Embedded 3D Printing With Liquids On A Bricked Prusa FDM Printer

A hobbyist converted a broken Prusa i3 FDM printer into an embedded 3D printing (E3DP) rig by replacing the hot-end with a syringe system, an open-source Allstruder syringe pump, and a Duet 3 motherboard. E3DP extrudes liquids into a supportive medium rather than air, enabling printing of materials impossible with standard FDM, such as soft robotics components, biological tissue, and microfluidics. The build progressed through test prints in cream cheese, then two-part epoxy in hair gel (which failed to cure due to chemical incompatibility), and finally Sylgard 184 silicone, which also struggled to cure fully in the hair gel medium. Recent academic reviews and papers on E3DP techniques, supportive media, and challenges like printing Newtonian fluids and living tissue are referenced for context.

Source: https://hackaday.com/2026/10/09/embedded-3d-printing-with-liquids-on-a-bricked-prusa-fdm-printer. 8 Sync News only summarizes and links out; content copyright belongs to the authors and original sources.