July 2, 2015 | By Alec
Big things are happening in the world of resin 3D printing. While the vast majority of 3D printing enthusiasts like us are still tied to FDM desktop machines and only dreaming of more expensive SLA or SLS 3D printers, that market could be changing over the coming years. After all, competition is excellent for pushing down prices, and competition for the few current resin 3D printers (such as the Form 1+) is definitely coming. Over the past few years, we’ve seen exactly what Carbon3D’s CLIP 3D printing can do, and now another alternative has been unveiled in South Korea: The Morpheus AM 3D printer, which relies on the hitherto unknown LIPS technology.
Of course, 3D printing expo’s are always great for finding exciting new 3D printers, and the Inside 3D Printing Seoul Conference and Expo last week proved to be a veritable gold mine. Among the forthcoming machines was the Morpheus 3D printer, which is currently being developed by US-Korean start-up Owl Works. Developed by Korean engineer Park SeongJin, this mysterious machine could be just what the resin 3D printing market needs.
Now, surprisingly little is so far known about this interesting machine, but more is set to be unveiled on a Kickstart campaign that will be launched some time in July 2015. We could therefore be getting ahead of itself, but it is currently looking like this machine is everything but a clone of the Form 1+ or the Carbon3D machine. Most significantly, it doesn’t rely on lasers, DLP projection or even CLIP technology. Instead, the Morpheus uses LIPS 3D printing, which is short for Light Induced Planar Solidification. This employs a commercial grade LCD to create photo masks on resin surfaces, followed by UV light curing. The big difference with CLIP here is that it doesn’t rely on chemical reactions, but on a mechanical operation.
Aside from its interesting LCD 3D printing technology, little else is known. The system is thought to be 3D printing at a resolution of 170 microns, with a layer height in the range of 25 to 300 microns. According to Owl Works, the build volume of this upcoming machine is 13 x 7.1 x 7.9 inches (or 33 x 18 x 20 cm), and it takes about 30 seconds per layer. Its price tag is expected to be in the neighborhood of $3,000.
And it printing quality, from what we know, looks pretty good! As you can see in the clip below, the Owl Works team has used it to 3D print a gorgeous resin version of a Notre Dame miniature. That, along with the price range suggests that the Morpheus is really shaping up to be an interesting machine. Will it – as the character in the 1990s The Matrix – open our eyes to a new world of 3D printing as well? We will keep you updated as soon as we learn more about it.
Posted in 3D Printers
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That rook actually looks pretty horrible, compared to what you can get from a Form1+. Also, all the mentions od the Carbon3D printer are fairly misleading, as it's (still) not a commercial product (not to mention it really doesn't offer anything new, compared to other existing and available DLP printers, apart from the semipermeable membrane).
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