Artificial leather is produced in a fully automated process

The skin produced in the factory has long been a dream for pharmacists, chemists, and doctors. The research work set out the urgent need for a large amount of skin samples to be tested. These skin samples are used to test products such as skin creams, soaps, detergents, medications and medical tapes that are compatible or irritating to users' skin. Such test results are far more meaningful than animal experiments and even make animal experiments unnecessary.

However, artificial skin is extremely scarce. 'The production of artificial leather is complex and involves a lot of manual work. At the present time, even the key international producers on the market cannot produce more than 2000 small pieces of leather each month. However, EC needs only more than 6.5 million units of leather every year. Demand in industry has far surpassed current capacity, ' Jogr Saxler said. Jogr Saxler and Professor Heike Mertsching are currently collaborating on the 'order-based automatic tissue production' project with Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.

Tissue production is still in its infancy. According to Mr. Mertsching, Dean of the Department of Cell Systems at Fraunhofer Institute of Biotechnology and Biodiversity (IGB) 'Until now, the product has been limited to one-layer skin samples, containing 1 type of cell plan '.

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Fraunhofer Institute is developing the first fully automated leather production system to produce two-layer leather samples . Mr. Saxler is currently working at the Fraunhofer Institute of Manufacturing Technology, where he is in charge of technology management and heads the business unit called 'Technical Science in Life', saying 'engineers and biologists. Our are the only ones who have succeeded in fully automating the production line of 2-layer leather samples. '

In a multi-stage process, in the first stage, small pieces of skin are sterilized. They are then cut into small pieces, modified by certain enzymes and separated into two cell layers. Each layer of this cell is propagated separately on the surface of the original cell. The next step in the process, two types of cells are combined together into a two-layer skin sample, adding collagen to the cells to form flexible dermis. This makes the tissue naturally elastic. In a humid glass cage with human body temperature, the cells need nearly 3 weeks to grow together and form a complete skin sample with a diameter of about 1 cm.

This technique has proven its benefits in practice, however, until now, mass production has yet to be realized due to the costly and complicated process. Mr. Mertsching explained, 'Production is associated with a lot of manual work, which reduces the effectiveness of this method.'

The skin produced in the factory has long been a dream for pharmacists, chemists, and doctors. (Photo: Provided by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft)

The project team, comprising engineers, scientists and technicians from the 4 sub-institutes of the Fraunhofer Institute, is collaborating and working with maximum capacity to automate stages. Researchers at the IGB and Fraunhofer Institute for Immunology and Cellular Therapy are studying the development of the basic and effective biological principles of machines and its operational programs. Experts from Frauhhofer Institute of Production and Automation (IPA) and Fraunhofer Institute of Manufacturing Technology (IPT) are focusing on prototype development, automation and machine involvement in functional systems. Complete power. Saxler remembers, 'In the beginning, the biggest challenge was to overcome existing barriers, because each industry had its own difficulties in its approach.' 'Meanwhile, the 4 sub-institutes all worked very well together. Everyone understands that the process cannot continue without inputs from others. ' After a year of working together, the project team launched eight patented processes.

In the joint office Fraunhofer-Geseellschaft at 2009 BIO, Atlanta, researchers are introducing a computer model of the total system along with three basic programs. The first program prepares tissue samples and isolates 2 types of cells. The second program propagates in quantity. The third program implements and implements a complete skin model. After that, a robot completes packaging.

In the short term, researchers still have a lot of other minor details to do before the machine is completed. Success or failure often depends on details, such as the quality of the skin, the time of enzyme production and the viscosity of the fluid. Furthermore, cell cultures should be well monitored during the production process to provide optimal control and timely elimination of any fungal or bacterial infection. Leather factory is expected to be completed in the next 2 years. 'Our goal is to produce 5000 monthly leather samples with perfect quality, and unit prices below 34 euros. These are attractive levels for the industry, ' Saxler said.

However, it is not only the chemical, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and medical technology companies that have tested the skin's reaction to their products that are interested in automatic tissue production. In the department of implantable medicine, surgeons need to have healthy tissue to replace damaged skin areas when the skin is damaged by burns that account for a large proportion of the body. But the 2-layer leather model that this new machine plans to produce is not suitable for this purpose. Saxler explained 'They have no blood supply. Consequently, after a period of transplantation, they will be eliminated by the body. '

However, IGB researchers are working on a completely complete skin model that eventually contains blood vessels. Once this study is complete, fully automated implant manufacturing procedures can also be performed . 'We design production systems that meet high standards in the production of quality products for medical use' - Mersching explained. 'They are also suitable for the production of artificial leather for transplant purposes.'