The 3d printers they are no longer so strange to citizens. The passage of time is demonstrating the great benefits and the large number of uses for which they can serve; However, one of its disadvantages is the long time they need to print.
This problem may be nearing an end. A group of researchers has managed to create a 3D printing method 100 times faster that the current ones using the light.
100 times faster 3D printing
A group of experts from the University of Michigan has devised a 3D printing system that vastly improves conventional mechanisms. In fact, it’s up to 100 times faster.
The method used by the researchers is a variation of the stereolithography (SLA), reports Digital Trends. This type of 3D printing is characterized by projecting a two-dimensional image onto a photoreactive liquid resin, resulting in a solid layer. Stacking these layers is possible to generate a three-dimensional object.
Light is the solution
Conventional printing is much slower due to the passage between each layer. two lights to control where the resin hardens and where it maintains a liquid state. Thus, it is possible to solidify the retina much more quickly and simultaneously; In addition, 3D printing is done in one pass and not layered 2D.
Timothy Scott, one of the project leaders, has stated that thanks to his technique, it will be possible to obtain much stronger materials than the current ones. Quitting using oxygen to use light has been the determining factor. Conventional 3D printers can only make small products that need to be handled gently.
The University of Michigan has wasted no time and has already filed three patent applications to protect its technology. Similarly, Scott is preparing to launch his own start-up.
Large-scale 3D printing
The success of this new system can mean a new paradigm shift in 3D printing. Until now, printing of this typeon a large scaleit was impossible due to the slowness of the process; however, one of the researchers reported to the cited medium that the probability of marketing the product is very high.
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We have already begun to see the benefits of 3D printing for fields as relevant as medicine; But, if technologies like those of these researchers continue to appear, perhaps 3D printers can acquire a new role in our lives.
Featured Photo: Michigan Engineering- University of Michigan