www.3ders.org

Feb 22, 2017 | By David

As groundbreaking as developments in 3D printing technology are, the fact that it is still in its relative infancy means that issues can arise that may limit its potential applications. One major problem affecting users of the technology is the choice between making objects with geometrically precise surfaces, or objects with good material properties. Objects which fulfill both criteria are currently very difficult to produce. However, a team of researchers at the Vienna University of Technology has found what could be a very promising solution. Cubicure, the start-up created as a result of their work, has developed a new process using liquid photopolymers for 3D printing that have significantly enhanced properties.

Professor Jurgen Stampfl, from the Institute of Materials Science and Technology, explains that using existing methods for 3D printing, ''you can either achieve good surface quality and geometrical precision or produce objects with good material properties. Both at the same time is hardly possible; that’s the dilemma.''  For several years his team has been working on an entirely new technique of producing 3D printed objects that will allow for objects with properties more suitable to a wider range of projects.

The process they have developed employs a method known as ‘Hot Stereolithography’, as well as a special coating technique, which allows high performance polymers to be used. The extremely viscous, sticky materials used have improved features which allow for a much more efficient use of the technology. Compared to the brittle polymers that are currently on the market, these polymers are very strong and resistant to impact, and they are also designed to withstand temperatures of up to 100 degrees Celsius. Along with these improved qualities, they also maintain the qualities of geometrical precision associated with precision injection moulding.

Cubicure’s developments meet the requirements of both process engineering and material engineering, and their molecular optimisation of their materials offers a much faster and more cost-effective alternative to current solutions on the market. Understandably then, their project has garnered some serious attention in the manufacturing industry. A major Swiss manufacturer of aircraft and satellite antennas wants to use their technology, as does a manufacturer of micro ball bearings, and the automotive industry has also expressed serious interest in what they have to offer.

The Viennese company, which was established in 2015 after the publication of researcher Robert Gmeiner’s doctorate for the Institute of Materials Science and Technology, is currently being backed by leading 3D printer manufacturer EOS. Gmeiner hopes to have up to 40 employees in the next five years to meet the increasing demand for Cubicure’s work, and their first mass produced printer using hot stereolithography will be revealed this May at the Austrian 3D Printing Forum in Linz. We hope to see the potential of this new 3D printing process realized to its fullest, as the technology continues to show its adaptability to the needs of the market and to inspire new innovations in production and manufacturing.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Technology

 

 

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