nRugged 3D Printer Designed for Use in Harsh Environments

The nScrypt nRugged 3D manufacturing system/biomanufacturing platform is designed for use in harsh environments. It is a more robust version of nScrypt’s direct digital manufacturing platform (also known as Factory in a Tool (FiT)) and is factory configured for either 3D manufacturing or bioprinting with automatic tool changes. For example, a complete electronic device or a bioactive bandage can be digitally manufactured in the same machine.

The bioprinter configuration can print both biologics and non-biologics with a broad palette of materials, the company says. The machine solves the problem of manufacturing a precision product, not just a part, in harsh environments, such as on a Navy ship in rough waters or on the back of a trailer.

The system can be outfitted with up to four tool heads, in any combination, for microdispensing, material extrusion, aerosol jetting, milling and polishing, and pick-and-place, using more than 10,000 material choices. The standard machine sports a carbon fiber exoskeleton and 150 × 150 mm heated print bed, with 238 × 173 × 152 mm travels.

The machine has been used by the U.S. military in a forward-deployed desert environment and a rugged version of nScrypt’s bioprinter was launched to the International Space Station in July 2019, for bioprinting human heart tissue in microgravity.