Researchers have developed a new form of high-speed volumetric 3D printing they call “AE-VAM”.
If you’re not familiar with the new volumetric 3D printing processes, that’s not surprising. They are quite new and very few have reached the commercialization stage. They’re of considerable interest because these printing processes can produce objects far, far faster than normal layer-by-layer processes: they print objects all at once.
Volumetric approaches generally work in this way: a rotating cylindrical tank of clear resin is illuminated as it turns with light patterns. These patterns correspond to an “x-ray” view of the intended object at each orientation. Gradually some regions in the resin tank are sufficiently exposed to enough energy to solidify, forming the object. Prints can be completed as much as 100X faster than traditional processes — in only minutes.
VAM (volumetric additive manufacturing) is therefore very compelling and many organizations are working on developing it. However, one problem that has persisted is the need for manual exposure setting. Apparently, in each print job, the operator is required to specify the light exposure setting, which can be variable depending on the job and material.
This is a point of friction for adoption of the technology, and something Canadian researchers sought to solve.
Their answer was “AE-VAM”, or “Automated Exposure VAM”.
E-VAM uses real-time optical scattering data to automatically stop exposure at the correct point, independent of geometry, resin age, or user skill.
They achieved commercial-grade repeatability: inter-print RMS deviation ≈ 0.053 mm. They successfully printed a #3DBenchy with all small features intact (underside text, blind hole, chimney, flagpole) – features sometimes missing in SLA/DLP.
They were able to achieve very high-speed printing with AE-VAM, ~10× faster than fastest commercial printers (≈ 40–55s per #3DBenchy vs 492s on a Form 4).
You read that correctly: they were able to print a #3DBenchy in under 55s.
Was it a quality print? Absolutely! They were able to demonstrate precision assembly parts (screw + nut, gears) with ~50 µm tolerance.
AE-VAM should push volumetric 3D printing even closer to proper commercialization. The ability to print in an easy manner and receive quality results is obviously a key step.
I’m hoping that as these developments accumulate, someone will put them all together into a commercial package that we can buy.
That may already be happening in a quiet lab somewhere.
Via ArXiv
