Mar 23 2016
Aether have launched an advanced yet cost-effective 3D bioprinter called Aether 1, which integrates 12 of the world’s most sophisticated machines into one simple, user-friendly, and aesthetic desktop device. The Aether 1 bioprinter is designed to 3D print with as high as 10 materials, and can integrate different fabrication techniques in one print, all from a single 3D file. This will enable users to express their creativity in an entirely different way.
12 High-Tech Machines in 1 Magical Device
The Aether 1 integrates a highly sophisticated 8 syringe-fitted bioprinter with a laser assisted bioprinter, a dual-Bowden extruder FFF printer, CNC milling machine, laser engraver, UV-curing 3D printer, 3D electronics printer, 400oF degree chocolate/food printer, 4,000 Hz droplet-jetting printer, full-color robotic drawing, universal modular fabrication device that enables users to utilize eight of their own extruders or tools, a photo to fabrication art machine, and painting and calligraphy machine. The affordability, ease of use, and capabilities of the Aether 1 3D bioprinter will redefine bioprinting, art, food printing, and prototyping.
Empowering Futuristic Technology Made Push-Button Simple
In addition to the unprecedented number of colors, materials, and fabrication techniques that can be integrated, the Aether 1 also includes a host of other features that will completely revolutionize what users can achieve with a 3D bioprinter. A few of these features are patent-pending innovations.
The Aether 1 bioprinter uses a precise automatic air pressure calibration system that is powered by machine vision and is also a first of its kind. As a result, manual calibration is eliminated, which is considered to be the most complicated part of air pressure printing. Inactive tools and syringes are automatically retracted in the 3D bioprinter. Also included are dual automatic nozzle cleaning, automatic stage leveling with an optical sensor, and unclogging stations.
To realize high-resolution printing, high-resolution motors (optional) can be integrated into the Aether 1. These motors can reach an industry-best 50 µm minimum layer diameter and 0.4 nm Z-axis resolution, which is more than 10,000 times the industry average.
Featuring a stylish anodized aluminum and glass sealed exterior, the Aether 1 is fitted with sterility filtration to produce a sterile printing environment for food and bio-materials. It is designed with an industrial-strength sprocket gantry system and metal chain.
The Aether 1 bioprinter has a full-color LED lighting system, which includes blacklight LEDs to illuminate fluorescent bio-materials as well as materials that glow in the dark. It features a 13 MP camera, 230x optical 700x digital UV-enabled microscope attachment (optional), and customized machine vision object recognition capabilities (optional) to detect cells and other types of objects. Other features of the Aether 1 include a wi-fi enabled 7” 480p touchscreen display, and a mobile app, where users can track and control their print via a mobile device or smartphone.
The Aether 1 can operate with the users own materials, not with limited and costly proprietary inks. Through automatic air pressure calibration, printing with any material can be done simply at the press of a button.
Aether 1 is the most versatile tool ever created. There's never been anything like this before. Aether 1 is over 10 years ahead of what other companies are developing, but we're selling it at an extremely low price to get it into the hands of as many innovators as possible. We think what the early innovators are going to make with Aether 1 is going to be absolutely incredible. Imagine a single machine that can make beautiful art in entirely new ways, turn photos into paintings and sculptures, even turn food into a work of art, that can also be used to save lives, conduct critical research, and pursue the integration of biology and electronics. People will use this to do big things.
Ryan Franks, CEO, Aether
Bioprinting
Low-end bioprinters lack both quality and capability, while high-end bioprinters are expensive, making them out of reach for a large number of researchers. The Aether 1 exceeds the top bioprinters in terms of accuracy, resolution, overall capability, versatility, the number of extruders, ease of use, and value. It is the only bioprinter that provides LAB, syringe extrusion, and droplet jetting in a single platform. The eight pneumatic syringe extruders in Aether 1 is considerably larger than the number of syringe extruders found on high-end bioprinters. Using bioprinting technology the Aether 1 expands what is possible, and reduces the cost resonably.
3D Food Printing
Using the Aether 1, food professionals, caterers, and chefs can utilize eight food materials in one single print, onto a room-temperature, cold or hot printing surfaces. The 3D bioprinter comes with an all-glass heated syringe extruder that enables melting of sugar, chocolate, cheese, or other materials that need to be melted or heated. Through photo to fabrication technology, a restaurant can capture the photos of customers and print their picture in up to eight materials for dessert. Standard syringe extrusion can be combined with heated syringe extrusion in one print. Through automatic air pressure calibration, simple, reliable and high-quality results can be ensured. Commercially available food printers are quite costly, only enable users to print with one or two materials, and provide inferior print quality. On the other hand, innovative food professionals can benefit from Aether 1, which presents a new world of creativity.
Art
In addition to 3D food printing, Aether 1 allows users to create unique and exclusive art. Users can either create or download digital design files, and can view these files as they are produced in the physical world with real pens, pencils, calligraphy tools or paintbrushes directly onto paper, canvas, or any of the preferred medium, utilizing up to eight art tools instantly. The bio printer automatically integrates paint colors to produce a countless number of hues for robotic painting and drawing, just like a real painter would do manually. Deferent fabrication techniques can be integrated in a single design to make remarkable mixed media art, such as employing a wood canvas to integrate laser engraving, CNC milling, painting, and multi color ceramic extrusion, all in one print from a simple file. Through photo to fabrication technology, users can capture a digital photo by simply pressing a button, and ultimately turning it into an ink drawing, full-color painting, colored pencil drawing, mixed media artwork, ceramic sculpture, etc.
Prototyping
Previously, users would be forced to prototype with a single color of plastic filament. With the Aether 1, true creativity can be realized. The bioprinter enables users to print with two filament materials and any eight viscous materials, all collectively in a single print and all from a single 3D file. Users can now carry out laser engraving or CNC milling on their prototype. Aether 1 outperforms other printable electro-conductive material. It provides a new level of dimension to electronics printing, providing improved value and performance, opposed to other electronics printers.
File-Sharing Website
A file-sharing website has been created by Aether to share multi-fabrication and multi-material type files. It has customized upload forms for individual fabrication types, including food printing, bioprinting, CNC, stereolithography, laser engraving, robotic drawing and painting, binder jetting, laser sintering, and so on.
Users can effortlessly search for designs depending on factors like food or material type, fabrication type, the number of extruders, etc. Other well-known 3D file-sharing sites are only designed for single-extruder FFF printing. In contrast, Aether's site is designed to support a complete range of new fabrication devices and 3D printers, including those that are not designed by Aether. Other 3D file-sharing sites are associated with intellectual property theft and unethical behavior while Aether's site is free from these factors. The file-sharing website by Aether will be introduced in April 2016. This will make it convenient for users to locate and share design files made for the Aether 1 bioprinter.
Pricing and Availability
While actual pricing has not been disclosed yet, Aether 1 is expected to be affordably priced. Aether intends to donate a number of beta units to selected universities, schools, researchers, artists, and chefs in May 2016. Retail versions of Aether 1 will be launched in the second half of 2016.