Swiss researchers at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EFPL) have developed an ink to enable the 3D printing of bones. The ink should also make it possible to repair works of art and coral reefs.
The new printing method has first been presented by scientists in the academic journal "Materials Today", with its final form having been confirmed by the EFPL on Thursday.
The ink is said to contain bacteria that produce calcium carbonate when in contact with a urea solution. Within about four days, any 3D-printed shape thus mineralises into a bone-like material.
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In addition to possible applications in medicine, the ink could also be used to restore works of art, by directly being injected into a vase or statue, or for the construction of artificial corals to regenerate damaged marine reefs.
The EPFL explained that until now, it had been next to impossible to re-create bone-like materials in a laboratory or factory and that the new ink had to “behave like a solid while also being able to go through a 3D printing nozzle – a bit like ketchup.”
