Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley developed a new 3D printer that uses light to transform a thick syrupy liquid into a complex solid design in a matter of minutes.

Nicknamed Replicator, after the Star Trek device that can materialize any object on demand, the 3D printer can create objects that are smoother, more flexible and more complex than what is possible with traditional 3D printers. For example, it can add a handle to a screwdriver shaft by plunging the shaft in the resin.

Most 3D printers, including other light-based techniques, build up 3D objects layer by layer.  This leads to a “stair-step” effect along the edges. They also have difficulties creating flexible objects because bendable materials could deform during the printing process, and supports are required to print objects of certain shapes, like arches.

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The new printer relies on a viscous liquid that transforms into a solid when exposed to a certain amount of light. That light is precisely projected as a carefully crafted pattern into a transparent rotating cylinder of the liquid that solidifies into the printed object “all at once.”

Researchers explain that their technology was inspired by CT scans. Indeed, CT scans project most of the time X-rays into the body from all different angles and the patterns reveal the geometry of the object. “Essentially we reversed that principle, we are trying to create an object rather than measure an object, but actually a lot of the underlying theory that enables us to do this can be translated from the theory that underlies computed tomography.”

Finally, they had to use a liquid that doesn’t solidify when even a few rays of light pass through it. The researchers had to use 3D-printing resin composed of liquid polymers mixed with photosensitive molecules and dissolved oxygen perfect for this process. The unused resin can be 100% recycled by heating it up in an oxygen atmosphere.

Source https://www.sciencedaily.com/
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