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#3DStartup: HETEROMERGE and Multi-Material, Micro 3D Printing

Although additive manufacturing is an increasingly democratized production tool, we can still find certain limitations in adoption. For example, industry in particular is experiencing an increasing need for precision in end-use parts. This is especially important for micro- and n

HETEROMERGE
3Dnatives

Although additive manufacturing is an increasingly democratized production tool, we can still find certain limitations in adoption. For example, industry in particular is experiencing an increasing need for precision in end-use parts. This is especially important for micro- and nanoscale models. For this reason, we are seeing more and more micro 3D printing solutions that meet these needs. One such companies developing this manufacturing method is Germany’s HETEROMERGE. We spoke with its founder and CEO to learn more about its technology and multi-material 3D printing on a microscopic scale.

3DN: Could you introduce yourself and your connection to 3D printing?

Robert Kirchner

I am Robert Kirchner, co-founder and CEO of HETEROMERGE GmbH, based in Dresden, Germany. I have a background in electrical engineering and received my PhD in polymer microsystems fabrication in 2011. During my PhD, and especially afterwards in my professional positions, such as at the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS) and the Paul Scherrer Institute, I did intensive research in the fields of nanoimprint lithography, grayscale lithography and 3D printing using 2-photon absorption-based laser writing.

The core of this research has always been the fabrication of very small and functional structures. We have created advanced original structures and exploited polymer replication techniques to be able to enable high volume production. One recent example here is the fabrication of waveguide structures that enable today’s augmented reality glasses. Thanks to the 2-photon 3D printer, in 2013 we were able for the first time to produce extremely small, but at the same time highly precise, 3D free-form structures. What started with the first printing experiments has never left me.