Faster 3D Printing May Soon be a Reality

3D printers have been nothing short of revolutionary for the world of rapid prototyping and production of highly specialized parts. With the cost having come down considerably within the last few years, 3D printing has also become the domain of hobbyists and enthusiasts of late. But if there’s one complaint that both consumers and industry would have about the technology, it would be its speed. In fact, while the technique renders 3D objects, 3D printers are really more like 2D printers, with the printer heads slowly building up layers of material while working on horizontal layers. The process can take hours, sometimes even days for particularly large and complex projects, but all this could be about to change thanks to a new technique demonstrated by researchers from Switzerland's Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).

The new technique, while similar to existing technology in many respects, incorporates the application of tomographic techniques, the same used in x-rays and ultrasounds, that allows for rotational printing. The EPFL writes, "The system is currently capable of making two-centimeter structures with a precision of 80 micrometers, about the same as the diameter of a strand of hair. But as the team develops new devices, they should be able to build much bigger objects, potentially up to 15 centimeters." It’s exciting news for the world of 3D printing, and only a matter of time before the technology is refined, improved upon, and becomes available to the consumer market.

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