PrintrLab incubator: A portable and low-cost CO2 incubator based on an open-source 3D printer architecture

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Laboratory Equipment
• Open-Source Hardware

Background:

• The increasing availability of open-source hardware and affordable 3D printers has spurred the development of custom laboratory equipment.
• In-house development offers a cost-effective alternative to commercial solutions for specific research needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and build a low-cost, open-source carbon dioxide (CO2) incubator.
• To demonstrate its capability in maintaining stable environmental conditions for biological experiments.
• To validate its performance against commercial CO2 incubators.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a Raspberry Pi computer and a 3D printer controller board for system control.
• Integrated a CO2 sensor, solenoid valve, heater, and thermistors for environmental regulation.
• Employed dry ice sublimation for a sustained 5% CO2 supply.
• Developed custom software for remote control and Grafana for remote monitoring.

Main Results:

• Successfully maintained consistent CO2 and temperature levels for over three days without manual intervention.
• Demonstrated comparable performance to expensive commercial CO2 incubators using culture plates and real-time PCR.
• Validated the incubator's suitability for antibiotic susceptibility assays.
• Confirmed the system's adaptability to various incubator chamber volumes.

Conclusions:

• The developed low-cost, open-source CO2 incubator is a viable and effective alternative to commercial systems.
• This custom-built equipment facilitates accessible in-house development of essential lab tools.
• The system's modularity and remote capabilities enhance its utility in diverse research settings.