Communications of the ACM
Printing Tiny, High-Precision Objects in Seconds
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne researchers have developed a high-precision technique for printing small, soft objects in three dimensions in seconds.
Credit: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) have developed a high-precision technique for three-dimensionally (3D) printing small, soft objects in seconds.
The method employs the principles of tomography, in which models of objects are constructed from surface scans.
The printer transmits a laser through a translucent gel that is either organic or liquid plastic, hardening the material as algorithms calculate the areas the laser targets, the beam's angles, and intensity.
The system currently produces 2cm structures with 80-micrometer precision, and new devices should be able to print larger objects, potentially up to 15 centimeters.
The researchers partnered with a surgeon to test 3D-printed arteries fabricated with this method, and the technology could potentially have bioprinting applications due to its ability to print solid objects of different textures.
From EPFL (Switzerland)
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Abstracts Copyright © 2020 SmithBucklin, Washington, DC, USA
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