A 3D Printer in the Lab: Not Only a Toy

Abstract

Although 3D printers are becoming more common in households, they are still under‐represented in many laboratories worldwide and regarded as toys rather than as laboratory equipment. This short review wants to change this conservative point of view. This mini‐review focuses on fused deposition modeling printers and what happens after acquiring your first 3D printer. In short, these printers melt plastic filament and deposit it layer by layer to create the final object. They are getting cheaper and easier to use, and nowadays it is not difficult to find good 3D printers for less than €500. At such a price, a 3D printer is one, if not the most, versatile piece of equipment you can have in a laboratory.

One-Shot Resin 3D-Printed Stators for Low-Cost Fabrication of Magic-Angle Spinning NMR Probeheads

“…Such a printer may be used to produce other crucial components for MAS NMR spectroscopy ( e.g. , drive caps , ), in addition to other laboratory applications. , Additive manufacturing methods are expected to find applications for smaller rotor sizes, as well as novel stator designs tailored for specific applications.…”

3D printing of cellulose/leaf-like zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (CelloZIF-L) for adsorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) and heavy metal ions

“…Three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies have become cheaper, and one can find suitable 3D printers for less than €500. [1][2][3][4] They have advanced several applications, including biomedical applications, 5 regenerative medicine, 6,7 tissue engineering, [8][9][10] wound healing, 11 photocatalysis, 12 and water treatment. 13 3D printing can be achieved via several methods including fused deposition modeling (FDM) printing 1 and direct ink writing (DIW or robocasting).…”

“…[1][2][3][4] They have advanced several applications, including biomedical applications, 5 regenerative medicine, 6,7 tissue engineering, [8][9][10] wound healing, 11 photocatalysis, 12 and water treatment. 13 3D printing can be achieved via several methods including fused deposition modeling (FDM) printing 1 and direct ink writing (DIW or robocasting). 14 Among several 3D printing methods, DIW is easy, simple, and can proceed at ambient temperature, offering a high potential for printing thermally unstable materials.…”

Mass transfer enhancement in electrochemical flow cells through 3D-printed biomimetic channels

“…18,19 Conventional fabrication techniques, such as injectionmolding of graphite or carbon materials, computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining of graphite plates or stamping metals, can be time-consuming and ill-suited for manufacturing more complex flow field designs. 20 3D printing has been developed as a promising manufacturing technology in chemical research, 21 and particularly, in electrochemistry. 22,23 A wide range of cell components can be 3D printed: flow channels and turbulence promoters, 24,25 textured planar electrodes, 20,26,27 mesh-like electrodes, 28,29 and other porous electrodes.…”

“…3D printing has been developed as a promising manufacturing technology in chemical research, 21 and particularly, in electrochemistry. 22,23 A wide range of cell components can be 3D printed: flow channels and turbulence promoters, 24,25 textured planar electrodes, 20,26,27 mesh-like electrodes, 28,29 and other porous electrodes.…”