"Then the proboscis/nozzle was aligned with the outlet of the plastic tip. Finally, the proboscis and the tip were bonded with UV-curable resin. The necroprinter achieved a resolution ranging from 18 to 22 microns, which was two times smaller than the printers using the smallest commercially available metal dispensing tips. The first print tests included honeycomb structures measuring 600 microns, a microscale maple leaf, and scaffolds for cells."
"The first issue with mosquito nozzles was their relatively low resistance to internal pressure. "It was impressive but still too low to accommodate some high viscosity inks," Cao said. These inks, which look more like a paste than a typical fluid, hold shape better, which translates into more geometrically accurate models that do not slump or spread under their own weight. This was a problem that Cao's test prints experienced to an extent."
Mosquito proboscises were integrated into 3D printer tips by removing them from euthanized mosquitoes, aligning them with plastic outlets, and bonding with UV-curable resin. The resulting necroprinter produced 18 to 22 micron resolution, about twice as fine as printers using the smallest metal dispensing tips, and successfully printed honeycomb lattices, a microscale maple leaf, and cell scaffolds. Mosquito nozzles showed limited internal pressure resistance, making them unsuitable for many high-viscosity paste-like inks that preserve geometry. Glass dispensing tips still outperform in pressure tolerance and submicron resolution. Ceramic coating of proboscises could increase strength and expand applications to cell scaffolds and microscopic electronics.
Read at Ars Technica
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