Holographic Printer Creates 3D Shapes in Seconds

Researchers at the University of Utah have demonstrated a new method of 3D printing that avoids the leaky seams that come with the layer-by-layer process. Using a nanoscale ‘mask’ that diffracts laser light into a holographic pattern of the desired shape, it fuses its print material solid in one shot. The process takes about 20 seconds, compared to the hours required by other laser-based printing methods.

The breakthrough, published in the journal Nature Communications, was led by Prof Rajesh Menon from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Utah's Price College of Engineering, together with lab member Dajun Lin.

The new process uses a nanoscale mask that diffracts laser light into a holographic pattern matching the desired structure. Instead of building an object layer by layer, the system selectively hardens an entire volume of photosensitive material in a single step.