US 11,931,966 B2
Systems and methods for optical assessments of bioink printability
Patrick Thayer, Blacksburg, VA (US); Hany Abushall, Blacksburg, VA (US); Hector Martinez, Gothenburg (SE); and Erik Gatenholm, Gothenburg (SE)
Assigned to CELLINK BIOPRINTING AB, Gothenburg (SE)
Appl. No. 16/964,899
Filed by Cellink Bioprinting AB, Gothenburg (SE)
PCT Filed Jan. 25, 2019, PCT No. PCT/IB2019/000215
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 24, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/145795, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 1, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/622,650, filed on Jan. 26, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0031456 A1, Feb. 4, 2021
Int. Cl. B29C 67/00 (2017.01); B29C 64/209 (2017.01); B29C 64/393 (2017.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B33Y 50/02 (2015.01); B33Y 70/00 (2020.01); B33Y 70/10 (2020.01); G06N 3/08 (2023.01); G06N 5/01 (2023.01)
CPC B29C 64/393 (2017.08) [B29C 64/209 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/02 (2014.12); B33Y 70/00 (2014.12); B33Y 70/10 (2020.01); G06N 3/08 (2013.01); G06N 5/01 (2023.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A 3D bioprinter comprising:
(a) one or more printheads and one or more optical imaging apparatus disposed on one or more of the printheads in a manner such that the optical imaging apparatus is positioned to the side, above and/or below a nozzle and is capable of capturing images or video of bioink dispensed from the nozzle during printing;
(b) one or more control element;
(c) one or more processor and communication interface operably connecting and capable of communicating printability data from the one or more optical imaging apparatus to the one or more control element to control printing of a printed structure; and
(d) a non-transitory computer-readable storage media comprising:
(1) one or more process algorithms capable of quantifying printing characteristics chosen from one or more of shape, uniformity, thickness, size, and/or color of droplets or filaments of the bioink disposed from the nozzle from one or more images and/or video obtained with the optical imaging apparatus; and
(2) one or more learning algorithms capable of modifying and adjusting printing instructions and/or printing parameters based on one or more printability metrics to modify the printed structure in real time and before completion of the printing.