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International Journal of Bioprinting Affordable temperature-controlled bioprinter

Figure 1. Schematic of the bioprinter system. (A) Full system showing the integrated printhead, modified 3D printer, syringe pump, water cooler, and
tubing. Close-up image shows the extruder mount with the bioink and water tubing connected to the printhead. (B) Cooling printhead with a water jacket
to cool the extruded bioink and Luer lock connector allowing interchanges of needles of any size. (C) Schematic of the counterflow of the bioink inside the
bioink chamber and the encapsulating circulating water compartment in the printhead jacket.

The electronics of the printer were also modified as adapter to support the Arduino Mega on the left side panel
follows. The stock electronic components of the printer, of the frame (Figure S3A and B).
including the motherboard and an LCD 2004 screen, were
replaced with an Arduino Mega 2560 board, a RepRap 2.3. Bioprinter setup
Arduino Mega Pololu Shield (RAMPS) 1.4 controller, three The bioprinter setup consisted of the modified Anet A8 3D
Pololu A4988 stepper motor drivers, and a RAMPS 20 × printer, the cooling/heating printhead, a Yamato CF301
4 LCD display board. The extruder motor, cooling fans, water circulator (Yamato Scientific, Japan), a Chemyx
extruder heater, and thermistor were also disconnected Fusion 200 syringe pump (Chemyx Inc., USA) (Figure 1A),
and removed. The original power supply of the printer was a 21G blunt-tip needle, and a 10-mL syringe (containing
retained, as were the X-, Y-, and Z-axis motors. A diagram the desired bioink) connected to plastic tubing (0.25 cm
of the final electrical wiring is provided in Figure S2. In in internal diameter) approximately 13 cm in length. The
addition, two attachments for the new electronics were water circulator system was used with maximum flow at
3D-printed: a case for the LCD display board and an approximately 7.2 L min , and the default control system.
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Volume 9 Issue 6 (2023) 98 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.0244