• #8 project log

    TRAN.VINH.QUANG • 05/17/2025 at 07:08 • 0 comments

    The author studied two options for cutting the bioreactor into 2mm and 5mm wide wires, then directly feeding it into the print head to directly 3D print the newly cut plastic wires or feeding it through the plastic wire nozzle and then using this plastic wire to install into the printer and 3D print later.
    The first option helps to print directly faster and does not require many other complicated intermediate tools and operations, just using manual scissors can do it. The plastic wire pieces are heated at both ends to lengthen them together:

    The results proved that it is possible to cut into long wires of the new bioreactor with both 2mm and 5mm widths. This is very important in plastic recycling because the items need to be crushed to be recycled, which requires large and heavy crushers, consuming a lot of energy. This is obviously very inconvenient when used in space. How- ever, the experimental process needs to overcome the problems of plastic brittleness, the cutting process has occurred plastic breakage phenomenon, the cut plastic wire has uneven width. The directions to handle these phenomena can be developed including developing a new type of PETG plastic with more flexibility and toughness, using a smaller diameter printing nozzle to increase the uniformity of the shell, researching a shell heater to soften them before cutting and to cut sections with even width, the author suggests using a cutting table or a cutting machine with a slice width gauge.

  • #7 project log

    TRAN.VINH.QUANG • 05/17/2025 at 07:02 • 0 comments

    To ensure the solidity, the wall thickness is increased to 0.9mm, which means the print head will print 3 times at one location to help create a tight seal for the bioreactor shell. At the same time, additional reinforce- ment options for the skeleton are also designed for research:

    Option (a) is more aesthetically pleasing when using a honeycomb frame structure for reinforcement instead of a triangular frame as in option (b), however the 3D printing process is more complicated and can cause deformation of the shell structure, so option (b) is considered more sta- ble and should be chosen as the main design for the bioreactor:

    By integrating the parameters from previous tests, the 3D printing quality of the bioreactor was significantly im- proved and it was possible to verify the ease of fabrication in a single 3D print, especially without the use of support structures, which made it possible to put it into use immediately after 3D printing faster than ever before. The fabrication process used a mid-range 3D printer, which is not highly rated for its quality, but the fabrication process was successful.

    After the bioreactor is filled with ingredients, it is sealed. Water is then added through a tube connected to a luer lock. When the reaction is complete, the final product is usually a food, such as yogurt. The new reactor is de- signed to meet the exact usage process as described above, and the new design completely eliminates other compli- cated additional assembly operations and can be used im- mediately after a 3D print. The steps in the usage process are described as follows:
    Step 1: Remove the bioreactor from the print bed, cut off the excess ears if applicable. Then check to make sure there is nothing inside the bioreactor.

    Step 2: Fill in the ingredients.
    Step 3: Seal the bioreactor mouth using one of two methods: tape or heat seal.

    Step 4: Pump water into the bioreactor through the luer lock connection.

    Step 5: When the reaction is complete, remove the tape or cut the heat-sealed joint for consumption.
    For the possibility of reusing as a low gravity cup, the operations are simpler because the author designed the bi- oreactor to also be a low gravity cup, the grooves are shaped to easily lead the liquid from the tank to the cor- ners.
    The user only needs to remove the tape or cut off the heat-sealed structure to be able to use it by tilting the cor- ners towards the user's mouth: 

  • #6 project log

    TRAN.VINH.QUANG • 05/17/2025 at 06:46 • 0 comments

    The model is designed to have dimensions of 99mm x 99mm and a 20mm overhang on each side, creating a total volume of approximately 130 mL. The calculations are based on the following spreadsheet:

    The bioreactor needed to be fabricated in a single 3D print and no support structures were used to save materials and reduce 3D printing time, so the first prototype designed and 3D printed resulted in the following:

    The test was successful. The test parameters included a wall thickness of 0.6mm and the use of water-based soft glue instead of a heating plate to bond the model to the printing bed. The printing methods using the heating plate still worked normally. Two experimental models were fur- ther designed to evaluate the convenience during use: 

    Option (b) in Figure 13 provides better gripping ability due to its circular contact surface which is much larger than the pointed tip of option (a), so option (b) was 3D printed for testing:

    The test was successful in terms of ease of fabrication, however the 3D printer settings needed to be optimized to minimize plastic extrusion when moving the print head in non-3D printed locations. This created small plastic fila- ments along the path of the 3D print head. A more serious problem arose when the 0.6mm wall thickness and 0% in- fill density did not provide enough strength when used, the bioreactor cracked along the layers as shown below:

  • #4 Project log

    TRAN.VINH.QUANG • 02/06/2025 at 15:24 • 0 comments

    The 3D model sketching step is underway. I contacted for the luer lock specifications but got no response so I stopped waiting and assumed that the luer lock used was the ISO 80369-7 standard .

    I carried out the plan in model 4 first, there are two plans for this type, the first is to utilize the tube with luer lock to circulate CO2 and O2, the second plan is to design a separate air circulation part. The picture below is plan 1:

    Option 2 also has some different shaped air circulation unit options for sample study:

    All options choose the side opening gate because this structure will help the 3D printing more stable and I don't want to print many support structures, which means saving material.

  • #3 Project log

    TRAN.VINH.QUANG • 01/26/2025 at 18:14 • 0 comments

    I sketched, first determining the size to ensure the volume is enough to hold 100mL of liquid. Initially, I prioritized the convenience of using the final product, so I sketched a plan with a low gravity structure, the bottom will be spherical and beveled towards the tip.

    This plan is a bit difficult to recycle, manufacturing by 3D printing in space may require a support structure to fix it, this is the part that can be wasted after 3D printing is completed. Therefore, this plan is not good.

    To make it easier to 3D print while consuming less support material, a simpler structure is needed, and when recycling, there are several ways to recycle, I chose to turn them back into plastic filaments for 3D printing for the next time, I can take advantage of the 3D printer's thermal head, a few simple cutting operations without additional tools or additional steps. So I thought of a flat rectangular or cylindrical structure that would be easy to cut into strips and then pass through a heat head to become a filament for 3D printing.

    Below are sketches of these two options, figure 1 is the rectangular recycling option, figure 2 is the elliptical cylinder.

    Figure 1

    Figure 2

  • #2 Project log

    TRAN.VINH.QUANG • 01/23/2025 at 16:38 • 0 comments

    I kept thinking while drinking the milk in my hand, I looked at the milk and thought about how astronauts eat in space. The information from the project showed that there was a type of yogurt created from a bioreactor, which could be used for eating.

    My observations showed that the food was contained in plastic packaging, after adding hot water, it was torn open and then eaten with a spoon, there were special trays, possibly magnets and strings to keep the food bags from floating and flying around. These plastic bags seemed to be used only once based on the tear marks I observed.

    I continued to consider the principle and design as well as the first test version of the low-weight coffee cup.

    I came up with the idea of a flat design that simulates the food bags that astronauts often use, with a curved bottom to keep food from spilling out when moving in space, and I wanted to test the zip lock style so that it could be reused, when loading ingredients or opening it for use, just open the lock, when finished using, you can close the lock and the bag can return to its original shape, the only thing I need to learn more about when reusing is the hygiene part. I can use the luer lock as a water inlet port and also as a gas outlet port from the biological reaction.

    The thickness of the bag can be from 0.1-0.3mm to reduce weight and fit the 3d printer head, and the thin bag can be recycled by cutting it into thin strips to pull into raw material strings for 3d printing of other items.

    Start manufacturing.

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    [Tiếng Việt]
    Tôi cứ suy nghĩ mãi trong khi uống bịch sữa trên tay, tôi nhìn bịch sữa và nghĩ đến việc các nhà du hành vũ trụ ăn uống thế nào trong không gian. Thông tin từ dự án đưa ra có một loại yogurt được tạo ra từ buồng phản ứng sinh học, có thể dùng để ăn. 

    Các quan sát của tôi cho thấy, thức ăn đều được chứa trong các bao bì nhựa, sau khi tiếp nước làm nóng thì xé ra sau đó dùng thìa để ăn, có các khay đặc biệt, có thể là nam châm và dây giữ các túi thức ăn không bị trôi nổi và bay loạn xạ. Các túi nhựa này dường như chỉ được dùng một lần dựa theo vết xé mà tôi quan sát được. 

    Tôi tiếp tục xem xét về nguyên lý và thiết kế cũng như bản thử nghiệm đầu tiên của chiếc cốc cà phê trọng lượng thấp.

    Tôi nãy ra ý tưởng là một thiết kế dẹp mô phỏng các túi thức ăn phi hành gia hay dùng, cong phần đáy để giữ thức ăn không trào ra khi di chuyển ngoài không gian và tôi muốn thử nghiệm kiểu khóa zip để có thể tái sử dụng lại, khi nạp nguyên liệu hay mở ra sử dụng chỉ cần mở khóa, khi dùng xong có thể đóng khóa lại là túi có thể trở về hình dạng ban đầu, duy chỉ có phần...

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  • #1 Project log

    TRAN.VINH.QUANG • 01/18/2025 at 19:28 • 0 comments

    This is the challenge of NASA’s Synthetic Biology project. The goal is to design a bioreactor that can be reused and recycled for use in space. I created the project to document the process. There is a lot of information to learn, so I researched the documents in the link provided by the project, and also studied the video recording the actual operation process on the ISS space station.
    I also discussed with the project representative to get more technical parameters that I did not understand clearly.
    Continue working...