Tuneable photochemistry outpaces layered approach to 3D fabrication

Developed by Carbon3D Inc, the new method lets objects continuously rise from a liquid media rather than being built layer by layer.

The technology reportedly allows products to be made 25 to 100 times faster than other methods and creates previously unachievable geometries that open opportunities for innovation not only in health care and medicine, but also in industries that include automotive and aerospace.

Joseph M. DeSimone, professor of chemistry at UNC-Chapel Hill and of chemical engineering at N.C. State, is currently CEO of Carbon3D where he co-invented the method with colleagues Alex Ermoshkin, chief technology officer at Carbon 3D and Edward T. Samulski, also professor of chemistry at UNC.

Dubbed CLIP - Continuous Liquid Interface Production – the technology manipulates light and oxygen to fuse objects in liquid media, creating the first 3D printing process that uses tunable photochemistry instead of the layer-by-layer approach that has defined the technology for decades.