3D Printed Custom Labware Controls Chemical Reactions 

What with the Stratasys and Objet merger and a discussion of additive manufacturing as a disruptive technology by Stratasys’ Jeff DeGrange, 3D printing has taken a front seat in this week’s edition of Digital Manufacturing Report.

Here’s one more fascinating story to add to the mix.  A recent issue of the prestigious science journal, Nature, ran a piece about “smart” labware created with a 3D printer and some silicone sealant typically used for bathrooms.  

Researchers at the University of Glasgow in Scotland used the process to create a variety of reaction vessels, including one that mixed a catalyst with the sealant used for printing.  The result?  A container whose very walls are able to drive chemical reactions.  

Referring to the conventional glass flasks and other vessels that are standard issue in most chemistry labs, Leroy Cronin, a chemist at the University who led the effort, comments, “Chemistry for the last 200 years has been done in a fixed, passive reactor.  That has just changed.”  

The new labware, dubbed “reactionware” by the group, has been used to synthesize several novel compounds.  They also printed a variety of specialized containers incorporating customized holes and slots for extra hardware, fibre optic cables or electrodes.

In addition to the full story, you’ll want to watch an enigmatic video that accompanies the article – it’s reminiscent of watching paint dry or sitting through a portion of “Einstein on the Beach.”