Team Members
Justin Aronstein, Nicolas Sousa, Jessica Valencia, Jeremy Petusevsky, Javian Morgan, Matthew Everhart
Abstract
The Dream printer represents a juxtaposition between engineering and art by using bioinspired design principles. The underlying ideology behind our design is biomimesis. Our design prioritizes high functionality by achieving the highest profit per working hour and the lowest cost per handling time. Innovation and authenticity are the main design drivers. We intended for the actuation and locomotion of our bioprinter to be fluidic and vibration-free. This was accomplished via two thermal actuators situated within a two-axis dovetail. Our design team created a proprietary thermal wax actuator, which converts thermal energy into mechanical energy by exploiting the phase change behavior of paraffin wax. Thermal energy actuation increases the accuracy in the printer’s locationing abilities by minimizing vibrations throughout the system. Our bioprinter is the first of its kind on the market to use thermal actuation. A proprietary pneumatic bellow was designed to facilitate z-directional movement by virtue of an affixed dovetail, which restricts movement to the z-axis. The bellow converts air pressure into mechanical energy, allowing for precision stroke lengths to be achieved. Cell deposition and extraction is hydraulically controlled, which allows for precision flow rates to be achieved by the user. All aluminum parts are to be fabricated using DMLS (direct metal laser sintering). This additive manufacturing technique breathes life into the intricate CAD models while maintaining a low cost and straightforward fabrication. The rest of the bioprinter will be composed of 3D printed polycarbonate to maintain a high strength to weight ratio.