This New 3D Printer Is a Tiny Photonic Chip That Fits in the Palm of Your Hand

We are talking about a small photonic chip that focuses its beam on a cube of resin that cures quickly when hit by a specific wavelength

A new 3D printing technology has been developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The technology, which is still in its early stages of development, uses a small photonic chip to focus a beam of light on a cube of resin. The resin cures quickly when hit by a specific wavelength of light emitted by the chip.

One of the great peculiarities of this new 3D printing technology is that it does not need moving parts for operation. This eliminates the need for unnecessary and problematic elements, such as the head, arms and motors. Now, we only have a beam of light generated by small optical antennas that move to generate the desired object.

This new 3D printing technology is only a prototype at this point, but if it can be turned into a viable product, it would be a brutal instant manufacturing solution. The portability and printing speed of this chip that fits in the palm is great for engineers, doctors and other fields, being able to create custom solutions in minutes.

An example of how this new 3D printing technology could be used in the medical field would be a surgeon who must operate on a complicated fracture. Using a 3D scanner, the patient's broken bone(s) could be scanned. Thanks to this process, a biomedical engineer could create a personalized bone implant that helps heal fractures. Finally, the printer could print the prosthesis in biomedical resin in a few minutes.

On the other hand, this new 3D printing technology could be incorporated into the Artemis lunar exploration program. It would be viable because it is extremely light and highly compact. It would have the ability to create custom tools for the crew as required.

You should know that 3D printers will be vital in the colonization missions of the Moon and Mars. Both projects propose this type of solutions to create tools and spare parts as they are needed.

Jelena Notaros, a professor at MIT, highlights that “this system completely rethinks what a 3D printer is. It is no longer a big box placed on a laboratory bench creating objects, but something that is portable and portable. "It's exciting to think about the new applications that could come from this and how it could change the field of 3D printing.”