HeLa Cells Now Used in 3D Bioprinting: the continuing story of Henrietta Lacks

For people who don't know what HeLa is, HeLa stands for Henrietta Lacks, who donated cells from her cancerous cervix in the the early 1950s.  These cells were one of the first surviving cell cultures, and became integral to discovering many things about cells, cancer, and human bodies. The HeLa cells were the most common cells for experiments using human cells for many years. They are somewhat controversial because she was not aware of her donation (no informed consent) and her family didn't make any money from the sale of cells.

American and Chinese researchers used her cells to create a three dimensional model of a tumor, used to test new drugs in a more realistic way than the traditional single-layer models. the researcher found that around 90% of the cells remained viable after being printed, and that the 3D model was more realistic than the single layer one.

Here is an article with more information on this story and here is an earlier blog post about bioprinting.  Or, click the image above to read a February 2002 NPR article about the book.

- By Jane (7th grade)

Future Trends in 3D Modeling - Smartphones and Google

A Graphic of the phone with the Camera app open

Many major technology companies such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft have all gotten into the 3D scanning game.  

"Giving devices full 3D vision is the next step in the consumer electronics evolution. This began with Kinect for the Xbox, and, although this process is still in its early phase, that is where all the technology giants seem to be setting their sights. Apple bought PrimeSense, the company that makes Kinect, as well as 3D Systems' Sense consumer 3D scanner, " says 3DPI in an article titled "Google Wants to give Your smartphone 3D modeling Capabilities."

A Schematic of the Phone

It seemed as though Google stopped having interest in 3D modeling when it sold Sketchup to Trimble in 2012. However Google is now working on Project Tango - an Android smartphone that can 3D scan objects. You may be thinking that any smartphone can do that with 123D Catch however this would have an extra depth sensor camera in the back and therefore have to take many fewer shots for a higher quality image. 


Putting depth sensors on smartphone cameras is not new.  In 2011 HTC released the HTC Evo 3D.  It had one for capturing 3D video and now the HTC One (M8) has one for refocusing a shot after it is taken however Tango would be the first phone to have one made for 3D scanning.


Although we (the BPC Maker Club) have not had much luck getting decent quality out of our Kinect it supposedly can get some decent quality scans. The Kinect was not made for 3D scanning but for movement tracking in video games that don't need high accuracy and therefore this limitation is to be expected.


Apple has not actually released a 3D scanner it did buy PrimeSense, the company behind Microsoft's Kinect 3D motion sensor. This means that Apple will probably come out with some sort of 3D sensor in the future.


- Abe (7th grade)

Text-To-3D model program

A Text-to-3D model program allows anyone to search a 3D model program with a term like
'bench,' or 'room with windows,' and get a 3D model of the basic geometry.

There are limits, like if you look up a model not in the database, it's game over. The available things right now are mostly architectural features.  The database could connect with other databases, like Thingiverse, to add more available objects.

I think that a program like this will probably be frustratingly limited, because without several descriptions and a very complete tagging system, the program will be hard to get what you want from. Here is a demo, and here is another article.

An example of some of the things in the database 

- By Jane, 7th grade

Bone Printer

Japanese researchers have built a 3D printer that prints calcium phosphate,  a component in human bones. These artificial bones can fuse to existing bones, and speed healing from broken bones or bone removal as part of cancer treatments. These printers have not yet been declared medically safe, but they are an exciting development in medical 3D printing.

Students Use 3D Printing as a Tool for their Science Fair Projects

Four our (non-competitive) school science fair, I give my students a lot of freedom in choosing a topic that is personally interesting to them.  Many groups choose to do a traditional controlled experiment, but I always allow for more engineering-type projects as well.  This year, we had 4 (out of 31) projects organically incorporate a 3D printer as a tool in their projects.

Here are their project abstracts:


Experiment Title: What is the strongest type of beam?

Abstract :   We conducted an experiment to determine the strongest shape of beam with the same cross sectional area. We first designing the beams in Solidworks, making sure that they all had the same cross-sectional area, then we had them 3D printed. Then we took two clamps, clamped one of the beams to the piece of wood and put weight on the beam. We found that the I-beam was the strongest by 4.23mm per kilogram. This is true because the I-beam has the highest moment of inertia, a measurement of how much of the area is farthest away from the central axis. Engineers use I-beams all the time to create stronger, cheaper buildings.
Click here to download the STL's from their project.

Experiment Title: Building a LibraryBox: Our Very Own Private Portable Digital Distribution System

Abstract: We (Eli M. and Alex B.) attempted to build a LibraryBox. A LibraryBox is a digital file distribution system originally designed by Jason Griffey, who based it on a previous concept called the PirateBox. It has an advantage over conventional cloud storage systems (such as Google Drive) because it is usable in areas that do not have access to the Internet. Devices in the general area of the Box can connect to it and download various files from it, such as music or documents. We also designed and 3D printed a case for our LibraryBox using Tinkercad. We successfully designed the case, but the fate of the Box remains to be seen.

Experiment Title: The 3D Ice Cream Ball 

Abstract: We used a 3D printer to make a 3D printed ice cream ball, which would hopefully be able to actually make good ice cream. We tried to use a lot of different ways to get a good print of the ice cream ball. We used a Kinect to try to take a good scan of the ice cream ball. It failed because the Kinect couldn’t get most of the angles, so it ended up with lots of holes. Then we tried to use Tinkercad, but we couldn’t get an amazing product. We used 123D next. We had to take lots of pictures to get a scan. We didn’t like it again, so we knew that we had to go back to Tinkercad. We worked on making the ice cream ball able to be printed out. Our first scan didn’t go super well because one side was thinner than the other. Then we ran out of time to make a different scan.  The importance of our project is to create a cheaper way to make ice cream if you already have a 3D printer & a lot of free time. 

Experiment Title: 3D Printed Quadcopter

Abstract: We tried to make a 3D printed quadcopter with Arduino. We haven’t gotten the quadcopter to fly yet, but we are hopeful.  We printed all the parts successfully after quite a few failures and delays.  We used 3 different printers, including the printer at the ALS (a government facility). The Arduino code and Aeroquad software wasn’t working correctly because the versions of each software weren’t compatible, which gave us a whole host of problems to solve. Learning about this is important to science and 3D printing because it shows how easily things are to customize and print with 3D printers.

Experimenting with the Proprietary Cube Cartridges

We tried hacking a cube cartridge. We first cut off the top then we hammered the cartridge. We broke the entire cartridge into 5 parts they are as followed: Plastic cases, microchip, Cardboard spool, and filament. 

Then we hacked the Cube by putting the microchip on the cube. The Cube thinks there is a cartridge in it when their is only an microchip.  

- Sam (7th grade)

Osteiod: an improved 3D cast!

You might recall hearing about Cortex.  Cortex is a new 3-D printed cast that is water resistant and is customizable for each person. Cortex takes a 3-D scan and an x-ray of the broken hand or other body part. Then they create a 3-D model of the cast and 3-D print it. Each cast is customizable because it is 3-D printed. Their casts are very open and light. They are also, small and less noticeable than their plaster cousins.  I imagine that people could request different colors of the cast once the idea takes off.

Well just recently Deniz Karasahin designed a new version that adds a new feature an ultrasound system. The ultrasound system helps heal bones up to 80% faster. 

Picture and research from http://www.3dprinterworld.com/article/3d-printed-exoskeleton-could-replace-traditional-casts http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/18/5628818/3d-printed-cast-concept-uses-ultrasound-to-heal-broken-bones https://www.adesignaward.com/design.php?ID=34151

A Tale of Two Extruders: Delrin Plunger Upgrade Kit

The Delrin plungers on our Replicator Dual were wearing out and therefore making the filament slip and jam. So we could not print anything effectively on the Replicator. So some maintenance was needed.

An upgraded extruder is available and it was being used on some of the newer printers. Turns out, Makerbot already admitted that its extruders are kinda weak.  In fact, right on their website Makerbot says, "another thing that can cause extrusion trouble is the deterioration of the Delrin plunger inside the Stepstruder."  Makerbot is offering a FREE upgrade for the cost of shipping... for the Replicator 2, but not for the Replicator Dual.

We found our Replicator I replacement part on ebay, and Amazon.  If we were less lazy, we could print one out on Thingiverse.

To replace the Delrin plunger follow this tutorial.  To start, we had to take apart the extruders.

Sam and Abe taking apart the Makerbot

At one point, our teacher had to take deep breaths, thinking we might not ever get it back together. 

This was taken is the maker bot with one of the extrudes.

Then replacing the old black Delrin plunger with the new, 3D printed, gray one.

Here is a picture of the old plunger (left) and the new (right.)

Then it printed!!!

This was the first filament it extruded

The first full print

You can read more about the upgraded extruder here.

- by Abe (7th grade)

Lesson Learned

Actually, two lessons. 

The first lesson:  The computer can't shut down while a print is running. So, if the settings on the computer go to sleep after, say, 1 hour, and the print runs for 2 hours, you'll end up with half a print. 

Lesson two: In a middle school classroom, the computer setting are not the only thing that shuts down the computer. Actually, there are 25 things. 24 of which are students. Someone shut the lid on the computer running our printer, so we ended up with half of a (very lengthy) print. The low-tech solution in the picture above works pretty well so far. 

By Jane (7th grade)

How to use Autodesk 123D Catch to Scan an Object

1. You need something that can spin with an object on it like a record player,  a camera and a tripod. You will also need a computer with a web browser that supports WebGL and an internet connection.

2. Make sure to take the exact number of photos specified because 123D Catch only allows you to upload up to 70 photos. Take 30 photos at a 45 degree angle of the object while spinning it. (see picture on the right)

3. Take 20 more photos at a more elevated angle while spinning the object. (see photo on the left)

4. Take 20 more photos at a low angle while spinning the object. (see picture on the right)
5. Upload the photos to Autodesk 123D Catch App.
6. Wait for Autodesk to process the photos.
7. Select and Delete any unwanted objects in the photos.
8. Then Select File>>Download as an STL.
9. Print on your 3-D printer.


Don't worry if your first try doesn't work.  Try again. In my experience,  it works 50% of the time.
Here are pictures of the completed scan: