NEW TECHNOLOGIES | FEATURE Additive Manufacturing on the Micrometer Scale Opens New Dimensions
<< Figure 1: Nanoscribe’s 3D printer offers a multitude of applications on the micrometer scale for tasks in science and industry. >>
<< Figure 2: Example of a micro optical element: Fresnel lens. >>
In recent times, additive manufacturing (AM) or three-dimensional (3D) printing has experienced an extensive media coverage with ever-spectacular developments. While AM has been used for years as the de facto standard for rapid prototyping in architectural, aerospace and engineering applications, the technology has disruptive innovation potential in a variety of industrial and scientific fields.
Driven by the general trend of miniaturisation, there is a growing demand for high-resolution 3D printers on the micrometer scale. Using the novel technique of 3D laser lithography, AM overcomes size and shape complexity constraints in conventional manufacturing methods, enabling the fabrication of complex micro scaled parts. Market and technology leader in the field of 3D laser lithography, a German company Nanoscribe, is the manufacturer of the highest-resolution 3D printer Photonic Professional GT. Te groundbreaking performance of this device was recognised most recently in February 2014 by being awarded a Prism Award in San Francisco in the category “Advanced Manufacturing” (figure 1).
Te 3D printing technology for the micrometer scale is based on two-photon polymerisation of photopolymers. Tis method enables the fabrication of micro-sized parts with heights from a few hundred nanometers up to several millimeters and layer thicknesses well below 1 µm.
Optical interconnects, micro machines and further applications
Te combination of AM and micro technology has the potential to solve the challenges of tomorrow; it connects design freedom with submicrometer resolution. Various applications profit from these benefits or are even initially made possible. For example, micro optical elements like lenses (figure 2), prisms or light-guides can be directly printed onto opto-electronic components at wafer level. Mechanical micro parts with very high complexity are used for biomedical applications or MEMS devices. Te micro gear with moveable gearwheels (figure 3) as another example was fabricated using a Photonic Professional GT system and demonstrates the possibilities for functional integration.
Further examples of applications can be found in micro fluidics, e.g. the prototype of a miniature nozzle with a diameter of one millimeter fabricated for the precise formation of liquid micro droplets (figure 4).
Materials
A wide range of materials with different optical, mechanical, electronic and chemical/biological properties has been validated successfully for direct laser writing. Along the list of compatible
30 | commercial micro manufacturing international Vol 7 No.6
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