At the University of Michigan, researchers have developed a new 3D printing method which is 100 times faster than normal. The paper published in the journal Science Advances described the new process; it promises faster and more efficient small-scale manufacturing by allowing very quick production of items. The researchers are using light to shape resins in a vat of liquid. Contrary to the conventional method which would be to 3D print an object by building up plastic filaments layer by layer, it is less time consuming.
3D printing has led to major savings by reducing the need to invest in moulds (which can cost more than $10,000) for relatively small manufacturing jobs. However, one inconvenience which remains is the production timescale which has not been able catch up to a typical one. As Timothy Scott, an associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of Michigan explained, you would need hundreds of machines if you were trying to produce at a decent pace. Instead, the new method of 3D printing is very quick. Their method solidifies the liquid resin using two lights to control where the resin is hardened and where it stays fluid.
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