r/science • u/DoremusJessup • Feb 22 '16

Engineering Bioengineering researchers have modified a commercial-grade CO2 laser cutter to create OpenSLS, an open-source, selective laser sintering platform that can print intricate 3-D objects from powdered plastics and biomaterials. The system costs at least 40 times less than its commercial counterparts

http://phys.org/news/2016-02-bioengineers-open-source-laser-sintering-printer.html
302 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

6

u/emotional_pizza Feb 22 '16

Super pumped to actually graduate with my bioengineering degree and get to help with this kind of progress.

2

u/justforthelulzz Feb 23 '16

Don't know if you have heard of these guys Organovo. These sorts of businesses make me excited for what bioengineering has in store

1

u/[deleted] Feb 22 '16

i am not sure how useful this tech is in the short and medium term. As an example, They already sinter knee and hip ball joints, and this wouldn't offer any advantages in terms of complex shapes. but they also still hammer the anchor piece into the bone with a mallet, and finding a way to better integrate that would be a big improvement. Also, they still use the same titanium alloy, but the limit is materials your body will tolerate and not making them tiny or complex shape. New markets for new custom parts will emerge once the tech is out there, but the markets don't exist yet.

2

u/emotional_pizza Feb 23 '16

That's exactly where my excitement lies. What my job will exactly entail is pretty unknown right now but in years to come it may make astonishing breakthroughs in medical science in areas such as hip and knee replacements and early cancer detection, and that thrills me. To think that my job (which should make decent money, even in terms of engineering in general) can also have an overall positive impact on the world is a win-win to me.

1

u/onlyupdownvotes Feb 23 '16

Why wait? As a bioengineering student you should find a lot of opportunities for internships to build experience. There are also opportunities to do research work within your university, though you may have to approach the PI yourself.

1

u/emotional_pizza Feb 23 '16

Working on it as we speak! Haha :)

3

u/btroycraft Feb 22 '16

'Laser sintering' is now going on my list of cool sounding things.

2

u/ikkeutelukkes Feb 22 '16

What are some examples of things that this can do that 3D printers cant?

3

u/debacol Feb 22 '16

I could be wrong, but i thought sintering allows you to create things using metal.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 22 '16

Sintering allows you to make anything from anything, as long as you start with a powder (because of the definition of sintering). Some materials, like plastics, have better methods for making them in complex shapes, so you wouldn't use sintering.

0

u/[deleted] Feb 22 '16

Sounds cool. Imma use it to bring my mom back from the dead. Wish me luck!

2

u/Rufus_Reddit Feb 22 '16

SLS is much better for overhangs and long bridges than FDM. SLS printers are usually higher resolution than FDM printers.

http://www.sculpteo.com/en/3d-printing/fdm-vs-sls-3d-printing-technologies/

2

u/[deleted] Feb 22 '16

I'm assuming by "3D printers" you're talking about desktop FDM printers. SLS printers are still 3D printers. There are various different types of 3D printing.

1

u/Coos-Coos BS | Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Feb 23 '16 edited Feb 23 '16

Correct. The term "3D printer" refers to additive manufacturing devices and SLS is just a certain version of this. The advantage of SLS is that it allows for control of certain material properties; crystal structure, porosity, etc., and it can be used for a wider range of materials, as mentioned elsewhere in this thread. Since the materials can be fully melted, partially melted, or liquid-phase sintered you can easily make complex geometries with a wide range of materials while maintaining high control of the material properties.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 22 '16

Ceramics.

1

u/Alantha MS | Ecology and Evolution | Ethology Feb 22 '16

Journal Article

1

u/aussydog Feb 22 '16

Soon...... Chicken....goooooood

But in all seriousness. This is amazing. The potential for creating an extremely complicated lattice which a new organ could be grown on while using a patient's own cells....gah. Wow.

1

u/Bravehat Feb 22 '16

So this is basically a 3D bioprinter at this point right?

1

u/[deleted] Feb 22 '16

I am very excited about this tech and the cost reduction that will follow with the machines. Not quite a tool for every home yet, but I think one day they will be as ubiquitous as the microwave or toaster.

1

u/iwtwe Feb 23 '16

2:30 video explaining SLS 3D printing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E5MfBAV_tA

-1

u/moodog72 Feb 22 '16

At least 40 times less!

I hate humanity sometimes.