
DEARBORN, Mich., September 9, 2019 — EnvisionTEC, a leading global manufacturer of desktop and full-production 3D printers and materials, is pleased to announce that it will be presenting two major advancements for the 3D-Bioplotter at the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB) Annual Conference in Dresden, Germany, beginning today.
The first is an upgrade of the Photo-Curing head, now allowing up to 5 wavelengths or combinations thereof during one project. While the wavelength of 365 nm remains the most commonly required by photoinitiators used by academic and industrial users, this wavelength has a negative impact on cell survivability during prolonged or repeated use, especially in the field of Bioprinting. This new head, also available as an upgrade to current Photo-curing heads, allows the use of photoinitiators that react to the visible light range, to which cells can be exposed to with minimal biological effect.
The second is an ink jet head, aimed at dispensing low viscosity hydrogels as coatings while 3D printing parts or for hybrid scaffold fabrication. The built-in micro-dispensing valve can be controlled through the software to dispense individual, unconnected dots of material, or to connect them into lines of dispensed droplets. The Ink Jet Head can also be used to create fast dot printing projects, to dispense materials in specific positions on the platform (organ-on-a-chip projects), to fill pores in hybrid scaffolds, or to dispense coatings onto simultaneously printed 3D scaffolds.
Earlier in 2019, EnvisionTEC celebrated the 333rd scientific paper published with research focused on the 3D-Bioplotter. Both new heads will be on display in Dresden, at the EnvisionTEC booth, where attendees will be able to see them in action and learn more about the research these new additions to EnvisionTEC’s 3D-Bioplotter accessories repertoire will make possible.