Introduction
Micro 3D printing or µAM is the process of creating the part with very small features measuring in microns. Current available commercial machines create parts with resolution max up to 25~30 microns. However, the µAM machines provide resolutions of less than 5 microns. Few specialized AM technologies create incredibly tiny parts in nanometers that is 1000 times smaller than micron size. The expanding requirements for microfabricated parts across a wide spectrum of industry such as medical, electronics, automotive etc. has led to the accelerated development of micro-AM technologies. Micro AM creates parts and shapes so tiny in nature that cannot be made by the conventional manufacturing set-up.
There are some specialized conventional manufacturing technologies (micro injection molding) available that can make parts at microscale but not widely available due to high costs & complexity and expertise available with very few companies. On the other hand, µAM provides a viable and cost-effective option to companies to manufacture prototypes and parts at micro/nanoscale from one to a few thousand in the shortest possible time. Currently, most µAM parts are made by resin-based SLA process means photopolymerization by exposing the resin to light. Few companies have developed the capability of making micro-AM parts in metals such as aluminum, copper, steel etc. At present, µAM is a relatively new development and acts as an additional option w.r.t current AM technologies.
Micro AM Technologies
- Micro SLS
- Micro SLA
- Projection MicroStereolithography (PµSL)
- Two-photon polymerization (TPP)
- Lithography-based Metal Manufacturing (LMM)
- Electrochemical deposition
- Nano ink-jetting
Micro SLS
It is the same as typical powder bed fusion technology where a high-intensity laser beam scan in 2D format across the powder bed layer by layer creates the final shape. µSLS usually refer to the metal SLS process. The powder particle size is much smaller than the standard SLS and ultra-thin laser beam ultimately creates the part with very high surface detail with sub 5micron resolution and build speed of more than 60mm3/hr.
In this process, a layer of metal nanoparticle ink is first overlayed onto a s
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