Key Takeaways
1. Speed vs. Accuracy Challenge: Traditional 3D printing struggles with balancing speed and accuracy, limiting large-scale production effectiveness.
2. Introduction of DISH Technology: Tsinghua University’s DISH technology enables high-resolution 3D printing in just 0.6 seconds.
3. Innovative Approach: DISH uses a rapidly spinning periscope instead of rotating samples, allowing for simultaneous projection of 3D light intensity.
4. High-Performance Metrics: DISH achieves a printing speed of 333 cubic millimeters per second with a minimum feature size of 12 micrometers.
5. Future Manufacturing Potential: This technology could revolutionize the production of photonic devices, camera parts, micro-robots, and biological tissue models.
The ongoing struggle between speed and accuracy in 3D printing has greatly hindered its effectiveness in large-scale production. Nevertheless, a team from Tsinghua University, spearheaded by Academician Dai Qionghai, has tackled this major issue head-on. Their findings, published in Nature, introduce a novel technology named digital incoherent synthesis of holographic light fields (DISH), capable of producing high-resolution objects measuring in millimeters in an astonishing 0.6 seconds.
Overcoming Traditional Limitations
Conventional volumetric additive manufacturing methods, like computed axial lithography, necessitate that the sample rotates a full 360°. This rotation can lead to mechanical instability and requires the use of thick resins to stop the object from sinking due to the lengthy printing process.
A New Approach with DISH
DISH completely bypasses this problem by using a distinct method. Rather than rotating the sample, DISH utilizes a rapidly spinning periscope that can turn up to 10 times a second around a still container. This stationary technique allows for the entire three-dimensional light intensity to be projected simultaneously through a single flat optical surface. As a result, DISH achieves an impressive printing speed of 333 cubic millimeters per second, with a minimum feature size of just 12 micrometers.
Because the printing occurs in mere fractions of a second, this technology works perfectly with low-viscosity materials like aqueous PEGDA solutions. The object hardens before gravity can cause it to sink. The researchers have also shown that when DISH is combined with a fluidic channel, it can facilitate the continuous mass production of various structures.
Implications for Future Manufacturing
This rapid printing advancement opens up new possibilities for quickly and efficiently producing photonic computing devices, smartphone camera parts, micro-robots, and intricately detailed biological tissue models.
Nature via CGTN
Source:
Link
Leave a Reply