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Researchers at Sweden’s Umeå University have shown how desktop 3D printers can be used to make lab equipment, giving scientists a cheaper way to build tools for their research. The work focuses on equipment used to study bacteria and other tiny organisms, including devices that use lasers to find and move bacteria.
The research, carried out by Daniel Nilsson at the university’s Department of Physics, shows how consumer-grade 3D printers can help scientists design and manufacture equipment for their own experiments. Rather than relying entirely on commercial instruments, laboratories could build tools that meet their specific needs and modify them as their research develops.
Scientific instruments used to study microorganisms often need to be extremely precise. They can also be expensive