DLMULTIPRINT
New manufacturing strategy for 3D printing by developing a novel head enabling DLP multi-material printing Technology
The main objective of the DLmultiPrint project is to develop a new 3D print head, based on Digital Light Projection (DLP) printing technology, enabling a more efficient multi-material printing not only for polymers but also for metals. This printing process is based on the use of a stack of diode laser with more than a laser bar, as a laser source, that will act as a DLP toolhead as it will project more than a single spot, as the DLP printing technology does. Besides, an innovative nanocoating will be used for the generation of customized hemispheric lenses for light collimation, in order to improve the printing resolution.
Precisely, the new print head technology to be developed in the present project, matches perfectly with various key aspects:
- Advanced manufacture technologies: The project focuses on 3D printing, an automated additive manufacture system based on the manufacturing strategy of DLP.
- Transition to green digital technologies: The improved energy management of this print head results not only in efficiency and sustainability, but also in higher versatility for the 3D printing equipment, since with the same device multiple materials can be used including diverse polymers and also metals.
- Higher product complexity demand: the high speed, sub-pixel resolution and micro-characteristics (micro-optics) imply high technology solutions, resulting in better results for the printed pieces, therefore fulfilling this demand.
- Application in multiple sectors: the multi-material approach as well as the greater printing resolution, open a really wide range of potential uses for the technology proposed, including automotive, energy, health (scaffolds and prostheses) or aerospace.
Grant PLEC2022-009471 funding by MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union NextGenerationEU/ PRTR