#3Dstartup: Azul 3D and its ultra-fast large format resin 3D printer

Resin 3D printing processes are now among the most widely used in the additive manufacturing market, offering high precision and resolution. One of the challenges this process still faces, however, is the limited size of the build plate and printing speed. The build process is rather slow and the machines do not allow for the design of large parts or volume production. However, some companies are innovating and developing promising methods, such as the American startup Azul 3D, which developed the HARP process. It has developed a machine based on photopolymerization capable of creating adult-sized parts in just 2 hours! We wanted to meet the team to learn more about this unique 3D printer that could well impact the resin 3D printing market!

3DN: Can you present yourself and tell us about your relationship with 3D printing technologies?

Dr. James Hedrick

I am Dr. James Hedrick, CEO and co-founder of Azul 3D which is commercializing the first 3D printing technology capable of competing with the speed, strength, and economy of scale of injection molding. I started my first company at the age of 16. The profits paid for my college tuition at MIT, where I was also a student-athlete. I went on to receive my Ph.D. at Northwestern University with Professor Mirkin, during which I was part of the team that developed seminal technology, HARP, at the core of Azul 3D. This HARP technology was my first approach to 3D printing that was first applied to nano 3D printing. We quickly pivoted to macro 3D printing in the months following.

3DN: How did you come up with the idea of creating Azul 3D?

I was doing my Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor Chad Mirkin. While working alongside a post-doc in the lab, Dr. David Walker, we started to develop a new nano 3D printer. Early on, we had a breakthrough with the technology but in the process realized we could print large structures with some modification to the technique in addition to printing tiny structures. We recognized immediately that with HARP, we had the ability to transform manufacturing. We transitioned our focus from nano to macro, and the three of us founded Azul 3D to transition the technology from the lab to the factory.