How Researchers Are Using Holograms to Improve 3D Printing

Can holograms improve the additive manufacturing process? This is the subject of a study by a team of scientists from EPFL and the University of Southern Denmark. They sought to understand how to perfect tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing (TVAM). Instead of depositing material layer by layer, laser beams are projected onto the rotating resin tray. While this method saves considerable time, it is also more inefficient and energy-consuming. But the team of scientists seems to have found a solution by projecting a hologram directly onto the moving resin tray. What impact could this method have on the additive manufacturing market?

We’ve been hearing about volumetric 3D printing, also known as tomographic 3D printing, for some years now. It involves repeatedly projecting a pattern into a vat filled with transparent liquid resin, from different angles. Unlike additive manufacturing, it is possible to create a shape in a single operation, as layers are not superimposed, but a defined volume of material is “frozen.” In addition to the speed of the process, the user is also freed from the need for printing supports, since the resin acts as such, in the same way as the powder tray in SLS.