EnvisionTEC, often known for its high resolution digital light processing (DLP) 3D printers, is also in the business of manufacturing machines for 3D bioprinting. And the company has just announced that it is releasing an upgrade to its previous 3D-Bioplotter machine in addition to a new Developer Series model.
The EnvisionTEC 3D-Bioplotter has been in existence since 2000, mainly used in the medical field. Scientists from materials, imaging, and toxicology backgrounds have used the machine for pre-clinical trials, while, in a clinical setting, the 3D-Bioplotter is taken advantage of to generate transplant templates from CT or MRI scans. The bioprinter deposits biomatter – such as polymer melts, viscous pastes, and liquids – by applying air pressure to a syringe extruder so that, layer by layer, strands of material form a fine mesh, gradually building up a solid object.
EnvisionTEC has released two new models of their 3D-Bioplotter machines, the 4th Generation Manufacturer Series the Developer Series, each meant for different levels of research and affordability. As Al Siblani, CEO of EnvisionTEC, explains, “The 3D-Bioplotter Developer Series is the ideal choice for the basic needs of educational institutions, while the 3D-Bioplotter® Manufacturer Series offers all options needed by advanced tissue engineering research or production.”
The new Developer Series is an interesting way to grow the emerging bioprinting field. Various companies are in the process of developing bioprinters for their own use or for advanced research and open source 3D printers can be modified to become bioprinters, but EnvisionTEC’s new machine could fill a niche for colleges, universities, and, in an ideal world, high schools that want a somewhat advanced machine to study 3D bioprinting, without the accompanying price tag, if the cost is low enough, that is.
Source: EnvisionTEC
