Inkjet Cell Ejection Flow Layout for Faster Cell-Containing Droplets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ink jet cell ejection systems face inefficiencies due to nozzle clogging and low cell concentration in droplets, leading to increased ejection time and reduced resolution in bioprinting applications.
Innovation Solution
A cell ejection apparatus with a liquid chamber, ejection orifice, supply and collection flow paths, and a cell ejection unit that selectively ejects droplets containing cells, allowing for high-throughput and stable ejection by controlling the flow and ejection of cell suspension.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the cell concentration of the bioink is increased to improve bioprinting efficiency, then the ejection speed and resolution are improved, but nozzle clogging occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid chamber is divided into multiple ejection orifices, allowing the cell suspension to be distributed across multiple ejection points. This segmentation reduces the cell concentration burden on each individual orifice, lowering the risk of clogging while maintaining overall ejection efficiency through parallel operation of multiple orifices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from single-point ejection to multi-point ejection by arranging multiple ejection orifices in the liquid chamber. This dimensional change from one-dimensional single orifice to two-dimensional array of orifices enables simultaneous ejection of multiple droplets, improving productivity while distributing cell load to prevent clogging.
2Reliability
If the cell concentration of the bioink is lowered to prevent nozzle clogging, then nozzle clogging is reduced, but many ejection droplets contain no cells
Solution Approach 1:
The cell suspension flows continuously through the liquid chamber from the supply flow path to the collection flow path, ensuring that cells are constantly replenished across all ejection orifices. This continuous flow maintains a steady supply of cells to multiple orifices simultaneously, ensuring that ejection droplets contain cells without causing clogging, thereby maintaining both reliability and productivity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If extra droplets without cells are ejected to maintain flow continuity, then flow stability is maintained, but the time required to eject a predetermined amount of cell-containing droplets increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the ejection into multiple orifices, the system can maintain flow stability across all orifices simultaneously while increasing the probability that each ejected droplet contains a cell. The parallel ejection structure allows cell-containing droplets to be produced more frequently across the multi-orifice array, reducing the total time to eject a predetermined amount of cell-containing droplets.
Data Source
AI summary
To provide a cell ejection apparatus capable of reducing the time required to eject a predetermined amount of droplets of a cell suspension containing a cell in an ink jet cell ejection apparatus. A cell ejection apparatus for ejecting a droplet of a cell suspension containing a cell and a liquid by an ink jet system, wherein the cell ejection apparatus comprises a liquid chamber holding the cell suspension, an ejection orifice for ejecting the droplet from the liquid chamber, a supply flow path for supplying the cell suspension to the liquid chamber, a collection flow path for collecting the liquid or the cell suspension from the liquid chamber, and a cell ejection unit for selectively ejecting the droplet from the ejection orifice so that the droplet contains the cell.