Chinese researchers accomplish millimeter-scale 3D printing in 0.6 seconds

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Chinese researchers have accomplished millimeter-scale 3D printing in less than one second, setting a new speed record, Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday.

A team of scientists developed a high-speed 3D printing technology that can produce complex millimeter-scale objects with high resolution in 0.6 seconds, according to a study published in Nature.

Led by Dai Qionghai of Tsinghua University, the team used computational optics to manipulate high-dimensional holographic light fields and create three-dimensional structures, an innovative approach to improving 3D printing.

After five years of research, they developed a method called digital incoherent synthesis of holographic light fields (DISH) 3D printing technology.

The technology can complete the fabrication of millimeter-scale complex structures in just 0.6 seconds, achieving a minimum printable structure size of 12 micrometers and a printing rate of up to 333 cubic millimeters per second.

DISH eliminates the speed limits of point-by-point and layer-by-layer scanning by rapidly projecting complex 3D light patterns, enabling fast and precise object printing.

It also requires only a single flat optical surface, with no special container design or high-precision motion during printing.

DISH could enable mass production of micro-components such as photonic chips and camera modules, and may later be applied to flexible electronics, micro-robots, and high-resolution tissue models.