In this article novel technological solutions for applying additive manufacturing technologies in the biomedical and biotechnological industry are showcased. The BioCloner Desktop (referred to as 'Desktop') is a miniaturised version of an industrial printer developed as part of a project regarding utilising additive manufacturing technologies for manufacturing of bioresorbable implants. In the years 2016-2019, the project was financed from EU resources (project number POIR.01.01.01-00-0044/16-00). During this project, industrial-sized solutions dedicated for medical and pharmaceutical applications were developed. The Desktop was developed as a way of expanding the possibilities of research and development in a standard biomedical laboratory. The size of the described printer allows it to be placed inside a laminar flow cabinet. The Desktop is a device which meets the growing need for multipurpose compact desktop bioprinters dedicated for research and development applications. Currently, commercially available laboratory-scale machines lack an open architecture, which puts boundaries on research. Miniaturisation of the BioCloner bioprinter did not sacrifice its key feature of supporting multitool print and convenience of construction for further specialisation. The BioCloner project, besides bioprinters, also includes dedicated slicing and printer control software. Thanks to its multiplatform compatibility, it is possible to easily increase the scale of production directly after the research process. The Desktop is equipped with printheads that facilitate multiple methods of 3D printing. From the most popular fused filament fabrication (FFF) to the versatile fused granulate fabrication (FGF) to highly specialised printheads for bioprinting, designed to dispense hydrogels via pressure extrusion. The printheads have also additional features required in the bioprinting process, such as UV crosslinking lights and temperature control (heating as well as cooling). In this article, key features of both the BioCloner Desktop bioprinter and the dedicated BioCloner 3D slicing-operating software are outlined. Its second part is a report on the bioprinter's usage in the Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, named after E.J. Brzeziński, located at Faculty of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering of Warsaw University of Technology. During the study, hydrogel cell scaffolds for culturing WEHI-164 mouse fibroblasts were produced. The structures were obtained using a gelatin methacrylate (GelMa)-based commercially available bioink deposited directly into a cell culture vessel. The structures were fully crosslinked immediately after printing. All printed scaffolds supported cell proliferation. There were no observed signs of contamination, and the conducted field tests confirmed the assumed functionality of the BioCloner Desktop bioprinter.
