scholarly journals Open-source, high-throughput ultrasound treatment chamber

2015 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Torstein Yddal ◽  
Sandy Cochran ◽  
Odd Helge Gilja ◽  
Michiel Postema ◽  
Spiros Kotopoulis
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Impedance Matching ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Ultrasonic Equipment ◽  
Acoustic Output ◽  
Acoustic Calibration

AbstractStudying the effects of ultrasound on biological cells requires extensive knowledge of both the physical ultrasound and cellular biology. Translating knowledge between these fields can be complicated and time consuming. With the vast range of ultrasonic equipment available, nearly every research group uses different or unique devices. Hence, recreating the experimental conditions and results may be expensive or difficult. For this reason, we have developed devices to combat the common problems seen in state-of-the-art biomedical ultrasound research. In this paper, we present the design, fabrication, and characterisation of an open-source device that is easy to manufacture, allows for parallel sample sonication, and is highly reproducible, with complete acoustic calibration. This device is designed to act as a template for sample sonication experiments. We demonstrate the fabrication technique for devices designed to sonicate 24-well plates and OptiCell™ using three-dimensional (3D) printing and low-cost consumables. We increased the pressure output by electrical impedance matching of the transducers using transmission line transformers, resulting in an increase by a factor of 3.15. The devices cost approximately €220 in consumables, with a major portion attributed to the 3D printing, and can be fabricated in approximately 8 working hours. Our results show that, if our protocol is followed, the mean acoustic output between devices has a variance of <1%. We openly provide the 3D files and operation software allowing any laboratory to fabricate and use these devices at minimal cost and without substantial prior know-how.

scholarly journals Toward autonomous additive manufacturing: Bayesian optimization on a 3D printer

MRS Bulletin ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Deneault ◽  
Jorge Chang ◽  
Jay Myung ◽  
Daylond Hooper ◽  
Andrew Armstrong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
3D Printing ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Single Layer ◽  
Automated Image Analysis ◽  
High Dimensional ◽  
Research System ◽  
New Materials

Abstract Materials exploration and development for three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies is slow and labor-intensive. Each 3D printing material developed requires unique print parameters be learned for successful part fabrication, and sub-optimal settings often result in defects or fabrication failure. To address this, we developed the Additive Manufacturing Autonomous Research System (AM ARES). As a preliminary test, we tasked AM ARES with autonomously modulating four print parameters to direct-write single-layer print features that matched target specifications. AM ARES employed automated image analysis as closed-loop feedback to an online Bayesian optimizer and learned to print target features in fewer than 100 experiments. In due course, this first-of-its-kind research robot will be tasked with autonomous multi-dimensional optimization of print parameters to accelerate materials discovery and development in the field of AM. The combining of open-source ARES OS software with low-cost hardware makes autonomous AM highly accessible, promoting mainstream adoption and rapid technological advancement. Impact statement The discovery and development of new materials and processes for three-dimensional (3D) printing is hindered by slow and labor-intensive trial-and-error optimization processes. Coupled with a pervasive lack of feedback mechanisms in 3D printers, this has inhibited the advancement and adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies as a mainstream manufacturing approach. To accelerate new materials development and streamline the print optimization process for AM, we have developed a low-cost and accessible research robot that employs online machine learning planners, together with our ARES OS software, which we will release to the community as open-source, to rapidly and effectively optimize the complex, high-dimensional parameter sets associated with 3D printing. In preliminary trials, the first-of-its-kind research robot, the Additive Manufacturing Autonomous Research System (AM ARES), learned to print single-layer material extrusion specimens that closely matched targeted feature specifications in under 100 iterations. Delegating repetitive and high-dimensional cognitive labor to research robots such as AM ARES frees researchers to focus on more creative, insightful, and fundamental scientific work and reduces the cost and time required to develop new AM materials and processes. The teaming of human and robot researchers begets a synergy that will exponentially propel technological progress in AM.

scholarly journals 3-D Printable Polymer Pelletizer Chopper for Fused Granular Fabrication-Based Additive Manufacturing

Inventions ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aubrey Woern ◽  
Joshua Pearce
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
High Tolerance ◽  
Entire Process ◽  
Composite Fabrication ◽  
The Us ◽  
Color Mixing ◽  
Returns On Investment

Although distributed additive manufacturing can provide high returns on investment, the current markup on commercial filament over base polymers limits deployment. These cost barriers can be surmounted by eliminating the entire process of fusing filament by three-dimensional (3-D) printing products directly from polymer granules. Fused granular fabrication (FGF) (or fused particle fabrication (FPF)) is being held back in part by the accessibility of low-cost pelletizers and choppers. An open-source 3-D printable invention disclosed here allows for precisely controlled pelletizing of both single thermopolymers as well as composites for 3-D printing. The system is designed, built, and tested for its ability to provide high-tolerance thermopolymer pellets with a number of sizes capable of being used in an FGF printer. In addition, the chopping pelletizer is tested for its ability to chop multi-materials simultaneously for color mixing and composite fabrication as well as precise fractional measuring back to filament. The US$185 open-source 3-D printable pelletizer chopper system was successfully fabricated and has a 0.5 kg/h throughput with one motor, and 1.0 kg/h throughput with two motors using only 0.24 kWh/kg during the chopping process. Pellets were successfully printed directly via FGF as well as indirectly after being converted into high-tolerance filament in a recyclebot.

scholarly journals An Application of Integrated 3D Technologies for Replicas in Cultural Heritage

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Balletti ◽  
Ballarin
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Survey Analysis ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Data Acquisition And Processing ◽  
Short Time

In recent decades, 3D acquisition by laser scanning or digital photogrammetry has become one of the standard methods of documenting cultural heritage, because it permits one to analyze the shape, geometry, and location of any artefact without necessarily coming into contact with it. The recording of three-dimensional metrical data of an asset allows one to preserve and monitor, but also to understand and explain the history and cultural heritage shared. In essence, it constitutes a digital archive of the state of an artefact, which can be used for various purposes, be remodeled, or kept safely stored. With the introduction of 3D printing, digital data can once again take on material form and become physical objects from the corresponding mathematical models in a relatively short time and often at low cost. This possibility has led to a different consideration of the concept of virtual data, no longer necessarily linked to simple visual fruition. The importance of creating high-resolution physical copies has been reassessed in light of different types of events that increasingly threaten the protection of cultural heritage. The aim of this research is to analyze the critical issues in the production process of the replicas, focusing on potential problems in data acquisition and processing and on the accuracy of the resulting 3D printing. The metric precision of the printed model with 3D technology are fundamental for everything concerning geomatics and must be related to the same characteristics of the digital model obtained through the survey analysis.

scholarly journals Design and implementation of a three dimensions (3D) printer for modeling and pre-manufacturing applications

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 4749
Author(s):  
Ghazi Qaryouti ◽  
Abdel Rahman Salbad ◽  
Sohaib A. Tamimi ◽  
Anwar Almofleh ◽  
Wael A. Salah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
3D Printer ◽  
Overall Design ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Manufacturing Applications ◽  
Functional Components

The three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies represent a revolution in the manufacturing sector due to their unique characteristics. These printers arecapable to increase the productivitywithlower complexity in addition tothe reduction inmaterial waste as well the overall design cost prior large scalemanufacturing.However, the applications of 3D printing technologies for the manufacture of functional components or devices remain an almost unexplored field due to their high complexity. In this paper the development of 3D printing technologies for the manufacture of functional parts and devices for different applications is presented. The use of 3D printing technologies in these applicationsis widelyused in modelingdevices usually involves expensive materials such as ceramics or compounds. The recent advances in the implementation of 3D printing with the use of environmental friendly materialsin addition to the advantages ofhighperformance and flexibility. The design and implementation of relatively low-cost and efficient 3D printer is presented. The developed prototype was successfully operated with satisfactory operated as shown from the printed samples shown.

scholarly journals Effects of Nozzle Die Angle on Extruding Polymethylmethacrylate in Open-Source 3D Printing

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 663-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nor Aiman Sukindar ◽  
Mohd Khairol Anuar Mohd Ariffin ◽  
B.T. Hang Tuah Baharudin ◽  
Che Nor Aiza Jaafar ◽  
Mohd Idris Shah Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element Analysis ◽  
Finite Element ◽  
Pressure Drop ◽  
3D Printing ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
3D Printer ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Factors Affecting

Open-source 3D printer has been widely used for fabricating three dimensional products. However, this technology has some drawbacks that need to be improved such as accuracy of the finished parts. One of the factors affecting the final product is the ability of the machine to extrude the material consistently, which is related to the flow behavior of the material inside the liquefier. This paper observes the pressure drop along the liquefier by manipulating the nozzle die angle from 80° to 170° using finite element analysis (FEA) for polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) material. When the pressure drop along the liquefier is varied, the printed product also varies, thus providing less accuracy in the finished parts. Based on the FEA, it was found that 130° was the optimum die angle (convergent angle) for extruding PMMA material using open-source 3D printing.

scholarly journals A Printable Device for Measuring Clarity and Colour in Lake and Nearshore Waters

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Brewin ◽  
Thomas Brewin ◽  
Joseph Phillips ◽  
Sophie Rose ◽  
Anas Abdulaziz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Scientific Discovery ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Secchi Depth ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Water Clarity ◽  
3D Printer ◽  
Satellite Validation ◽  
Wide Range

Two expanding areas of science and technology are citizen science and three-dimensional (3D) printing. Citizen science has a proven capability to generate reliable data and contribute to unexpected scientific discovery. It can put science into the hands of the citizens, increasing understanding, promoting environmental stewardship, and leading to the production of large databases for use in environmental monitoring. 3D printing has the potential to create cheap, bespoke scientific instruments that have formerly required dedicated facilities to assemble. It can put instrument manufacturing into the hands of any citizen who has access to a 3D printer. In this paper, we present a simple hand-held device designed to measure the Secchi depth and water colour (Forel Ule scale) of lake, estuarine and nearshore regions. The device is manufactured with marine resistant materials (mostly biodegradable) using a 3D printer and basic workshop tools. It is inexpensive to manufacture, lightweight, easy to use, and accessible to a wide range of users. It builds on a long tradition in optical limnology and oceanography, but is modified for ease of operation in smaller water bodies, and from small watercraft and platforms. We provide detailed instructions on how to build the device and highlight examples of its use for scientific education, citizen science, satellite validation of ocean colour data, and low-cost monitoring of water clarity, colour and temperature.

scholarly journals Software-Based Three-Dimensional Deconvolution Microscopy of Cytoskeletal Proteins in Cultured Fibroblast Using Open-Source Software and Open Hardware

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. 88
Author(s):  
Kazuo Katoh
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Cytoskeletal Proteins ◽  
Laser Scanning Microscopy ◽  
Confocal Laser ◽  
Actual Measurement ◽  
Open Hardware

As conventional fluorescence microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy generally produce images with blurring at the upper and lower planes along the z-axis due to non-focal plane image information, the observation of biological images requires “deconvolution.” Therefore, a microscope system’s individual blur function (point spread function) is determined theoretically or by actual measurement of microbeads and processed mathematically to reduce noise and eliminate blurring as much as possible. Here the author describes the use of open-source software and open hardware design to build a deconvolution microscope at low cost, using readily available software and hardware. The advantage of this method is its cost-effectiveness and ability to construct a microscope system using commercially available optical components and open-source software. Although this system does not utilize expensive equipment, such as confocal and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopes, decent images can be obtained even without previous experience in electronics and optics.

scholarly journals Three-Dimensional Printed Polylactic Acid (PLA) Surgical Retractors with Sonochemically Immobilized Silver Nanoparticles: The Next Generation of Low-Cost Antimicrobial Surgery Equipment

Nanomaterials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 985 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lazaros Tzounis ◽  
Petros I. Bangeas ◽  
Aristomenis Exadaktylos ◽  
Markos Petousis ◽  
Nectarios Vidakis
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
3D Printing ◽  
Polylactic Acid ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Film Deposition ◽  
Average Particle ◽  
Ag Nps ◽  
Fused Deposition ◽  
Vis Spectroscopy

A versatile method is reported for the manufacturing of antimicrobial (AM) surgery equipment utilising fused deposition modelling (FDM), three-dimensional (3D) printing and sonochemistry thin-film deposition technology. A surgical retractor was replicated from a commercial polylactic acid (PLA) thermoplastic filament, while a thin layer of silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) was developed via a simple and scalable sonochemical deposition method. The PLA retractor covered with Ag NPs (PLA@Ag) exhibited vigorous AM properties examined by a reduction in Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria viability (%) experiments at 30, 60 and 120 min duration of contact (p < 0.05). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed the surface morphology of bare PLA and PLA@Ag retractor, revealing a homogeneous and full surface coverage of Ag NPs. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated the crystallinity of Ag nanocoating. Ultraviolent-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) highlighted the AgNP plasmonic optical responses and average particle size of 31.08 ± 6.68 nm. TEM images of the PLA@Ag crossection demonstrated the thickness of the deposited Ag nanolayer, as well as an observed tendency of AgNPs to penetrate though the outer surface of PLA. The combination of 3D printing and sonochemistry technology could open new avenues in the manufacturing of low-cost and on-demand antimicrobial surgery equipment.

scholarly journals Fabrication of nano/microstructures for SERS substrates using an electrochemical method

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 1568-1576
Author(s):  
Jingran Zhang ◽  
Tianqi Jia ◽  
Xiaoping Li ◽  
Junjie Yang ◽  
Zhengkai Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electrochemical Method ◽  
Treatment Time ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Electrochemical Process ◽  
Sers Substrate ◽  
Raman Intensity ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Sers Substrates ◽  
Au Film

Based on an electrochemical method, three-dimensional arrayed nanopore structures are machined onto a Mg surface. The structured Mg surface is coated with a thin gold (Au) film, which is used as a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate. A rhodamine 6G (R6G) probe molecule is used as the detection agent for the SERS measurement. Different sizes of arrayed micro/nanostructures are fabricated by different treatment time using the electrochemical process. The topographies of these micro/nanostructures and the thickness of the Au film have an influence on the Raman intensity of the Mg substrate. Furthermore, when the thickness of Au film coating is held constant, the Raman intensity on the structured Mg substrates is about five times higher after a treatment time of 1 min when compared with other treatment times. The SERS enhancement factor ranges from 106 to 1.75 × 107 under these experimental conditions. Additionally, a 10−6 mol·L−1 solution of lysozyme was successfully detected using the Mg–Au nanopore substrates. Our low-cost method is reproducible, homogeneous, and suitable for the fabrication of SERS substrates.

scholarly journals Low cost digital fabrication approach for thumb orthoses

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1020-1031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Fernandez-Vicente ◽  
Ana Escario Chust ◽  
Andres Conejero
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Computer Aided Design ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Digital Fabrication ◽  
Cost Comparison ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Custom Made ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel design workflow for the digital fabrication of custom-made orthoses (CMIO). It is intended to provide an easier process for clinical practitioners and orthotic technicians alike. It further functions to reduce the dependency of the operators’ abilities and skills. Design/methodology/approach The technical assessment covers low-cost three-dimensional (3D) scanning, free computer-aided design (CAD) software, and desktop 3D printing and acetone vapour finishing. To analyse its viability, a cost comparison was carried out between the proposed workflow and the traditional CMIO manufacture method. Findings The results show that the proposed workflow is a technically feasible and cost-effective solution to improve upon the traditional process of design and manufacture of custom-made static trapeziometacarpal (TMC) orthoses. Further studies are needed for ensuring a clinically feasible approach and for estimating the efficacy of the method for the recovery process in patients. Social implications The feasibility of the process increases the impact of the study, as the great accessibility to this type of 3D printers makes the digital fabrication method easier to be adopted by operators. Originality/value Although some research has been conducted on digital fabrication of CMIO, few studies have investigated the use of desktop 3D printing in any systematic way. This study provides a first step in the exploration of a new design workflow using low-cost digital fabrication tools combined with non-manual finishing.

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