Development of a multi-material stereolithography 3D printing device

Micromachines (Basel). 2020 May 22;11(5):532. doi: 10.3390/mi11050532.

Abstract

Additive manufacturing, or nowadays more popularly entitled as 3D printing, enables a fast realization of polymer, metal, ceramic or composite devices, which often cannot be fabricated with conventional methods. One critical issue for a continuation of this success story is the generation of multi-material devices. Whilst in fused filament fabrication or 3D InkJet printing, commercial solutions have been realized, in stereolithography only very few attempts have been seen. In this work, a comprehensive approach, covering the construction, material development, software control and multi-material printing is presented for the fabrication of structural details in the micrometer range. The work concludes with a critical evaluation and possible improvements.

Keywords: additive manufacturing; multi-material 3D printing; photopolymers; stereolithography.