硬幣大小的 3D 列印機可以徹底改變快速原型製作

來自麻省理工學院和德克薩斯大學奧斯汀分校的工程師創造了一款功能齊全、適合手掌大小的 3D 列印機，這是一項可能徹底改變我們對 3D 列印的看法的突破。

Engineers from MIT and the University of Texas at Austin have created a fully functional 3D printer that fits right in your palm. The device is no larger than a coin and has the potential to bring rapid prototyping capabilities virtually anywhere.

來自麻省理工學院和德克薩斯大學奧斯汀分校的工程師創造了一款功能齊全、適合手掌大小的 3D 列印機。該設備不比硬幣大，幾乎可以在任何地方實現快速原型設計功能。

Making this possible is an ingenious millimeter-scale photonic chip that can emit programmable light beams into a reservoir of light-curable resin. When the light hits the resin, it rapidly solidifies into a user-defined 3D shape.

使這一切成為可能的是一種巧妙的毫米級光子晶片，它可以將可編程光束發射到光固化樹脂儲存器中。當光線照射到樹脂上時，它會迅速凝固成使用者定義的 3D 形狀。

The MIT team's expertise in silicon photonics allowed them to create integrated optical phased arrays on the chip – essentially microscopic antennas that can steer light beams by modulating the speed of the optical signals running through them. This beam-steering capability is what enables the 3D printing magic.

麻省理工學院團隊在矽光子學方面的專業知識使他們能夠在晶片上創建一個集成光學相控陣——本質上是微型天線，可以通過調製穿過光束的光信號的速度來控制光束。正是這種光束控制能力實現了 3D 列印的魔力。

The antenna design also eliminates the need for motors to move the beam's focal point, resulting in a printer without moving parts that saves space. The device features 160 optical antennas, all fitting within a US quarter-sized footprint.

此天線設計還消除了使用馬達來移動光束焦點的需要，從而使印表機無需移動部件，從而節省了空間。該設備具有 160 個光學天線，全部安裝在美國四分之一大小的佔地面積內。

However, the visible light wavelengths required for this technology initially posed a challenge. Researchers at UT Austin addressed this by developing specialty resins optimized to cure under visible light exposure. This innovation was the missing link needed to make chip-based 3D printing viable.

然而，這項技術所需的可見光波長最初提出了挑戰。德州大學奧斯汀分校的研究人員透過開發可在可見光照射下固化的特種樹脂來解決這個問題。這項創新是實現基於晶片的 3D 列印所需的缺失環節。

With their proof-of-concept complete, the researchers now have a larger vision: developing chips that can generate entire 3D holographic light patterns to rapidly print complex volumetric objects in one go. The potential applications are staggering – from emergency repairs by first responders to printing medical devices on-demand.

隨著概念驗證的完成，研究人員現在有了更大的願景：開發能夠產生完整 3D 全像光圖案的晶片，從而一次快速列印複雜的體積物體。潛在的應用是驚人的——從急救人員的緊急維修到按需列印醫療設備。

MIT Professor Jelena Notaros said the system is completely rethinking what a 3D printer is. "It is no longer a big box sitting on a bench in a lab creating objects, but something that is handheld and portable. It is exciting to think about the new applications that could come out of this and how the field of 3D printing could change."

麻省理工學院教授 Jelena Notaros 表示，該系統正在徹底重新思考 3D 列印機是什麼。 「它不再是一個坐在實驗室長凳上創建物體的大盒子，而是一種手持式、便攜式的東西。想到由此可能產生的新應用以及3D 列印領域將如何改變，這是令人興奮的」。

If this coin-sized 3D printing technology can be developed into a commercial product, it could decentralize and democratize on-demand fabrication like never before.

如果這種硬幣大小的 3D 列印技術能夠開發成商業產品，它將能夠以前所未有的方式實現按需製造的分散化和民主化。

Further details about the research can be found in a paper published in the journal Nature.

有關該研究的更多詳細資訊可以在《自然》雜誌上發表的一篇論文中找到。