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Mass production of 3-D microstructures using projection microstereolithography

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology volume 22, pages 514–521 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Microstereolithography (MSL) technology is derived from the conventional stereolithography process and can meet the demands for fabricating complex 3-D microstructures with high resolution. This technology can be divided into scanning and projection methods, which have different levels of precision and fabrication speeds. Scanning MSL fabricates very fine 3-D microstructures by controlling the position of the laser spot on the resin surface. Projection MSL quickly fabricates one layer with one exposure using a mask. In this paper, we propose a projection MSL system with uniform illumination and image formation based on optical design for fabricating microstructure arrays. This system can realize mass production of 3-D microstructures in the meso-range, which falls between micro-and macro-ranges, with a resolution of a few microns. Microstructure arrays were fabricated to verify the performance of the proposed system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute of Mechanical Technology, Pusan National University, San 30 Jangjeon-dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan, 609-735, Korea

    Young Myoung Ha

  2. W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79902, USA

    Jae Won Choi

  3. School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, San 30 Jangjeon-dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan, 609-735, Korea

    Seok Hee Lee

Authors
  1. Young Myoung Ha
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  2. Jae Won Choi
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  3. Seok Hee Lee
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Correspondence to Seok Hee Lee.

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Ha, Y.M., Choi, J.W. & Lee, S.H. Mass production of 3-D microstructures using projection microstereolithography. J Mech Sci Technol 22, 514–521 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-007-1031-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-007-1031-8

Keywords

  • Microstereolithography
  • Microstructure arrays
  • Mass production