High Speed 3D Tissue Scaffold Printer
Needs Statement
Currently, 160,000 skin grafts and bone grafts are performed annually, along with an additional 500,000 surgeries for bone defects. These grafts are obtained either by harvesting tissue from regions of the patients' bodies or from recently deceased donors. The current method for supplying tissue is inefficient, unsustainable, and poses harm to patients.
Device overview
Femto3D is producing its first Two Photon Polymerization Tissue Scaffold Printer. Consisting of a high resolution 3D printer with PolyEthylene Glycol to manufacture biocompatible, invivo cell transport carriers for small scale research operations.
Software
We utilize Prusa Slicer to turn our 3D model into a series of 2D images in a Z stack.
MatLAB interprets the Z stack and converts each image into a XY coordinates for the laser beam to be directed into our bioresin.
LabVIEW executes the MatLAB code to create our final part layer by layer.
Hardware
Two Photon Polymerization works by taking a beam of light and compressing it into pulses, 100 femtoseconds in duration. This compressing results in the photons of light being in close proximity to each other so that when they go through our optics system, the photons can overlap perfectly when they reach the bioresin - reaching an energy threshold that can cure our bioresin.
Polymer
We are utilizing a PolyEthylene Glycol Diacrylate (PEGDA) blend of different molecular weights to balance between polymer stability while printing and maintain desired material properties of elasticity and toughness.
Market Strategy
To undercut our competitors we sell the kit at a wholesale value plus 20%, with the contract incorporating a service contract that is paid out as an annual service of $5,000 over a 5 year period. Allowing Femto3D to have a steady source of income with a low manufacturing and facility overhead.
Prototype
For our current prototype, the motion system controls are being refined and iterated upon. Additionally, we are optimizing the optics' locations to improve scanning precision of the laser. The last major hurdle is the LabVIEW interface which allows user interaction with the printer.
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