Specialist laboratory equipment costs an absolute fortune - but scientists can now use 3D printing technology to build the equipment they need at a fraction of the cost.
Open hardware mixer board Photo: (Flickr user Cameron CC BY-SA 2.0)
Oftentimes a large portion of research money ends up getting swallowed buying kit. Lab machines are expensive and the market is relatively small so the mark-up is huge. That’s why more scientists are discovering they can do a better job themselves (and save valuable research funds along the way) by sharing technical plans and using 3D printing technology to make parts.
Wind direction anemometer Photo: (Open Source)
Joshua Pearce is an engineer at Michigan Technological University who has written a guidebook for scientists on how to create a low-cost lab.
