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. 2020 Oct:8:e00130.
doi: 10.1016/j.ohx.2020.e00130. Epub 2020 Jul 30.

Open source high-temperature RepRap for 3-D printing heat-sterilizable PPE and other applications

Noah G Skrzypczak  1 , Nagendra G Tanikella  2 , Joshua M Pearce  2   3   4   5
Affiliations

Open source high-temperature RepRap for 3-D printing heat-sterilizable PPE and other applications

Noah G Skrzypczak et al. HardwareX. 2020 Oct.

Erratum in

Abstract

Thermal sterilization is generally avoided for 3-D printed components because of the relatively low deformation temperatures for common thermoplastics used for material extrusion-based additive manufacturing. 3-D printing materials required for high-temperature heat sterilizable components for COVID-19 and other applications demands 3-D printers with heated beds, hot ends that can reach higher temperatures than polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) hot ends and heated chambers to avoid part warping and delamination. There are several high temperature printers on the market, but their high costs make them inaccessible for full home-based distributed manufacturing required during pandemic lockdowns. To allow for all these requirements to be met for under $1000, the Cerberus - an open source three-headed self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap) was designed and tested with the following capabilities: i) 200 °C-capable heated bed, ii) 500 °C-capable hot end, iii) isolated heated chamber with 1 kW space heater core and iv) mains voltage chamber and bed heating for rapid start. The Cereberus successfully prints polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) and polyetherimide (PEI, ULTEM) with tensile strengths of 77.5 and 80.5 MPa, respectively. As a case study, open source face masks were 3-D printed in PEKK and shown not to warp upon widely home-accessible oven-based sterilization.

Keywords: 3-D printing; Additive manufacturing; COVID-19; High temperature 3-D printing; Medical hardware; Open hardware; Open source; Open source medical hardware; Polycarbonate; RepRap; ULTEM.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Front view of extrusions (all measurements in mm).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Right side view of extrusions (all measurements in mm).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Top view of extrusions (all measurements in mm).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Printer Frame.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
X and Z axis view.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Insulation plate.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Motor and pulley mounts.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
X to Y belt transmission side 1.
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
X to Y belt transmission side 2.
Fig. 10
Fig. 10
Y axis assembly.
Fig. 11
Fig. 11
Heated bed mounting.
Fig. 12
Fig. 12
Completed motion platform assembly.
Fig. 13
Fig. 13
Rotary tool head assembly V1.
Fig. 14
Fig. 14
Rotary Tool with E3D V6 and probe.
Fig. 15
Fig. 15
Z rail installation.
Fig. 16
Fig. 16
Firewall and tool head installed.
Fig. 17
Fig. 17
(A) Z gantry installed and installation test without firewall (B).
Fig. 18
Fig. 18
Z motor installation.
Fig. 19
Fig. 19
Tool head insulation installation.
Fig. 20
Fig. 20
Hinge attachment.
Fig. 21
Fig. 21
(A) Panel installation, (B) inside sealed with aluminum tape in and (C) with test print on bed.
Fig. 22
Fig. 22
Screen assembly.
Fig. 23
Fig. 23
Filament sensor.
Fig. 24
Fig. 24
Filament sensor installed on machine.
Fig. 25
Fig. 25
Extruder Assembly.
Fig. 26
Fig. 26
Extruder mounting plate.
Fig. 27
Fig. 27
Tool head motor designed (A) and built (B).
Fig. 28
Fig. 28
Cooling fans and extra fan.
Fig. 29
Fig. 29
Door latch.
Fig. 30
Fig. 30
Daughterboard stack.
Fig. 31
Fig. 31
Power delivery parts.
Fig. 32
Fig. 32
Electronics compartment.
Fig. 33
Fig. 33
(A) Printer ready for wiring, with front views from (B) right and (C) left.
Fig. 34
Fig. 34
PEKK High Temperature Printed Mask.
Fig. 35
Fig. 35
Sterilization Test Results.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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