company news about UV light curing + intelligent dissolution accelerates 3D printing into the "zero waste era"

UV light curing + intelligent dissolution accelerates 3D printing into the "zero waste era"

  Researchers have developed a new method for stereolithography 3D printing that uses a photosensitive resin that forms durable structures and dissolvable supports depending on the type of light it's exposed to. Ultraviolet (UV) light hardens the resin into a strong, permanent shape, while visible light creates weaker supports that dissolve in specific solvents. This new method eliminates the need for manual post-processing such as cutting or filing, which speeds up production and minimizes waste. Now you can print multi-part, functional assemblies with removable or interlocking parts in a single print, and essentially wash away the supports. Instead of throwing the material away, you can recycle it on-site, reducing waste. That's the ultimate goal.

  How it works: Dual-cure resin innovation
The traditional vat photopolymerization (VPP) process starts with a 3D digital model containing the object and small support structures. The model is sliced into slices and fed into a VPP 3D printer, where it is built layer by layer. Once the print is complete, the platform removes the part from the resin tank, rinses away excess resin, and manually removes and discards the temporary supports. "Most of the time, these supports end up generating a lot of waste," Diaco says. To address this challenge, the researchers developed a dual-cure resin composed of two monomers that react distinctly to light. UV exposure induces the formation of strong, permanent structures, while visible light triggers the creation of weaker, soluble supports that degrade in a variety of food-safe liquids, including baby oil. Remarkably, these supports can also dissolve in the primary liquid component of the original resin, facilitating the continued recycling of the material.

  Not only that, the researchers overcame this limitation by introducing a third "bridging" monomer that helps the two original monomers bond under UV light to form a stronger framework. This improvement enabled them to print both durable 3D structures and dissolvable supports by alternating between UV and visible light in a single printing process. The research team successfully printed a range of designs using this method, including interlocking gears, lattice frames, and miniature dinosaurs encased in dissolvable egg-shaped shells.

  This technology opens up new possibilities for scaling polymer 3D printing more sustainably. "We will continue to investigate the limits of our process and hope to develop more resins with this wavelength selectivity and the mechanical properties needed for durable products," said Hart. "Combined with automated part handling and closed-loop reuse of dissolved resins, this is an exciting path towards resource-efficient and cost-effective large-scale polymer 3D printing."