BCN3D Reveals its New Resin Technology, VLM, for Multi-Material 3D Printing

Already present for 10 years on the FDM printer market, BCN3D has reached a turning point today with the unveiling of a new technology. After 3 years of research and development, the Barcelona-based manufacturer will be releasing its “Viscous Lithography Manufacturing” (VLM) technology. As the name implies, it is a printing technology for viscous resins based on stereolithography. Sharing many similarities with the mSLA and DLP processes, BCN3D’s VLM technology is actually very different from them. But how exactly does it work?

Viscous Lithography Manufacturing Technology

The new technology was revealed in a press conference from BCN3D on March 2nd. There, we learned that through the use of a viscous resin, BCN3D is able to temporarily fix (in suspension) the material under the film (in the form of a roll) that carries it from the resin cartridge to the printed part. This resin is then cured by a UV-A light source masked by a monochrome LCD screen. Once the layer is produced, the film moves the non-polymerized resin into a filtration system for reuse.

Since the VLM system uses independent resin cartridges and a moving film, VLM printers do not have a resin vat. Thus, parts are produced directly on a printing plate and do not soak in resin. In addition, it offers the possibility to print different materials simultaneously, which was previously impossible with other resin technologies, opening up a number of new applications. By using a roller, BCN3D avoids contamination between materials. It should be noted however that when printing multi-materials, part of the resin cannot be reused to avoid contamination, leading to slightly more waste.