Austrian microfabrication firm UpNano GmbH and German glass manufacturing specialist Glassomer GmbH have co-developed a fabric and 3D printing course of able to producing small high-resolution elements from fused silica (SiO₂) glass. The modern method adapts Glassomer’s deep data of glass manufacturing for UpNano’s NanoOne answer based mostly on two-photon polymerization (2PP) 3D printing.
3D printing glass, and notably fused silica glass, has introduced challenges because of the materials’s very excessive melting level (within the vary of 1700 °C). So far, additive processing of this materials has largely been restricted to non-commercial methods that aren’t fairly able to producing high-resolutions or high-quality surfaces. That’s till now. UpNano and Glassomer have teamed as much as engineer a 2PP-based 3D printing course of able to producing small-scale fused silica elements (millimeters to centimeters) with clean floor finishes and options within the micrometer scale.
The method itself relies on three steps. Markus Lunzer, UpNano’s group lead of Supplies & Software, explains: “Step one is to design and print the specified construction utilizing all the benefits 2PP 3D printing provides. The second step is to take away natural binder materials adopted by a excessive temperature sintering course of, the third step on the core of this can be a newly developed nanocomposite, UpQuartz.”
UpQuartz is a nanocomposite materials that’s made up of SiO2 nanoparticles suspended in a particular polymer matrix that permits the 2PP course of. The composite resin undergoes layer by layer photopolymerization within the 3D printer, leading to a inexperienced half that should endure sintering. On this case, the polymer matrix may be eliminated by sintering the inexperienced half at 600°C. From there, the silica glass particles should then be fused to end in a dense closing half. This step requires sintering at temperatures within the vary of 1,300°C. From inexperienced half to completed fused silica glass element, there may be isotropic shrinkage of about 30%, which may be accounted for within the design levels.
The power to supply high-resolution fused silica glass elements may open up purposes within the medical, analysis, engineering and chemical spheres, amongst others. The fabric itself provides glorious optical properties, temperature resistance, chemical resistance and biocompatibility, whereas UpNano’s 2PP 3D printing provides the power to supply advanced 3D printed buildings with options on the micrometer scale. “This modern manufacturing course of we developed is ideally fitted to bigger 3D printed glass elements that require high-resolution and high-precision,” added Lunzer.
Glassomer has been concerned in exploring and adapting different manufacturing strategies for fused silica glass, together with smooth lithography, injection molding and different varieties of 3D printing. Notably, in 2023, Glassomer and Lithoz developed and launched LithaGlass, a quartz-based composite slurry for Lithoz’ lithography-based ceramic AM expertise with related properties to fused silica glass. Now, with the collectively developed UpQuartz materials, 2PP is a viable manufacturing possibility for fused silica glass that gives benefits like excessive decision and excessive precision.
UpNano, which has seen vital progress within the adoption of its NanoOne 2PP sequence (2023 noticed a 57% enhance in 3D printer gross sales from the earlier yr), has skilled a spread of technical milestones not too long ago, together with the profitable printing of tungsten and platinum microstructures with sub-μm decision, and holistic embedded microfluidic chips. “The velocity, decision, and flexibility of our printers make them highly effective instruments for the mass manufacturing of extremely exact elements,” concluded UpNano CEO Bernhard Küenburg. “Our ever-expanding vary of supplies extends the vary of purposes. Sooner or later, we may also develop the vary of providers we provide.”
