3D printed lab equipment
3D printing as a tool for practical research experiments
3D printers offer researchers the ability to rapidly produce components that may have previously taken weeks to have machined. This offers potentially lost cost, customizable and quickly available solutions for niche and unique problems faced by researchers in experimental laboratories. The wide availability of 3D printers through online hubs, community makers spaces, and University workshops means this tool is within reach for many. Much of the knowhow, to CAD and 'slice' designs, is readily shared and available online, allowing researchers access to the skills and knowledge needed to use 3D printing as a tool in their lab.
After being introduced to the benefits of 3D printing from my post-doc with Richard Bowman, I think 3D printing can be a integral part of a researchers 'tool belt' when building experiments. Computer aided design, 3D printing, and working collaboratively on projects in GitHub/GitLab introduced a steep learning curve for my postdoc, a large step away from my fibre fabrication based PhD, that introduced me to invaluable and unique tools for how I approach research in the future. Namely, carefully designed 3D printed parts can be of use in real experiments that offer low-cost, readily shareable and repeatable, automated equipment for everybody.
High precision optomechanics
Plastic components from 3D printing processes usually having high surface roughness, inherent to the printing process, and are often not suitable for high-precision optomechanics. However, prints carefully designed to play to the strengths of 3D printing—such as the ability to print complex internal geometries—make for equipment that gives useful precision typically needed for laboratory experiments. The printing process allows for monolithic mechanisms that do not rely on tight integration of high-precision parts.
Based on the design of the OpenFlexure microscope, the OpenFlexure Block Stage was produced and demonstrated as a useful tool for optical fibre alignment. You can read the published paper about the design and functionality in our Optics Express paper, 'The OpenFlexure Block Stage: sub-100 nm fibre alignment with a monolithic plastic flexure stage'.
Picture source from Optics Express paper 'The OpenFlexure Block Stage: sub-100 nm fibre alignment with a monolithic plastic flexure stage'. The Openflexure block stage is used to track the position of the stage during mechanical characterisation experiments.
Potential applications for future work...?
Most experimental research requires innovative thinking, careful craftsmanship and constant building up and deconstructing on bench equipment in order to achieve novel results. 3D printing has the potential to be a new transformative tool for researchers and their experiments, and I hope to continue to use this asset in future ongoing experiments, to introduce other researchers to the skills needed to benefit from this assest also, as well as being inspired by the creative designs shared in the community such as in 'Lab on the cheap'. I aim to share designs that have the potential to be useful to other researchers online as part of the 'OOH (Open Optics Hardware)' side project.
Affordable automation
Fast prototyping of ideas
Tool for sharing complex ideas in public engagement
Easily achievable complex internal geometries