experimental physics
march 2015
15
it prints like a 2D printer, except many times over, eventually stacking the material up to create an object. That’s like a model by layering individual pieces of paper mache on top of each other in order to create a model of a building. Slow, and not really truly 3D printing.
But that’s about to change.
Enter the Carbon3D 3D printer. Developed by a Silicon Valley startup of the same name, the Carbon3D printer, instead of printing materials layer by layer, instead draws up liquid from a pool of liquid material and solidifies it on the go, giving the impression of the object rising up from a pool of liquid. This method harbors significant advantages over the old 2D-3D printing method, due to its much faster speed (25x faster!). So how does it work?
Carbon3D utilizes photochemistry to harden and form materials inside the pool of liquid base material. The technology, which is called CLIP (Continuous Liquid Interface Production), sends beams of light through oxygen-permeable windows into the liquid. The oxygen and the light work together to control the shape of the object desired. When the light is shined into the pool, the liquid that is not exposed to oxygen hardens, while the oxygen-exposed
liquid does not. This way, objects can be formed in the pool, and after the material hardens, the printer can draw out the finished section in order to leave more room to add more parts. Doing so, the printer can generate in just minutes detailed objects that would take other 3D printers hours.
Carbon3D CEO and co-founder Dr. Joseph DeSimone explained to WIRED that “A lot of what we’re showing [at TED] are polyeurethane-class materials that range from elastomers to really hard, tough materials for automotive and other commercial applications”. This type of 3D printing could indeed be very useful in industry. Need a new phone case with custom specifications? Just find a schematic online and send it on its way to the nearest Carbon3D printer, and get it within a snap. Then after that, who knows? Anyone thinking of copies of movie props? Perhaps one day, we’ll be seeing kids running around swinging Glamdring and donned with a pointy grey wizard’s hat, screaming “You shall not pass!” in horrible imitations of Gandalf’s voice. Although -- I’m not sure I really want that to happen. You know, with that “running around with sharp pointy things” problem. That could end really badly.