3-D printing, a buzz word in the field of technology, along with buzzing it also brings in lots of useful applications. But the major limitation with the current technology is the time consumption. The new study by researchers from University of Michigan is addressing this issue with a method of printing called continuous stereo-lithographic printing.
In this method, 3-D objects are made from the vat of liquid resin in the presence of two light sources instead of conventional layer technique where the plastic filaments are used to make multiple layers. By using light sources this process is 100 times faster than the conventional 3-D printing process. Here, two lights are used to solidify the liquid resin as well as to maintain the fluidity thus the researchers managed to build more sophisticated patterns.
“It’s one of the first true 3-D printers ever made,” said Mark A. Burns, professor of chemical engineering and biomedical engineering and corresponding author of this paper.
Before this 3-D printing approach the printing speed range was only from a few millimetres to several centimetres per hour but now the speed could be increased to 2 meters per hour. According to the researchers, this printing technique will be effectively increase the productivity of 3D printed object industries.
“You can get much tougher, much more wear-resistant materials,” said Timothy F. Scott, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan and also the corresponding author of this paper.
3-D printing technology is being widely used in the field of industrial design, jewellery, footwear, architecture, automotive, aerospace, dental and medical industries, education, geographic information system, civil engineering. It is evident that the 3-D printing technology is evolving and, in the future, the 3-D printing industry will rapidly transform the manufacturing enterprises.
Source: Science Advances 11 Jan 2019: Vol. 5, no. 1, eaau8723
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau8723
Article by Kartikay Shukla
Edited by M R Raghul
He is a PhD scholar in Science and Technology Communication in National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (erstwhile CSIR-NISCAIR) one of the prestigious labs of CSIR in India. He is trained in popularizing science through writing, graphic designing and outreach programs. Currently, he is associated with an NGO name Search for Truth and Return to Science as a volunteer. He did his Master of Science in Science and Technology Communication from CSIR- National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR), New Delhi and he completed his Bachelor of Science in Physics, Computer Science and Mathematics from Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar Uttarakhand.
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