Technical Information

Laminated Resin Printing uses elements of microfabrication-based photolithography, reformatted for 3D printing.

Extreme resolution modern dry film photoresist resins are imaged a layer at a time, using a fast-ultraviolet projection system, activating a photoinitiator.  After imaging, each section of the dry film is laminated to form a multilayer stack.  The stack is then heat cured through a precisely controlled catalytic cross-linking reaction in the activated areas forming a structure fully polymerised across and between layers, with no need for adhesives. 

The unpatterned resin provides support material for the printed structure.  This means that if you can design it, you can print it.  Overhangs, membranes and moving parts that make up microsensors are readily printed and well matched to the resin storage modulus.  Unpolymerised resin is highly soluble and easily washed away.

Using a preformed 5-micron thick resist sheet defines Z resolution with a layer thickness tolerance of 125 nanometers.  Because the resist is already dry, there is no shrinkage or distortion, meaning this resolution is genuine and highly repeatable.  A 5-micron resolution is also obtained in both X and Y, defined by the pixel size from the projector at the print bed.  The photoresists used are an industry standard material with excellent characteristics that enable them to withstand the harshest environments.

These processes are automated and housed in a UV-excluding, particulate free desktop machine.