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For this project I'm using a MakerBot 3D printer, a commercial and affordable printer that anyone can purchase. I can make very small (up to 100 um) size cylindrical parts with channels to let the cells grow and form tissue. Small parts are good to image the cells and see how they are doing on the material, and larger parts can be customized to the patient spinal cord defect. The material is PLA, a biodegradable and functional material that is great for implants. The best part about the printing is that it is cheap! I have made many parts to test for very little money, and this is great to translate to patient-customized, affordable parts in the clinic.

Anyone can 3D print! Just go to any local Fab Lab or University campus/library and they most likely have a 3D printer along with technician. They can guide you through the process of using the printer, which is very exciting to watch! In terms of making models, if you are good with CAD programs like Solidworks you can make .stl files with those. Otherwise, there are many, many files already made online for you to print, just search for what you want! 3D printing is very interesting, and with little to no time you can become a 3D print expert yourself!

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