Open Labware: 3-D Printing Your Own Lab Equipment

The introduction of affordable, consumer-oriented 3-D printers is a milestone in the current “maker movement,” which has been heralded as the next industrial revolution. Combined with free and open sharing of detailed design blueprints and accessible development tools, rapid prototypes of complex products can now be assembled in one’s own garage—a game-changer reminiscent of the early days of personal computing. At the same time, 3-D printing has also allowed the scientific and engineering community to build the “little things” that help a lab get up and running much faster and easier than ever before.

• Publication year

  2015

• Venue

  PLoS Biology

• Publication date

  2015-03-01

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Computer Science, Engineering

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002086PMID 25794301PMCID 4368627
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Evolution of oil droplets in a chemorobotic platform

  2014cited by this paper
• Foldscope: Origami-Based Paper Microscope

  2014cited by this paper
• Bridging the Gap: establishing the necessary infrastructure and knowledge for teaching and research in neuroscience in Africa

  2014cited by this paper
• Getting started with open‐hardware: Development and control of microfluidic devices

  2014cited by this paper
• Fabricating low cost and high performance elastomer lenses using hanging droplets.

  2014cited by this paper
• Adaptive use of bubble wrap for storing liquid samples and performing analytical assays.

  2014cited by this paper
• A High Performance, Cost-Effective, Open-Source Microscope for Scanning Two-Photon Microscopy that Is Modular and Readily Adaptable

  2014cited by this paper
• Makers: The New Industrial Revolution

  2014cited by this paper
• Open source data logger for low-cost environmental monitoring

  2014cited by this paper
• Bringing crystal structures to reality by three-dimensional printing

  2014cited by this paper
• A Low-Cost Open-Source Metal 3-D Printer

  2013cited by this paper
• Three-dimensional printing physiology laboratory technology.

  2013cited by this paper
• Using crickets to introduce neurophysiology to early undergraduate students.

  2013cited by this paper
• Open-Source 3D-Printable Optics Equipment

  2013cited by this paper
• Commentary: Open-source hardware for research and education

  2013cited by this paper
• Building Research Equipment with Free, Open-Source Hardware

  2012cited by this paper
• The SpikerBox: A Low Cost, Open-Source BioAmplifier for Increasing Public Participation in Neuroscience Inquiry

  2012cited by this paper
• Stack Overflow

  2012cited by this paper
• Science in Africa: The view from the front line

  2011cited by this paper
• Integrating nanoscience into the classroom: perspectives on nanoscience education projects.

  2009cited by this paper
• Front leg movements and tibial motoneurons underlying auditory steering in the cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus deGeer)

  2008cited by this paper
• Egg beater as centrifuge: isolating human blood plasma from whole blood in resource-poor settings.

  2008cited by this paper
• IPython: A System for Interactive Scientific Computing

  2007influential reference
• The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary

  2001cited by this paper
• Visual transduction in Drosophila

  2001cited by this paper
• Review of The Cathedral & the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary by Eric S. Raymond, Sebastopol, Calif.: O'Reilly, 1999

  2000cited by this paper
• Visual transduction in Drosophila.

  1999cited by this paper
• Hyperpolarizing, small‐field, amacrine cells in cone pathways of cat retina

  1996cited by this paper
• Estimation of self-motion by optic flow processing in single visual interneurons

  1996cited by this paper
• SynOptics Communications Inc.

  1993cited by this paper
• Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution

  1984cited by this paper
• The locust jump. II. Neural circuits of the motor programme.

  1977cited by this paper
• The locust jump

  1974cited by this paper

• LOTUS: A low-cost time-lapse automated imaging system for spatio-temporal analysis of microbial colony or biofilm development

  2026cites this paper
• Open‐Source Automation of the Proboscis Extension Response Assay: From Odor Delivery to Deep Learning Behavior Analysis

  2026cites this paper
• A Modular In-Incubator Microscope for Longitudinal Live Cell Microscopy

  2026cites this paper
• An Open-Source Educational Platform for Multi-Sensor Environmental Monitoring Applications

  2025cites this paper
• Unlocking innovation: the dynamics of user engagement in an open-source 3D printer community

  2025cites this paper
• Desafíos en manipulación robótica inteligente en laboratorios autónomos

  2025cites this paper
• The role of 3D printing in advancing biotechnology and bioengineering: A review

  2025cites this paper
• Multipurpose X-Ray Stage and Its Application for In Situ Poling Studies

  2025cites this paper
• The optical performance of a 3D printed, titanium dioxide painted, Ganzfeld bowl.

  2025cites this paper
• New Generation Open Science Practices as Sources of Inspiration for STEAM

  2025cites this paper
• 3-Dimensional printing and bioprinting in neurological sciences: applications in surgery, imaging, tissue engineering, and pharmacology and therapeutics

  2025cites this paper
• An Open-Source, Low-Cost Thin-Layer Chromatography Plate Cutter

  2025cites this paper
• Design and Validation of a Low-Cost Automated Dip-Coater System for Laboratory Applications

  2025cites this paper
• Open Lab Starter Kit Small Laser V2–an open source Fab lab produced laser cutter

  2025cites this paper
• Low-cost DIY bioreactor system for educational and research applications: an accessible off-the-shelf bubble column concept

  2025cites this paper
• Improving a photosynthetic bioprocess with a ubiquitous additive: Using clay powder in the cultivation of Rhodopseudomonas palustris

  2025cites this paper
• Open source inert gas glove box

  2025cites this paper
• DNA Nanotechnology in the Undergraduate Laboratory: Toehold-Less Strand Displacement in Switchback DNA

  2025cites this paper
• A Soft Reconfigurable Inverted Climbing Robot Based on Magneto-Elastica-Reinforced Elastomer

  2025cites this paper
• LEGO® as a versatile platform for building reconfigurable low-cost lab equipment

  2025cites this paper
• Osmia3DNest—Novel designed 3D printed artificial nest for solitary cavity‐nesting bees

  2024cites this paper
• Evaluation of water quality and heavy metal contamination in Cauvery River: Tamil Nadu region India

  2024cites this paper
• ArduHydro: a low-cost device for water level measurement and monitoring

  2024cites this paper
• An affordable platform for automated synthesis and electrochemical characterization

  2024cites this paper
• Multifunction fluorescence open source in vivo/in vitro imaging system (openIVIS)

  2024cites this paper
• NIRis: A low-cost, versatile imaging system for near-infrared fluorescence detection of phototrophic cell colonies used in research and education

  2024cites this paper
• ERCAD: A Parametric Reactor Design Tool That Enables Rapid Prototyping and Optimization of Electrochemical Reactors through 3D Printing

  2024cites this paper
• On the applications of additive manufacturing in semiconductor manufacturing equipment

  2024cites this paper
• Application of fused filament fabrication 3D printing and molding to produce flexible, scaled neuron morphology models

  2024cites this paper
• Printing, Characterizing, and Assessing Transparent 3D Printed Lenses for Optical Imaging

  2024cites this paper
• NeuroPorator: An open-source, current-limited electroporator for safe in utero gene transfer.

  2024cites this paper
• A modular and flexible open source cell incubator system for mobile and stationary use

  2024cites this paper
• Self-Driving Laboratories for Chemistry and Materials Science

  2024cites this paper
• Customizable and Open-Source 3D Printed Inserts for Controlled Release and Cell Culture Experiments

  2024cites this paper
• An Approach to Fabricate Biofibers with Spider Weblike Structures Based on Electrospinning Device

  2024cites this paper
• Development of Lab-Scale Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactor as Flow Process Tool for Oxidation Reactions Using Molecular Oxygen

  2024cites this paper
• Open-source 3D printed laboratory for education: illuminating optics and optoelectronics demonstrations

  2024cites this paper
• Digital pipette: open hardware for liquid transfer in self-driving laboratories

  2023cites this paper
• 3D PRINTING MULTIFUNCTIONAL STRUCTURES WITH ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL CAPABILITIES

  2023cites this paper
• Probing nanopore surface chemistry through real-time measurements of nanopore conductance response to pH changes.

  2023cites this paper
• AC/off-grid photovoltaic powered open-source ball mill

  2023cites this paper
• Overcoming Chip Shortages: Low-Cost Open-Source Parametric 3-D Printable Solderless SOIC to DIP Breakout Adapters

  2023cites this paper
• Development of an automated flow chemistry affinity-based purification process for DNA-encoded chemistry

  2023cites this paper
• Multifunction Fluorescence Open-Source In Vivo/In Vitro Imaging System (openIVIS)

  2023cites this paper
• Processes for the 3D Printing of Hydrodynamic Flow-Focusing Devices

  2023cites this paper
• Using 3D printing as a research tool for materials discovery

  2023cites this paper
• Development of a 3D-Printable, Porous, and Chemically Active Material Filled with Silica Particles and its Application to the Fabrication of a Microextraction Device.

  2023cites this paper
• AG3D: A low-cost educational 3D printable toolkit for agarose gel electrophoresis

  2023cites this paper
• Using Open Neuroscience to Advance Equity in the Pedagogy and Research Infrastructure in Colleges/Universities Still Financially Impacted by COVID-19: The Emergence of a Global Resource Network Aimed at Integrating Neuroscience and Society.

  2023cites this paper
• Advances in automated and reactive flow cytometry for synthetic biotechnology.

  2023cites this paper
• Inkwell: Design and Validation of a Low-Cost Open Electricity-Free 3D Printed Device for Automated Thin Smearing of Whole Blood

  2023cites this paper
• Strategies to obtain a better quality of environmental data gathered by low cost systems

  2023cites this paper
• NIRis: A low-cost, versatile imaging system for NIR fluorescence detection of phototrophic cell colonies used in science and education

  2023cites this paper
• Performance of a manually operated salad spinner centrifuge for serum separation in the healthy domestic horse (Equus caballus) and southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum).

  2023cites this paper
• Can I benefit from laboratory automation? A decision aid for the successful introduction of laboratory automation

  2023cites this paper
• 3D-Printed Laboratory Accessories as a Conduit for a Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Experience

  2023cites this paper
• Printing, Characterising, and Assessing Transparent 3D Printed Lenses for Optical Imaging

  2023cites this paper
• Open source scientific bottle roller

  2023cites this paper
• Time- and distance-resolved robotic imaging of fluid flow in vertical microfluidic strips: a new technique for quantitative, multiparameter measurement of global haemostasis

  2023cites this paper
• Open Hardware for Microfluidics: Exploiting Raspberry Pi Singleboard Computer and Camera Systems for Customisable Laboratory Instrumentation

  2023cites this paper
• Open-source 3-D printable autoinjector: Design, testing, and regulatory limitations

  2023cites this paper
• Development of an Automatable Affinity Purification Process for DNA-Encoded Chemistry

  2022cites this paper
• Rapid Bacterial Motility Monitoring Using Inexpensive 3D-Printed OpenFlexure Microscopy Allows Microfluidic Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing

  2022cites this paper
• OpenMEA: Open-Source Microelectrode Array Platform for Bioelectronic Interfacing

  2022cites this paper
• Simple Preparation of Metal-Impregnated FDM 3D-Printed Structures

  2022cites this paper
• Thermal Post-Processing of 3D Printed Polypropylene Parts for Vacuum Systems

  2022cites this paper
• Application of 3D Printing Technology to Produce Hippocampal Customized Guide Cannulas

  2022influential citation
• A 3D Printer in the Lab: Not Only a Toy

  2022cites this paper
• Canadian professors’ views on establishing open source endowed professorships

  2022cites this paper
• CAD we share? Publishing reproducible microscope hardware

  2022cites this paper
• A Review of Polylactic Acid as a Replacement Material for Single-Use Laboratory Components

  2022influential citation
• Development of a Microscope Stage with Light-Emitting Diodes to Upgrade a Traditional Microscope to a Fluorescence Microscope

  2022cites this paper
• Open Source 3D Printed ISO 8655 Compliant Multichannel Pipette

  2022cites this paper
• Design and implementation of 3-D printed radiation shields for environmental sensors

  2022cites this paper
• Optical sectioning robotic microscopy for everyone: the structured illumination microscope with the OpenFlexure stages.

  2022cites this paper
• Calcium-based coordination polymers from a solvothermal synthesis of HKUST-1 in 3D printed autoclaves

  2022cites this paper
• METAL-ORGANIC FRAMEWORKS IN RUSSIA: FROM THE SYNTHESIS AND STRUCTURE TO FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES AND MATERIALS

  2022cites this paper
• Low-Cost Microplate Reader with 3D Printed Parts for under 500 USD

  2022cites this paper
• An Open-Source Framework for Automated High-Throughput Cell Biology Experiments

  2021cites this paper
• How Technologies Assisted Science Learning at Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic

  2021cites this paper
• Broad‐scale applications of the Raspberry Pi: A review and guide for biologists

  2021cites this paper
• A 3D printing Short Course: A Case Study for Applications in the Geoscience Teaching and Communication for Specialists and Non-experts

  2021cites this paper
• Design and Testing of an Open Source Vacuum Oven for Research, Community Recycling, and Additive Manufacturing

  2021cites this paper
• Open source anaerobic and temperature-controlled in vitro model enabling real-time release studies with live bacteria

  2021cites this paper
• Two decades of neuroscience publication trends in Africa

  2021cites this paper
• Low cost cloud based remote microscopy for biological sciences

  2021cites this paper
• Teragogic : Open source platform for low cost millimeter wave sensing and terahertz imaging

  2021cites this paper
• Development of a Low-Cost System for Simultaneous Longitudinal Biological Imaging

  2021cites this paper
• HardOps: utilising the software development toolchain for hardware design

  2021cites this paper
• Targeting improved reproducibility in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with planar substrates using 3D printed alignment holders.

  2021cites this paper
• Challenges and competencies of entrepreneurial leaders in driving innovation at DIY laboratories

  2021cites this paper
• 3D printed ceramics as solid supports for enzyme immobilization: an automated DoE approach for applications in continuous flow

  2021cites this paper
• An Inexpensive, High-Precision, Modular Spherical Treadmill Setup Optimized for Drosophila Experiments

  2021cites this paper
• Use of some cost-effective technologies for a routine clinical pathology laboratory.

  2021cites this paper
• Step-by-step guide to 3D print motorized rotation mounts for optical applications.

  2021cites this paper
• You Wouldn’t Download a Molecule! Now, ChemSCAD Makes It Possible

  2021cites this paper
• Open-source 3D-printed terahertz pulse time-domain holographic detection module.

  2021cites this paper
• Diseño de un espectrofotómetro UV-VIS de bajo costo para la industria bioquímica: Una Revisión

  2021cites this paper
• Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and Myriad Other Applications.

  2021cites this paper
• The Potential Use of Isothermal Amplification Assays for In-Field Diagnostics of Plant Pathogens

  2021cites this paper