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Choudhury D, et al.

table 2. Continued.

Nozzle Resolution (μm) Number of temperature
company Model technology and Diameter Build volume printing heads control
#
Materials
(μm) (mm) X/Y Z available
TM
regenHU 3DDiscovery Extrusion, Inkjet * 130 × 90 × 60 5 5 Up to 9 Nozzle: 0–80 °C
Bench-Top Hydrogel, technologies Bed: 0–80 °C
thermopolymer
Biofactory TM Extrusion, Inkjet * 60 × 60 × 60 5 5 Up to 8 Nozzle: 5–80 °C
Hydrogel, Bed: 5–80 °C
thermopolymer
Regenovo Bio-Architect Extrusion * 160 × 160 × 150 10 10 NA Nozzle: RT–300 °C
Lite Bed: NA
±20 (Accuracy)
Bio-Architect Pro Extrusion * 160 × 160 × 150 1 1 NA Nozzle: -5–260 °C
Bed: -5 °C–RT
±10 (Accuracy)

Bio-Architect WS Extrusion * 170 × 170 × 150 1 1 NA Nozzle: -10 – 260 °C
Bed: -5 °C–RT
±10 (Accuracy)
ROKIT INVIVO Hydrogel: Hydrogel: 50 Nozzle: -10 – 80 °C
Bio-dispenser, FDM 50 100 × 100 × 90 FDM: 200 2 Bed: -4 – 80 °C
FDM: 200
Se3D r3bEL MINI Extrusion 100 130 × 120 10 * 1 NA
(Area)
r3bEL X Extrusion (Hydrogel and Extrusion: 200 × 200 10 100 2 Only for FDM
thermopolymer) 100 (Area) Interchangeable 25 – 260 °C
FDM: 300 tools
Seraph Scientist™ Piston-driven or * * * Up to 4 Nozzle: -3.6 – 80 °C
Robotics pneumatic extrusion, Bed: -3.6 – 150 °C
Traditional FDM
SunP Biotech ALPHA-BP11 Extrusion 100 * * 2 – 4 Nozzle: RT – 80 °C
Bed: -30 °C – RT
ALPHA-CPT1 Electro-mechanical 100 * * 2 – 4 Nozzle: RT – 37 °C
Bed: NA
ALPHA-CPD1 Extrusion 50 170 × 285 × 70 5 5 1 – 3 Nozzle: RT – 37 °C
Bed: NA
ALPHA-CPM1 Extrusion 100 120 × 160 × 50 5 5 1 – 2 NA

bioprinters are microextrusion-based, and the majority been the development of special print heads/printing
are pneumatically controlled. The number of extrusion- technologies in bioprinting. RX1™ Bioprinter (Aspect
based print heads could vary from 1 to about 10 across Biosystems) offers microfluidic print head which
various bioprinters. ensures higher resolution as well as flexible co-axial
The second most popular print head in bioprinters flow focusing technology. Regenova Bioprinter (Cyfuse
is FDM-based where they can extrude biocompatible Biomedical) uses the proprietary Kenzan method to
thermoplastics mainly for fabricating scaffolds of good generate cellular spheroids. T-Series 3D Bio Printers
mechanical strength. Only a handful of companies (Revotek) prints scaffold-free vascular constructs.
offer ink-jet printing (Figure 9) of cells owing to the A majority of the bioprinters follow the usual 3D
technical challenge of getting uniform droplets as well printers cartesian-based coordinate system which
as the practical challenge of getting higher cell densities helps the system to decide where and how to move.
with them. Although laser-assisted printing ensures They usually have a square print bed which runs along
the best printing resolution as well as the viability of the Y-axis, while the X-axis carries the print head.
printed cells, it is the least common print head in the The Z-axis is for upward or downward motion of
market owing to the cost associated with the laser itself the print bed. Ideally if each of the axes is controlled
with only one company focussing on laser-assisted independently then the assembly is very intuitive, easy
bioprinters. Apart from the regular print heads, there has to operate and would ensure reliable operation. However

International Journal of Bioprinting (2018)–Volume 4, Issue 2 13