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Chip guided beam for new portable 3D printers

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2024-06-18 15:54:21
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Imagine being able to carry a 3D printer with you and quickly create low-cost objects, such as fastening bicycle wheels or parts needed for critical medical surgeries. Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Texas at Austin have combined silicon photonics and photochemical technology to successfully develop the first chip based 3D printer, taking a crucial step towards realizing the aforementioned ideas. The relevant paper was published in the latest issue of the journal Light: Science&Applications.

Yelena Natalas, senior author of the paper and professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, stated that her team has previously developed an integrated optical phased array system, which uses a series of micro antennas placed on the chip to control the beam of light and move it in a specific direction. The research team aims to explore whether this device can be used to manufacture chip based 3D printers. At the same time, the research team at the University of Texas at Austin demonstrated for the first time a specialized resin that can be rapidly cured using visible light. The two teams hit it off and the first chip based 3D printer emerged.

The 3D printer prototype consists of a single photon chip containing a 160 nanometer thick optical antenna array, and the entire chip can be placed on a coin. The chip can emit reconfigurable beams of light into the synthetic resin trap. When the beam of light shines on it, the synthetic resin trap solidifies into a solid shape and can be fully formed within a few seconds.

The research team points out that this portable 3D printer is expected to be applied in multiple fields. For example, clinical doctors can customize medical equipment for patients, engineers can quickly create prototypes of parts on the job site, and so on.

Source: Science and Technology Daily

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