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Three-dimensional printing of large objects with high resolution by scanning lithography

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Abstract

Stereolithography (SLA)-based three-dimensional (3D) printing is widely used in both industrial and consumer markets for prototyping and concept validation. It also plays an important role in aircraft industry as it offers advantages in surface finish and high precision. Despite the extensive usage, the combination of large volume, high resolution, and high speed is hard to achieve. This paper presents a 3D printing technology that allows a UV projector to continuously cure resin while scanning over the build area. To print large objects, 3D models are sliced into layer-by-layer, high-resolution image “maps”. Each “map” is further divided into sub-region images that are dynamically exposed to the photocurable materials and synchronized with the scanning of the projector, causing a still exposure pattern to appear on the build area. Therefore, large objects with delicate details can be printed layer-by-layer. As such, customized build volumes on a large scale (greater than 1 m3) can be achieved with micro-scale features. Along with a wiping system, this technique is compatible with various materials, leading to the direct manufacturing of final parts from photocurable materials. Furthermore, this technique shows advantages over existing large-scale DLP printing methods regarding both printing speed and material flexural properties. This technique can be implemented at design workflow in the aerospacing industry by facilitating design communication, validation, pre-production, and even assisting in producing final parts.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Steven Lee for research assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, 558 Packard Lab, 19 Memorial Drive West, Bethlehem, PA, 18015, USA

    Ran He, Justin Landowne, Doruk Yunus & Yaling Liu

  2. Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, 18015, USA

    James Currie & Joachim Amoah

  3. Department of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, 18015, USA

    Wentao Shi & Yaling Liu

Authors
  1. Ran He
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  2. Justin Landowne
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  3. James Currie
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  4. Joachim Amoah
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  5. Wentao Shi
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  6. Doruk Yunus
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  7. Yaling Liu
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Correspondence to Yaling Liu.

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He, R., Landowne, J., Currie, J. et al. Three-dimensional printing of large objects with high resolution by scanning lithography. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 105, 4147–4157 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-019-03862-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-019-03862-4

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