RepRapMicron uses light to print a half-millimetre boat
RepRapMicron’s PIKA print head guides light into a liquid that hardens under it; the builder has shown a half-millimetre boat. The method could help explore tiny parts, such as a flexible joint. Sections that extend out over empty space remain difficult to print.
How can light build an object?
The resin is a special liquid that hardens under ultraviolet light. A thin glass strand, called an optical fibre, carries the light to the printing area. Moving its tip hardens selected parts of the liquid to form a shape.
What does the demonstration establish?
Hackaday reported the method on 23 October. The project’s own guide, edited on 24 October, shows the test boat and describes the process. A print is initially soft and needs washing and final hardening. Light can also harden liquid below an overhanging section and spoil its shape, a limitation described in the guide. Ultraviolet light is hazardous to eyes.