3D printed carbon microlattice architecture at 150x magnification (Image source: BMF Precision Inc.)
dr As a postdoc at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Karlsruhe, Monsur Islam wanted to 3D print carbon structures to create customizable scaffolds for tissue engineering. This requires glassy carbon material, which is created by 3D printing a precursor and then carbonizing it. For this, Dr. Islam required a high-resolution 3D printer with the required length scale and the appropriate precursor materials for carbonization.
The right 3D printer
After various attempts, he came across the microArch® S130 from BMF. The system, with a resolution of 2μm, was able to print the frameworks with more complex internal structures and tight tolerances at very high resolution. Using BMF’s HTL resin in the microArch S130, the 3D printed precursors then carbonized seamlessly. In addition, the 3D printer from BMF had sufficiently high resolution in a length scale suitable for 3D cell colonization.
With the microArch S130, Dr. Islam print a 1.3 x 1.3 x 1.3mm cube with 100 x 100μm tunnels spaced 100μm apart in 5μm layers. The image shown above shows a carbonized sample with a grid thickness of 100 μm and a spacing between adjacent grids of 100 μm. After carbonization, the scaffolds are tested for cell cultivation and tissue development. Now, the structural designs used for these scaffolds are further expanded.
“Carbon is an interesting material with unique properties. Manufacturing complex 3D structures from carbon is challenging. Additive manufacturing enables the production of complex 3D structures from a variety of polymer materials. Carbonization of 3D printed polymer material can result in 3D structures made of carbon. We want to use the micro-precise 3D printing systems from BMF to produce further carbon architectures, which we are examining for structural and material properties.” – Dr. Monsur Islam, KIT
Image Credit: BMF Precision Inc.
Über BMF – Boston Micro Fabrication
Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF) specializes in micro-precision 3D printing. The company’s microArch system is based on a 3D printing technology called PμSL (Projection Micro Stereolithography). This technology enables rapid photopolymerization of a layer of liquid polymer using a UV light flash with microscale resolution. Customizable optics, a high-quality motion platform and controlled processing technology result in accurate, high-resolution 3D prints for product development, research and small-scale industrial production. This industry breakthrough gives manufacturers the benefits of 3D printing without sacrificing quality or scalability.
Founded in 2016, BMF has offices in Singapore, Boston, Shenzhen and Tokyo. For more information about BMF, please visit www.bmf3d.de
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