On the intrinsic sterility of 3D printing

Abstract

3D printers that build objects using extruded thermoplastic are quickly becoming commonplace tools in laboratories. We demonstrate that, with appropriate handling, these devices are capable of producing sterile components from a non-sterile feedstock of thermoplastic without any treatment after fabrication. The fabrication process itself results in sterilization of the material. The resulting 3D printed components are suitable for a wide variety of applications, including experiments with bacteria and cell culture.

Keywords

• 3D printing
• Cell culture
• Microbiology
• Sterile technique
• Methods
• PLA