New 3D printer uses rays of light to shape objects, transform product design
1. 2. 2019 | UC Berkeley | www.berkeley.edu
A new 3D printer uses light to transform gooey liquids into complex solid objects in only a matter of minutes.
The 3D printer can create objects that are smoother, more flexible and more complex than what is possible with traditional 3D printers. It can also encase an already existing object with new materials — for instance, adding a handle to a metal screwdriver shaft — which current printers struggle to do.
The new printer relies on a viscous liquid that reacts to form a solid when exposed to a certain threshold of light. Projecting carefully crafted patterns of light — essentially “movies” — onto a rotating cylinder of liquid solidifies the desired shape “all at once.” The technology has the potential to transform how products from prosthetics to eyeglass lenses are designed and manufactured, the researchers say.
Read more at UC Berkeley
Image Credit: Hayden Taylor
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