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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 27, 2026

Design of an Open-Source, Low-Cost Bioink and Food Melt Extrusion 3D Printer
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Design of an Open-Source, Low-Cost Bioink and Food Melt Extrusion 3D Printer

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Open-Source Wax RepRap 3-D Printer for Rapid Prototyping Paper-Based Microfluidics.

J M Pearce1, N C Anzalone2, C L Heldt3

  • 1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA pearce@mtu.edu.

Journal of Laboratory Automation
|January 15, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study presents an open-source 3-D printable upgrade for RepRap printers, transforming them into wax printers for low-cost paper-based microfluidics. This innovation drastically reduces prototyping costs, accelerating research in electrochemical detection and lab-on-a-chip applications.

Keywords:
3-D printingelectrochemical detectionlab-on-a-chippaper-based microfluidicswax

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Area of Science:

  • Digital Fabrication
  • Microfluidics
  • Open-Source Hardware

Background:

  • Self-replicating rapid prototypers (RepRaps) enable low-cost digital fabrication of complex 3-D objects.
  • 3-D printable reactionware can integrate with lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices to reduce costs and expand microfluidic applications.
  • Prototyping costs for paper-based microfluidics need reduction to improve performance and accessibility.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a RepRap upgrade for wax 3-D printing.
  • To enable low-cost prototyping of paper-based microfluidic devices.
  • To accelerate advancements in electrochemical detection integrated with paper-based microfluidics.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a 3-D printable upgrade for the Prusa Mendel RepRap 3-D printer.
  • Integrated a heated syringe pump with RepRap/Arduino 3-D control.
  • Provided open-source hardware designs, bill of materials, assembly, and software tools.

Main Results:

  • Successfully converted a RepRap into a wax 3-D printer for paper-based microfluidics.
  • Demonstrated an open-source hardware approach for the upgrade.
  • The developed toolchain significantly reduces the marginal cost of prototyping.

Conclusions:

  • The open-source wax 3-D printer upgrade dramatically lowers the cost of paper-based microfluidic prototyping.
  • This innovation accelerates the development cycle for new microfluidic designs and applications.
  • Facilitates the integration of electrochemical detection with paper-based microfluidics, driving field potential.