Carnegie Mellon University
Unexpected bending challenges in 3D-Printed brain-computer interface devices
At Carnegie Mellon University, Professor Rahul Panat and his team led the research on the 3D printed Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) devices. Using custom micropillars to capture communication signals from neurons is an innovative approach. The bending of micropillars during the sintering process it is a common post-processing step to fuse particles to achieve a solid and functional component.
The research team explores a few potential solutions; Material selection for stiffness, thermal expansion coefficient, and sintering behavior plays a crucial role in determining the structural integrity of the printed components; Process optimization for temperature, duration, or atmosphere could mitigate the bending issue; Support structures during the printing process could provide additional stability to the micropillars and prevent them from bending. These supports can be designed to be easily removable or sacrificial, allowing for their removal after printing; Design modification for reducing the micropillars’ aspect ratio (height-to-width ratio) or incorporating reinforcing features could enhance their mechanical stability.
Post-processing techniques for heat treatment or surface modification may offer a solution to strengthen the micropillars and prevent bending.
By Lynn Shea, Carnegie Mellon University Mechanical Engineering.
3D printed bio-ink for bioprinting.
The researchers for Carnegie Mellon University developed photo-cross-linkable and temperature-sensitive bio-ink for 3D bioprinting.
According to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh,¨A new approach to 3D bioprinting has overcome the shortcomings associated with earlier versions of the technology, bringing the creation of human tissue and organs one step closer to reality. Freeform Reversible Embedding of Suspended Hydrogels (FRESH) is an embedded printing approach that solves this problem by extruding bioinks within a yield-stress support bath that holds the bioinks in place until cured.¨
In accordance with co-author Daniel J. Shiwarski, “fabrication technique for [human] tissue engineering and regenerative medicine,” its use has been limited “by the challenge of printing soft … materials in the air.¨
Study: New approach to 3D printing of human tissue closer to reality
Emergence of FRESH 3D printing as a platform for advanced tissue biofabrication.