Jul 2, 2018 | By Thomas
In a collaboration with visual artist Michel Paysant, French company Microlight3D has created what it is calling the tiniest 3D printed self-portrait in the world.
It all started with an idea by Michel Paysant. Paysant, who has exhibited at the Louvre, is specialized in combining arts and new technologies to create visual works including a series of self-portraits. One day he decided to contact Microlight3D, manufacturer of high-precision 3D printers to 3D print his own head.
Visual artist Michel Paysant
Grenoble, France-based company Microlight3D has been selling its high-resolution 3D printers since January 2017. Its 15 years of research into two-photon polymerization at the University Grenoble-Alpes has led to a great deal of expertise in 3D-microprinting and applications.
Paysant 3D scanned his own head and sent the high-resolution digital file to Microlight3D. Michel Bouriau, CTO of the company, handled the 3D printing and 3D printed it at a resolution of 0.2 microns, or 0.0002 millimeters. This resolution requires a microscope to see. The 3D-printed head has a height of 80 microns, or 0.08 millimeters. They're about the size of an ant's eye, so tiny you need a magnifying glass to see it.
All images credit: Microlight3D
Paysant’s nanoscale 3D printed sculpture is now displayed at the Artotheque FRAC Limousin New Aquitaine from June 27th to November 3rd. For this exhibition, Microlight3D has added a thin layer of gold (100nm thick) to the surface of the sculpture.
We are closing in on a time when precise, complex engineering at the submicron level is commonplace. Even though nanoscale 3D printing is just getting started, the race for the fastest, most capable 3D printer is already on.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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