Micro 3D Printing
3D printing has been an extremely useful tool for modeling human body systems and even creating artificial organs. But it’s limited when it comes to very small structures, such as capillaries, which range in size from only 5 to 10 micrometers yet must withstand high fluidic pressures.
A new approach to 3D printing called direct laser writing makes it possible to fabricate micro-sized architectures that are strong enough to do the job. It utilizes special liquids that turn into polymers when exposed to light. Using a laser pulse at femtosecond (one quadrillionth of a second) rates, engineers were able to create structures with a diameter of less than 100 micrometers. Depending on what is being printed, the process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to one hour.
The team has also successfully connected the tiny vessels to larger structures. The goal is to be able to generate systems that can be used to understand more about living cells and how they interact.
For information: Ryan Sochol, University of Maryland, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2147 Glenn L. Martin Hall, Building 088, College Park, MD 20742; phone: 301-405-6928; email: rsochol@umd.edu; Web site: https://www.umd.edu/ or http://bamlab.com/