3D Printing Low-Cost, Customizable Items for the Classroom and Lab

Abstract

While many consumables used in laboratories, such as glassware or centrifuge tubes, have specific material requirements, many labs also use a variety of helper products, such as vial racks and cuvette holders, where the material of the product is far less critical. Despite this, these products are typically only purchasable from scientific vendors, and often at prices that far exceed their actual cost of production. 3D printing offers an opportunity to generate low-cost items for the classroom and lab that can save a substantial amount of money, even for relatively small labs. In addition, by manufacturing these items in-house, it becomes possible to customize to the specific needs of the laboratory and produce items that would not be available commercially.