Review of Low-Cost 3D Bioprinters: State of the Market and Observed Future Trends

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has become mainstream for precise and repeatable high-throughput fabrication of complex cell cultures and tissue constructs in drug testing and regenerative medicine, food products, dental and medical implants, biosensors, and so forth. Due to this tremendous growth in demand, an overwhelming amount of hardware manufacturers have recently flooded the market with different types of low-cost bioprinter models—a price segment that is most affordable to typical-sized laboratories. These machines range in sophistication, type of the underlying printing technology, and possible add-ons/features, which makes the selection process rather daunting (especially for a nonexpert customer). Yet, the review articles available in the literature mostly focus on the technical aspects of the printer technologies under development, as opposed to explaining the differences in what is already on the market. In contrast, this paper provides a snapshot of the fast-evolving low-cost bioprinter niche, as well as reputation profiles (relevant to delivery time, part quality, adherence to specifications, warranty, maintenance, etc.) of the companies selling these machines. Specifically, models spanning three dominant technologies—microextrusion, droplet-based/inkjet, and light-based/crosslinking—are reviewed. Additionally, representative examples of high-end competitors (including up-and-coming microfluidics-based bioprinters) are discussed to highlight their major differences and advantages relative to the low-cost models. Finally, forecasts are made based on the trends observed during this survey, as to the anticipated trickling down of the high-end technologies to the low-cost printers. Overall, this paper provides insight for guiding buyers on a limited budget toward making informed purchasing decisions in this fast-paced market.

Nanometric Hydroxyapatite Particles as Active Ingredient for Bioinks: A Review

“…As mentioned, bioprinting based on extrusion is known to be the most suitable, economical and typical approach because of its versatility and affordability. Therefore, there are several bioprinters commercially available on the market such as Tissue Scribe, BIOBOT TM BASIC, Engine HR, LulzBot Bio, Allevi, BIO V1, BIO X TM and many more [29,33] that rely on extrusion methods.…”

“…Compared to the extrusion technique, this type of bioprinting is based on the production of individual small droplets resulting in high-resolution 3D-printed structures. Furthermore, according to the formation method of the droplets, this type of bioprinting can be separated into bioprinting based on inkjet, electrohydrodynamic jetting and bioprinting aided by laser [33].…”

A Minireview of Microfluidic Scaffold Materials in Tissue Engineering

“…Moreover, the material should also be photo-crosslinkable, if a light-based fabrication approach (e.g., stereolithography 3D printing) would be used to manufacture the microfluidic scaffolds. Although, methods that don’t require crosslinking (e.g., micro-extrusion 3D printing) could be used instead, the light-based ones tend to yield the highest resolution (which is desired for the microfluidic scaffolds capable of precise cell and fluid manipulation in situ ( Tong et al, 2021 )). Lastly, another consideration is the refractive index (RI) of the material, which for optical microscopy should ideally be in between that of water = 1.33 and of glass = 1.52 ( Bashkatov and Genina, 2003 ; Ürek et al, 2021 ).…”

Designing Cost-Effective, Open-Source, Multi-Head Bioprinters via Conversion of Hobby-Grade 3D Printers

“…Although initially bioprinting was restricted to small, flat structures by the lack of suitable bioinks able to combine high print performance with cell viability, its potential nevertheless sparked a rapid growth in popularity over the last decade. [1][2] This increased attention from tissue engineers and materials scientists led to breakthroughs in high performance bioinks that enabled taller structures to be bioprinted that are reminiscent of true 3D printing. These advanced bioinks are created primarily from cell friendly hydrogels that are efficiently imbued with improved flow properties and more robust mechanical properties through a variety of methods.…”