3D bio-printing integrated clean system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a 3D printing integrated clean system that can maintain the cleanliness, temperature, and humidity of a 3D printer device, and at the same time, maintain the cleanliness, temperature, and humidity of pre-printing and post-printing zones or devices. The 3D printing integrated clean system comprises: a housing in which are defined a printer zone having a 3D printer or a 3D bio-printer installed therein and at least one operation zone, positioned on at least one side of the printer zone, for performing operations other than printing; a base movement stage which is installed in the housing and can move between the 3D printer zone and the at least one operation zone; an air supply unit which is installed at an upper end portion of the housing, and which provides clean air to the 3D printer zone and the at least one operation zone and controls the flow of the air; and a temperature and humidity control device, which is installed in a zone other than the lower surface of the housing, for controlling the temperature and humidity of the 3D printer zone and the at least one operation zone.

Description

3D Bioprinting Integrated Clean System

[0001] This is about a 3D printing integrated clean system that enables 3D printing and pre- and post-printing operations in a clean environment without using expensive clean room facilities, and that allows temperature and humidity control.

[0002] 3D printing or 3D bioprinting is a device that prints the final object in three dimensions by printing the desired material layer by layer.

[0003] 3D printing is a general term for the technology of manufacturing three-dimensional structures by layering printing materials in a predetermined pattern. 3D bioprinting is a technology for three-dimensionally printing biological structures using biocompatible bioinks and polymer materials as printing materials. Hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as 3D printing, and the device is referred to as a 3D printer.

[0004] In the case of 3D printing, a clean environment can generally be provided by placing a 3D printer in a clean room, but this is expensive and requires special certification equipment.

[0005] Meanwhile, 3D printing requires various processes before and after printing, but these pre-printing and post-printing steps are often carried out in the open air without a clean room, leaving the product vulnerable to contamination.

[0006] The pre-printing step includes various preprocessing steps performed by the operator, such as preparing, mixing, and syringe-injecting the materials required for printing.

[0007] The post-printing step involves various processes for subsequent processing of structures manufactured through 3D printing. These include physical cross-linking, chemical cross-linking, washing to remove sacrificial layers, and culturing for cell growth.

[0008] Even if a 3D printer is equipped with a cleanroom at a high cost, problems with 3D printing results can arise if the pre-printing or post-printing areas or equipment are not maintained cleanly, necessitating the installation of additional clean benches within the cleanroom. This becomes even more critical for 3D bioprinting, which utilizes bioinks that are vulnerable to contamination by contaminants, particles, and biological organisms.

[0009] Furthermore, bioinks contain a high amount of moisture and the small size of the printed lines makes them susceptible to evaporation, making temperature and humidity control crucial. When bioinks contain living components such as cells, inadequate temperature and humidity can disrupt the activity of these living components.

[0010] Accordingly, the inventors of the present invention confirmed the urgent need for development of a system capable of maintaining the cleanliness, temperature, and humidity of a 3D printer device while also maintaining the cleanliness, temperature, and humidity of the pre-printing and post-printing areas or devices. After experiencing numerous trials and errors over several years, they developed a 3D printing integrated clean system and completed the present invention.

[0011] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a means for solving the above problems. That is, one embodiment provides an integrated system capable of maintaining the cleanliness, temperature, and humidity of a 3D printer device, while also maintaining the cleanliness, temperature, and humidity of the pre-printing and post-printing areas or devices.

[0012] According to one embodiment, a 3D printing integrated clean system comprises a housing having a 3D printer zone having a 3D printer or 3D bioprinter installed therein and at least one work zone located on at least one side of the 3D printer zone and performing work other than printing; a base moving stage installed in the housing and capable of moving between the 3D printer zone and the at least one work zone, an air supply unit installed at an upper portion of the housing to provide clean air to the 3D printer zone and the at least one work zone and to control the air flow; and a temperature and humidity control device installed in an area excluding a lower surface of the housing to control the temperature and humidity of the 3D printer zone and the at least one work zone, thereby maintaining the air cleanliness of the 3D printer zone and the at least one work zone in an integrated manner.

[0013] The 3D printing integrated clean system according to the embodiments can provide a clean working environment by controlling the air cleanliness, temperature and humidity of a pre-printing area or device, a post-printing area or device, where cleanliness was not previously controlled, together with a 3D printer.

[0014] Additionally, because pre- and post-printing processes can be performed within a single system, space utilization is high and productivity is improved during mass production.

[0015] Additionally, the printer area, pre-printing, and post-printing areas can be increased or decreased to suit the user's needs, ensuring system flexibility.

[0016] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and should be understood to include all effects that can be inferred from the description of the invention or the composition described in the claims of this specification.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a 3D printing integrated cleaning system according to an embodiment.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of a 3D printing integrated cleaning system according to an embodiment.

[0019] Figure 3 is a front view of a 3D printing integrated cleaning system according to an embodiment.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a 3D printing integrated clean system according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the flow of clean air.

[0021] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram comparing a conventional printer head and a printer head installed in a 3D printing integrated clean system according to an embodiment.

[0022] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the open state of the door and the flow of air in a 3D printing integrated clean system.

[0023] Specific structural or functional descriptions of embodiments according to the concept of the present invention disclosed in this specification are merely illustrative for the purpose of explaining embodiments according to the concept of the present invention, and embodiments according to the concept of the present invention may be implemented in various forms and are not limited to the embodiments described in this specification.

[0024] Embodiments according to the concept of the present invention may have various modifications and take various forms, and thus, embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in this specification. However, this is not intended to limit embodiments according to the concept of the present invention to a specific disclosed form, but rather includes modifications, equivalents, or alternatives that fall within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

[0025] While terms such as "first" or "second" may be used to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are intended solely to distinguish one component from another. For example, a first component may be referred to as a "second component," and similarly, a second component may also be referred to as a "first component," without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0026] Throughout this specification, when a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but that there may be other components intervening. Conversely, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components intervening. Surfaces describing relationships between components, such as "between," "directly between," or "directly adjacent to," should be interpreted similarly.

[0027] Throughout this specification, whenever a part is referred to as "including" a component, this does not exclude other components, but rather implies the inclusion of other components, unless otherwise specifically stated. Furthermore, throughout this specification, singular forms also include plural forms, unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0028] When a range of numerical values ​​is stated herein, unless the specific range is otherwise specified, the values ​​have the precision of the significant figures provided according to the standard rules in chemistry for significant figures. For example, the number 10 includes the range of 5.0 to 14.9, and the number 10.0 includes the range of 9.50 to 10.49.

[0029] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, it should be understood that the terms "comprises" or "has" are intended to specify the presence of implemented features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0030] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and shall not be construed in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined herein. The following describes embodiments in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] A 3D printing integrated clean system according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the aforementioned purpose is an integrated clean system in which the cleanliness, temperature, and humidity of a 3D printer area and a work area are integratedly controlled.

[0032] Figures 1 to 4 illustrate a perspective view, a top view, a front view, and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of a 3D printing integrated cleaning system according to one embodiment.

[0033] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the 3D printing integrated cleaning system (1000) includes at least one 3D printer zone (200) and at least one work zone (300) located on at least one side of the 3D printer zone (200) and performing tasks other than printing. In FIG. 1, the work zones are installed on the left and right sides of the 3D printing zone (200), and one side may be a pre-printing zone (300A) and the other side may be a post-printing zone (300B). However, this is exemplary, and the work zone may be installed on only one side of the 3D printing zone (200). In addition, the number of zones installed on one side may be two or more.

[0034] Among the work areas (300), the pre-printing area (300A) is a zone for performing various preprocessing by workers, such as preparing, mixing, and syringe-injecting materials required for printing. Optionally, an automatic pipette device, a stirring device, suction, centrifuge, etc. may be included.

[0035] The post-printing zone (300B) is designed for subsequent processing of structures manufactured via 3D printing. Therefore, various experimental equipment may be installed here, depending on the user's needs. For example, a cross-linking device for performing physical or chemical cross-linking processes, a washing device for removing the sacrificial layer, and a culture device for cell growth may be installed.

[0036] The 3D printer zone (200) is a zone where a 3D printer or 3D bioprinter is installed and printing is performed. A 3D printer head (210) that moves horizontally and vertically by a head movement unit (220) is installed in the 3D printer zone (200). The head movement unit (220) is guided by a head stage (230) to enable movement along the X, Y, and Z axes. The 3D printer head (210) may be a single head in which only one head is installed or a multi-3D printer head in which multiple heads are installed so as to be replaceable. The multiple heads may be heads suitable for each printing purpose, and may include high-temperature heads and low-temperature heads having different temperature ranges. This multi-head structure can be effectively applied to 3D printers and 3D printing systems.

[0037] The printing base (240) is where supports for supporting 3D printing results, such as multiwell plates, petri dishes, and glass slides, are placed. The printing base (240) is guided by the base movement stage (250). The base movement stage (250) is a stage (U axis stage) having a separate axis from the head stage (230). The base movement stage (250) is installed to extend to the 3D printer zone (200) and the left and right work zones (300A, 300B) so that the printing base (240) can move between the zones. In the drawing, the base movement stage (250) is depicted as having a structure capable of linear movement between the zones (200, 300A, 300B), but may be formed as a circular rail structure so that the zones (200, 300A, 300B) can move in a circular structure. Accordingly, the base movement stage (250) can move linearly or circularly between zones (200, 300A, 300B). In the drawing, only one printing base (240) is shown installed, but multiple ones can be installed to move between zones to enable continuous printing, thereby improving work efficiency. When the base movement stage (250) has a circular structure, the number of printing bases (240) can be installed up to the number of zones.

[0038] The 3D printing zone (200) and the work zone (300A, 300B) are installed separately inside the housing (100), and each can be separated by a partition wall (400). It is preferable to include a partition wall (400) for temperature and humidity control described below.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 3, which is a front view, and FIG. 4, which is a cross-sectional view, a clean air supply unit (110) is installed at the top of the housing (100) to supply clean air to the 3D printing area (200) and the work area (300A, 300B). The clean air supply unit (110) includes a fan filter unit (115) and a filter (125). The fan filter unit (115) is for supplying air that has been filtered of small dust and fine particles. The filter (125) is for filtering fine dust with an efficiency of 95 to 99.999995% by filtering the air that has passed through the fan filter unit once more. When the fan filter unit (115) and filter (125) are used in combination, there is an advantage in that the air volume is controlled and the pressure applied to the filter is evenly distributed, thereby maintaining a constant air flow during operation or in the atmosphere, compared to when the fan filter unit or filter is installed alone.

[0040] The filter (125) may be an Ultra Low Penetration Air filter (ULPA filter), a High Efficiency Particulate Air filter (HEPA filter), or a pre-filter. Preferably, it may be a HEPA filter of class EU10 with an efficiency of 95-99.9%, and more preferably, it may be a HEPA filter of class U17 with an efficiency of 99.999995%.

[0041] Inside the housing (100), sensors (not shown) for measuring the internal environment can be installed, and outside the housing (100), various control units (500) that can control the same can be installed.

[0042] Sensors for measuring the internal environment may include air quality, temperature, humidity, wind speed, current, voltage, and differential pressure. Additionally, malfunction alarms and emergency maintenance buttons may be installed to alert users to malfunctions in internal equipment.

[0043] Sensing information obtained from these sensors is transmitted to a number of control units (500) and displays (510) installed outside the housing to enable optimal control of the internal environment of each zone.

[0044] Meanwhile, a temperature and humidity control device (150) may be placed on the side, back, etc., excluding the bottom of the housing (100). The reason for excluding the bottom is that, since the airflow supplied from the top circulates upward through the lower passage, if installed at the bottom, the cooling efficiency may decrease and the circulating air passage may be obstructed. The temperature and humidity control device (150) may be a temperature control means for cooling or heating the air and a humidity control means for dehumidifying or humidifying the inside. The temperature and humidity control device (150) has an inlet (152) through which air is drawn in, an outlet (154) for discharging the air to the clean air supply unit (110), and a passage (156) that connects the inlet (152) and the outlet (154) and through which the air with the temperature and humidity controlled moves. The temperature and humidity control device (150) may be configured as a compression control device such as an air conditioner or a Peltier cooling device, etc.

[0045] The temperature and humidity control device (150) generates and maintains air with a constant temperature and humidity within the passage (156) and supplies it to the clean air supply unit (110) through the outlet (154). The air supplied in this way is filtered through the clean air supply unit (110) and then supplied to the 3D printing area (200) and the work area (300A, 300B). The supplied air is discharged through the ventilation hole (140) formed at the bottom of the housing. As a result, a one-way air flow (see arrows in FIG. 4) from top to bottom is generated in both the 3D printing area (200) and the work area (300A, 300B) of the 3D printing integrated clean system (1000), and there is no stagnant airflow area. When a stagnant area of ​​airflow is created, contaminants such as fine particles gather in the stagnant area, which causes physical or biological contamination of the printing results. This problem can be solved.

[0046] In such an air flow structure, a temperature and humidity control device (150) controls the temperature and humidity of air flowing into the inlet (152) connected to the ventilation hole (140) to form a one-way air flow from bottom to top (see arrows in FIG. 4), and then continuously circulates the air in the 3D printing area (200) and the work area (300A, 300B) of the 3D printing integrated clean system (1000), thereby maintaining the temperature and humidity of the 3D printing area (200) and the work area (300A, 300B) constant. Meanwhile, optionally, some of the air flowing in one direction from bottom to top may be discharged to the outside through an exhaust unit (not shown) installed in the housing (100).

[0047] The 3D printing zone (200), the pre-printing zone (300A), and the post-printing zone (300B) may each require different temperature and humidity conditions. Therefore, it may be advantageous to separately install a temperature and humidity control device (150) for each zone (200, 300A, 300B) to control the individual temperature and humidity of each zone.

[0048] On the other hand, the clean air supply unit (110) may be configured as one throughout the entire system (1000) or may be installed separately for each individual zone. When installed separately for each individual zone, there is an advantage in that the internal environment (e.g., air volume, etc.) can be individually controlled according to the process to be performed in the 3D printing zone (200) and the work zone (300A, 300B). Therefore, the configuration method is determined depending on the specifications of the fan filter unit or filter and whether differentiation in the air cleanliness of each zone is necessary.

[0049] Since the temperature and humidity of the 3D printing area (200) are controlled by the temperature and humidity control device (150), the cooling device applied to the printer head (210), especially the low-temperature head, can be eliminated, thereby reducing the volume of the printer head (210).

[0050] Specifically, referring to FIG. 5, a conventional printer head (1210) uses a Peltier element (1225) to control temperature, and includes a cooling device (1220) that circulates cooling water by attaching a water jacket (1235) to the rear of the Peltier element (1225) to cool the Peltier element (1225). The cooling water circulated in the water jacket (1235) is used in a manner that circulates in the order of a reservoir, a motor, a cooler, a water jacket, and a reservoir, which makes it complicated and increases the overall volume of the 3D printing area. In addition, when the printer head (1210) is lower than the dew point, condensation may occur on the outer wall of the head, and to prevent this, a condensation prevention cover (1245) is applied. Therefore, there is a problem that the volume becomes significantly large due to the cooling device (1220) including the Peltier element (1225), the water jacket (1235), and the condensation prevention cover (1245). The diameter (or width) (D) of the cooling device (1220) is usually about 20 mm, which makes the overall diameter (or width) (dt) of the printer head (1210) about 40 to 60 mm.

[0051] On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, since the temperature and humidity of the 3D printing area (200) are controlled by the temperature and humidity control device (150), there is no need to install a conventional cooling device (1220) in the printer head (210). Accordingly, the overall diameter (or width) (Dt) of the printer head (210) is reduced by 20 mm compared to the conventional one, to approximately 20 to 40 mm. Accordingly, the volume of the printer head (210) can be significantly reduced, and the effect is further enhanced when a multi-head structure is adopted.

[0052] Referring again to FIGS. 1 to 4, the housing (100) may be formed of various metal materials such as steel, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, or powder-coated steel designed to be chemically resistant, and the shape of the housing (100) is not particularly limited as long as it can surround the 3D printing area (200) and the working area (300). For example, the shape of the housing (100) may be a cylinder, a cube, a rectangular parallelepiped, or the like.

[0053] Doors (600) are installed in each of the 3D printing zone (200) and the work zones (300A, 300B). The doors (600) maintain a clean air environment in the 3D printing zone (200) and the work zones (300A, 300B), while allowing the operator to access each zone to insert or remove materials inside, perform necessary tasks for each zone, and control the operation of the installed devices. Therefore, the doors (600) are structured as sliding access doors so that the clean air environment in the 3D printing zone (200) and the work zones (300A, 300B) is maintained even when the doors (600) are opened. Referring to FIG. 6, the 3D printing integrated clean system (1000) is provided with a device, sensor, and alarm function that restrict the door (600) from opening beyond a certain height (a height at which only the operator's hand can enter) to prevent outside air from entering as much as possible. In addition, the air that is introduced through the open door (600) passes through the passage (156) of the temperature and humidity control device (150) through the ventilation hole (140), is filtered through the clean air supply unit (110), and then is introduced into the 3D printing area (200) and the work area (300A, 300B) to maintain a clean environment. Meanwhile, some of the air may be discharged to the outside through an exhaust unit (not shown) installed in the housing (100) as indicated by an arrow indicating the flow of air.

[0054] The door (600) may be formed of a transparent window that allows the interior of each section (200, 300A, 300B) to be visually observed. The operational status of the 3D printer, pre-printing device, and post-printing device within the housing (100) can be observed through the sealed transparent window. The transparent window may be formed of a transparent material such as glass or plastic.

[0055] The bottom of the housing (100) has a moving means (700) to enable the 3D printing integrated cleaning system (1000) to be easily moved. The moving means (700) may be formed of casters or wheels. The moving means (700) also has a fixing function, so that after moving to a desired location, the fixing function can be activated to fix the 3D printing integrated cleaning system (1000).

[0056] The 3D printing integrated clean system (1000) can be applied to various fields such as bio, food, and electronics.

[0057] Although the embodiments described above have been described with limited drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations can be made based on the above teachings. For example, appropriate results can still be achieved even if the described techniques are performed in a different order than described, and / or components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. are combined or combined in a different manner than described, or are replaced or substituted with other components or equivalents. Therefore, other implementations and equivalents of the claims also fall within the scope of the claims described below.

[0058] It can be applied to printing systems including 3D printers or 3D bioprinters.

Claims

1. A housing having a 3D printer area with a 3D printer or 3D bioprinter installed therein and at least one work area located on at least one side of the 3D printer area and configured to perform tasks other than printing; A base moving stage installed within the housing and capable of moving between the 3D printer area and at least one working area; A clean air supply unit installed at the upper part of the housing to provide clean air to the 3D printer area and at least one work area and control the air flow; and A temperature and humidity control device installed in an area excluding the bottom of the housing to control the temperature and humidity of the 3D printer area and at least one working area. A 3D printing integrated clean system capable of maintaining the air cleanliness of the above 3D printer area and at least one work area.

2. In paragraph 1, The above 3D printer area and the above work area are partitioned by a partition wall in a 3D printing integrated clean system.

3. In paragraph 1, The above temperature and humidity control device supplies air with controlled temperature and humidity to the clean air supply unit. The above clean air supply unit filters the temperature and humidity-controlled air and supplies clean air to the 3D printer area and at least one work area. A 3D printing integrated clean system in which the clean air flows in one direction from top to bottom of the 3D printer area and at least one work area, and after the temperature and humidity are controlled by the temperature and humidity control device, is circulated back to the clean air supply unit.

4. In paragraph 1, The above clean air supply unit is a 3D printing integrated clean system including a fan filter unit and a filter installed at the bottom of the fan filter unit.

5. In paragraph 1, A 3D printing integrated clean system, wherein at least one base is installed that can move between the 3D printer area and at least one work area via the base movement stage.

6. In paragraph 1, A 3D printing integrated clean system in which the above base moving stage is installed so as to be able to move in a linear or circular manner between the above zones.

7. In paragraph 3, A door is installed in each of the above 3D printer area and at least one work area, A 3D printing integrated clean system in which air drawn in through the above door passes through a passage of the temperature and humidity control device through a ventilation hole through which the clean air flowing in one direction from top to bottom within each zone is discharged, and then is filtered through the clean air supply unit and then drawn into each zone.

8. In paragraph 1, A 3D printing integrated clean system with a 3D printer head with a diameter of 20 to 40 mm installed in the above 3D printer area.

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