नई दो-लेज़र तकनीकों के साथ 3D प्रिंटिंग की पहुँच में सुधार, लागत कम करने के लिए तैयार

A group of innovative researchers discovered a way to reduce 3d printing costs and improve performance via a new two-laser printing method. The Purdue University team published a detailed अध्ययन of their findings in the scientific journal Optics Express. The study delves into the details of an advanced dual-color laser additive manufacturing technique that enhances the current Two-photon polymerization model. Here’s everything you need to know.

आज की एडिटिव मैन्युफैक्चरिंग प्रक्रियाएँ

To fully understand the significance of this study, it’s wise to take a quick glimpse into the evolution of the additive manufacturing process. The concept of 3d printing has been an exciting journey that resembles science fiction at times. These devices have gone from comic books to one of the most popular, and often the only way to create certain devices.

मैटेरियल एक्सट्रूज़न

The first 3d printers used a method called material extrusion. A heated nozzle would have a long spool of thermoplastic filament fed through it. The filament would be warmed until malleable and then applied in layers to form the required shape. This 3D printer style is the most affordable and widely used option today.

पाउडर बेड

Powder bed 3D printers are used for creating metal and ceramic items. This method of 3D printing integrates a powered bed and an inkjet printer that sprays a binding material. This material creates the item layer by layer and is capable of intricate 3D designs. Recent developments in this approach have made printing multiple materials and even electronics possible.

फ्यूज़्ड डिपोज़िशन

Fused deposition uses a thermoplastic filament that is deposited using material extrusion methods. From there, lasers are used to mold and lock the shape of the item in place with great precision. Notably, the use of lasers in the additive manufacturing sector is common, with the first use of Stereolithography (SLA) occurring in 1984.

टू-फोटॉन पॉलिमराइज़ेशन (TPP)

Today a Two-photon polymerization (TPP) method is the most commonly used for micron-scale industrial prints. This method relies on dual femtosecond lasers which can mold, cure, and solidify purpose-built composites. It provides high accuracy and is a proven method for creating microstructures and other tiny detailed devices that would be impossible using other methods.

इस दृष्टिकोण की समस्याएँ

Multiple issues with the TPP method led researchers to explore alternatives. For one, femtosecond lasers are very expensive, sensitive, and require high precision. The slightest alteration can leave these devices requiring heavy maintenance.

शोधकर्ता

Recognizing these inefficiencies in this setup, researchers led by Purdue University engineer Xianfan Xu have put together a new multi-layered approach that promises to reduce costs. To accomplish this task, the team needed to overcome a variety of obstacles ranging from laser interference to tuning. Here’s how they were able to beat the odds and create a completely new manufacturing process that has the potential to upend the market.

दो-लेज़र अध्ययन

The study “Two-color 3D printing for reduction in femtosecond laser printing power” examines the use of a lower-powered laser to handle some of the tasks that previously required dual femtosecond units. To accomplish this task, the team created a custom-built two-photon lithography setup. This arrangement includes a secondary laser path to the print plane, enabling researchers to gather valuable real-time data on the laser’s effects.

चरण 1 – सामग्री की तैयारी

The first step researchers took was to put the material through a photochemical process. This process helps to lower the inhibition species in the material, making it more malleable to the lasers used for the molding and curing process. As such, this extra step enabled researchers to eliminate the use of dual femtosecond lasers.

कम लागत वाला लेज़र

The new process enabled researchers to leverage a less expensive option for the first laser interactions. The team eliminated a femtosecond unit and replaced it with a visible light option that worked in collaboration with the high-powered device. This low-cost laser was tuned to complement the femtosecond laser without adding interference.

फेम्टोसेकंड लेज़र

The femtosecond laser chosen for the test was a 532 nm nanosecond (ns) pulsed fiber laser from MPB Communications Inc. The device provides high tunability, enabling the team to try different repetition rates. The team eventually settled on an 80 MHz repetition rate at a 1.2 ns pulse width.

दो-लेज़र मिरर

The pulses were further concentrated via a Nikon, NA = 1.49 100X oil immersion objective lens. This approach integrated highly dispersive ultrafast mirrors from Edmund Optics as a way to initiate precompensation dispersion. Additionally, a helium-neon (HeNe) laser was used to ensure accuracy. Specifically, this beam ensured the laser path was repeatable.

दो-लेज़र के साथ संतुलन कार्य

The precision needed to create this new manufacturing process required engineers to create a new mathematical model. This model made it possible to map photopolymerization reactions across states. In the past, separate models were used to calculate the excited state and subsequent polymerization kinetics of the laser.
The updated model enabled researchers to accurately measure the combined effect of two-photon and single-photon excitation processes in real-time. This capability allowed the team to determine the lowest power consumption requirements for the femtosecond laser to accomplish its tasks without losing performance.

दो-लेज़र परीक्षण

The researchers then went to work testing their creation on multiple designs. These various 2d and 3d structures were chosen due to their complexity and size. The team wanted to ensure their device could be created on a micron scale. As such, the first items they printed were detailed woodpiles that measured 25 × 25 × 10 μm.

स्रोत – Optica