Volumetric additive manufacturing system optics

Bryan D. Moran; Erika J. Fong; Caitlyn C. Cook; Maxim Shusteff

doi:10.1117/12.2577670

5 March 2021 Volumetric additive manufacturing system optics

Bryan D. Moran, Erika J. Fong, Caitlyn C. Cook, Maxim Shusteff

Proceedings Volume 11698, Emerging Digital Micromirror Device Based Systems and Applications XIII; 1169805 (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2577670
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2021, Online Only

Abstract

Volumetric additive manufacturing is a novel 3D printing method to form parts in a single exposure, in contrast to traditional stereolithography 3D printing which builds parts layer-by-layer. Photopolymerizable resin is exposed with grayscale images from different angles over 360 degrees to deliver a 3D distribution of light energy which cures the resin to form the desired part. The exposure images are calculated using computed tomography (CT), the same principles which are used to convert X-ray images obtained during a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan to reconstruct a 3D volume of the patient. A digital micromirror device is used to project the sequence of calculated exposure images into a cylindrical vial of resin as it is rotated thus exposing over 360 degrees. The polymerization kinetics of the resin, the alignment of the resin vial to the projected images, and the uniformity of the illumination field are all tightly coupled together and must all be understood and controlled to generate quality parts. Projecting a good image is challenging as the vial and resin are essentially a strong cylindrical lens located at the image plane, and the desired build space is not a plane but a volume. We perform an analysis of the cylindrical lensing on the image quality (and thus the print quality) and investigate methods to correct for the lensing. We demonstrate different methods to improve print quality and discuss the benefits and limitations of each technique.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Bryan D. Moran, Erika J. Fong, Caitlyn C. Cook, and Maxim Shusteff "Volumetric additive manufacturing system optics", Proc. SPIE 11698, Emerging Digital Micromirror Device Based Systems and Applications XIII, 1169805 (5 March 2021); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2577670

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available