• Question: Do you use 3D printers a lot in your job?

    Asked by Tom to Andrew, Lizzie, Nick, Sonia on 19 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Andrew Phillips

      Andrew Phillips answered on 19 Jun 2015:

      We use them a lot. We use some ones that use laser sintering to produce synthetic bones that we then use in testing. We also use cheaper ones that use reals of plastic to print small parts for use in test rigs and if we want to produce something to help us visualise things in 3D. In the future we plan to print in metal. At the moment we print in nylon.

    • Photo: Elizabeth Kapasa

      Elizabeth Kapasa answered on 19 Jun 2015:

      Not at the moment. But I’m going out to New Zealand next year to work with our collaborators and use their 3D printer to print scaffolds. Scaffolds act like a carrier to support cells when delivering them in the body. They provide structural support whilst the cells produce bone and in some cases biodegrade the scaffold as it grows.

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