Assistant Professor Yi Yang from DTU Chemistry has been awarded a Villum Experiment grant of 2 MDKK for developing an ultra-fast, revolutionary 3D printer.
Current 3D printers can produce impressive parts and realistic looking copies of, e.g., animal figures. However, the printing technology has several challenges to overcome; the printers operate relatively slowly because they print point by point or layer by layer, and in addition, it is difficult to vary the softness of the object and control other built-in properties.
At DTU Chemistry Assistant Professor Yi Yang is developing a 3D printer based on light dose distribution, which isn't challenged by the complexity of the desired object.
“By exposing a liquid, light-sensitive plastic resin mass to certain light waves and doses, we will be able to construct objects consisting of several elements with built-in properties. The printing takes place instantly and with great precision because the process is only light-dependent,” says Yi Yang.
He has just received a Villum Experiment grant of 2 MDKK for the project to hire a postdoc and a technical-administrative employee.
"I am incredibly pleased with the grant, which provides great conditions to develop our prototype that already shows promising perspectives for the future of 3D printing," he says.
CT picture controls the printing
The new 3D printer uses computer-generated templates built as CT scans to control the light rays hitting the liquid plastic mass. The printer will, e.g., be able to control the softness of the heart, brain, body and lightsaber on a figure of Star Wars hero Yoda.
The Villum Experiment Programme has been created for research projects in technical and natural sciences that challenge the norm and have the potential fundamentally to change the way we approach important subjects.
The overall success rate for applicants for this year’s Experiment is just over 13%.
Source: The Velux Foundations