Prusa I3 Based Ultrasonic Laser Resin 3D Printer

Team of scientists hacked a Prusa I3 to develop new 3d printing process that uses laser to solidify ultrasound arranged resin fiber particle in a small vat.
A laser diode module was mounted on the print head to cure the resin, with an emitting power of 50 mW. The laser diode was housed in a shroud, and was focused using a single 6 mm diameter lens, with a focal length of 20 mm. The small vat sized at 35mmx35mm was filled with low viscosity photocurable resin (Spot-A LV) and commercially sourced glass microfibres (Lanxess MF7904, length 50 μm, 14 μm). Ultrasonic transducer gives resin floating fiber the shape and laser solidifies it.
It is a new form of stereolithography which could see some upscaling into more capable machines.





Detailed article and scientific paper "3D printed components with ultrasonically arranged microscale structure" can be found at:

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0964-1726/25/2/02LT01

Source post:

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2016/january/3d-printer.html

The printed object and close-up of the object showing its very small layers.

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SprintRay MoonRay High Resolution UV DLP 3D Printer

SprintRay presented their MoonRay high resolution UV DLP 3D printer. It will be priced at  3499 USD.

Key features:

• Custom-built projector for 3D printing fine details: MoonRay’s resin requires UV light for proper curing. Other similar 3D printers use commercial projectors, which produce visible light but not pure UV light. The advantages of the custom UV LED projector in MoonRay are in the resolution and curing process. The MoonRay’s UV projector, RayOne, was custom designed with some special qualities:
• Perfect light spectrum: The resin used for 3D printing cures under light with a 405nm wavelength. The custom-built projector hits the proper wavelength consistently across the build platform, which allows you to get real 100-micron resolution.
• Runs cool and quiet: Utilizing a UV projector allows the MoonRay to avoid any overheating and makes it much quieter than other 3D printers.
• Long lifespan: RayOne’s 50,000-hour lifespan means you won’t ever need to replace the bulb.
• Revolutionary resin tank: the team designed the MoonRay’s resin tank to last, so there’s no more replacing your printer’s resin tank or changing the PDMS layer

MoonRay presentation:




Here is MoonRay on CES 2016 with more detailed presentation:




... it makes very fine objects like this 3d printed cloth:



SprintRay homepage:

http://www.global.sprintray.us/moonray

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3D Systems SLAbot-1 Stereolitographic Robotic Manufacturing Cell

SLAbot-1 is a robotic arm which is used as a stereolitography apparatus in a small self-contained manufacturing cell. It enables very fast 3d printing based on resin and projection device and further manipulation of produced object. It is a concept demonstration but it could be used in some future manufacturing setting providing customized 3d printed parts.


3D Systems describe it as:

The SLAbot-1 uses an industrial robotic arm, producing parts in sequence. This modular, assembly-line-ready additive manufacturing can be configured in large arrays and enables distributed, automated, high-speed, customized manufacturing.

Here is SLAbot-1 in action:





Here is a more detailed presentation of the system which is based on a patent that is 30 years old:




SLAbot is clearly based on DENSO Robotics arm.

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Resin based 3d printable ceramic with high-end properties

Scientists at HRL developed new resin ceramic material that can be 3d printed using stereolitography and has high strength and resistance to temperature. Amazing advances!


Project summary:

Researchers at HRL Laboratories, LLC, have achieved a new milestone in 3D printing technology by demonstrating an approach to additively manufacture ceramics that overcomes the limits of traditional ceramic processing and enables high temperature, high strength ceramic components.

HRL’s Senior Chemical Engineer Zak Eckel and Senior Chemist Dr. Chaoyin Zhou invented a resin formulation that can be 3D printed into parts of virtually any shape and size. The printed resin can then be fired, converting it into a high strength, fully dense ceramic. The resulting material can withstand ultrahigh temperatures in excess of 1700°C and exhibits strength ten times higher than similar materials.

Ceramics are much more difficult to process than polymers or metals because they cannot be cast or machined easily. Traditionally ceramic parts are consolidated from powders by sintering, which introduces porosity and limits both achievable shapes and final strength. "With our new 3D printing process we can take full advantage of the many desirable properties of this silicon oxycarbide ceramic, including high hardness, strength and temperature capability as well as resistance to abrasion and corrosion." says program manager Dr. Tobias Schaedler.

The novel process and material could be used in a wide range of applications from large components in jet engines and hypersonic vehicles to intricate parts in microelectromechanical systems and electronic device packaging.

HRL Laboratories page:

http://www.hrl.com/news/2016/0101/

The HRL team’s research paper, "Additive Manufacturing of Polymer Derived Ceramics," has been published in the January 1st issue of Science.

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