3D Bioprinting Simulator | mysimulator.uk

Extrusion Bioprinter

Print speed 8 mm/s

Nozzle diameter 300 µm

Bioink viscosity 120 mPa·s

Extrusion viability

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Wall shear stress

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Within O₂ diffusion

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Layers printed

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How it works

An extrusion bioprinter pushes bioink — living cells suspended in a hydrogel — through a nozzle in a raster path, building a tissue construct one layer at a time. Two competing failure modes decide whether the printed cells survive: mechanical damage from being squeezed through the nozzle, and starvation once the tissue gets too thick for oxygen to reach its core.

τ = 8·η·v / d        (wall shear stress in the nozzle)
viability ≈ 100%·e^(−τ / 40)   (shear-induced cell damage)
alive only if distance to nearest vessel/surface ≤ diffusion limit

Print speed — faster extrusion raises the shear stress cells feel while passing through the nozzle.
Nozzle diameter — a narrower nozzle prints finer, higher-resolution layers but squeezes cells harder, raising shear stress; it also sets how many layers are needed to build the same construct.
Bioink viscosity — thicker bioink holds its printed shape better but transmits more shear stress to the cells at a given speed.
Vascular channels — carves hollow perfusion channels through the construct so interior cells stay within the ~200 µm oxygen diffusion range instead of dying once the tissue thickens.

Real-world relevance: this shear/viability trade-off is why bioprinting groups tune nozzle geometry and print speed per bioink, and why every real bioprinted organ needs a built-in vascular network — without one, any tissue thicker than roughly 200 µm starves its own core.

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