Exploring the Role of 3D Printing in Miniaturization – Interview with John Kawola from BMF

Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF) has established itself as a key player in micro-scale 3D printing, serving industries such as healthcare, life sciences, electronics and machining. Leveraging its proprietary Projection Micro Stereolithography (PµSL) technology, BMF’s microArch system delivers exceptional precision and accuracy for high-resolution 3D printing. Founded in 2016, the company has expanded its reach with offices in Boston, Shenzhen, Chongqing, and Tokyo, complemented by an R&D center in San Diego. In an interview with 3Druck.com, CEO John Kawola explains how additive manufacturing is enabling the miniaturization of components and driving innovation across industries.

BMF’s microArch printers stand out by combining customizable optics, advanced light projection, a high-quality movement platform, and controlled processing technology. This unique blend enables users to produce intricate parts with exceptional detail, closely mimicking the quality of high-resolution injection molding and CNC machining. The technology facilitates the transition from prototyping to industrial short-run production, maintaining stringent tolerances and surface quality that meet the demands of high-precision applications.

Remarkably, BMF’s printers can achieve resolutions down to single-digit microns, making them particularly valuable for applications requiring the finest detail, from microfluidic devices to intricate electronic components. This level of detail positions BMF as a critical partner for industries seeking to innovate while maintaining tight manufacturing specifications.

In addition to its advanced 3D printing solutions, BMF launched the BMF Institute in late 2022. This initiative focuses on incubating new products, harnessing the company’s PµSL technology to drive forward-looking research and product development.

Interview with John Kawola

In the interview with 3Druck.com, John Kawola, CEO of Boston Micro Fabrication discusses the pivotal role of additive manufacturing in supporting the trend toward miniaturization across various industries. He highlights the efficiency and precision of 3D printing for developing complex, micro-scale components and shares insights on how BMF’s technology continues to advance these innovations.

What role do you envision additive manufacturing playing in advancing the ongoing trend toward miniaturizing components?

The trend of miniaturization has propelled innovation across industries from electronics to medtech to consumer goods. Cell phones are a great example. Consumers demanded smaller, pocket-sized tech, so the industry looked for ways to create not just the exterior parts on a smaller scale, but the inner electronics and the parts that hold everything together, too. 

When you’re designing parts down to the micron level, precision and accuracy are essential, but you also need to be able to move through the design process quickly and efficiently. This is where traditional manufacturing methods, such as machining or injection molding, can fall short as they can be time-consuming and costly. Additive manufacturing can be a more efficient technique to take parts from prototyping to production.

The rise of miniaturization has made micro 3D printing even more appealing, as it is uniquely suited for these circumstances where innovative solutions require micron-level precision. In some instances, additive manufacturing may be the only solution that can repeatedly achieve the tight tolerances required of many parts or products. At Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF), we’ve witnessed how additive manufacturing (AM) is already advancing miniaturization, and I see that trend continuing in the future as industries continue to create and innovate.

With the rapid advances in additive manufacturing, what innovations or technological breakthroughs do you see as most transformative for high-precision 3D printing?

As the AM industry continues to evolve, BMF remains committed to providing technological solutions that can solve real-world problems for our customers across industries. For example, we recently launched the industry’s first hybrid printer that allows users to print in either 10µm or 25µm resolution, or in both modes, offering more flexibility and greater efficiency for ultra-high-resolution applications. This dual resolution printer includes built-in automation, which will continue to be a trend as we collectively look for ways to save time, resources and on costs.

We’re also looking for ways in which our technology is uniquely suited to enable innovation across industries, such as in the dental market. In April 2024, we received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for our UltraThineer™ material used to create the world’s thinnest cosmetic dental veneer – 3x thinner than alternatives and made possible by our high precision printing technology.  Differentiating your technology is not just a trend, but a requirement to stand out in a crowded industry. We’re focused on making space for innovation and unique use cases for 3D printing by providing the necessary tech to make these cases come to life. 

What current challenges are you tackling and what exciting new projects are in the pipeline?

As mentioned, we are extremely excited to be diving deeper into end markets, especially with the UltraThineer veneers. We’re planning to move into the next stage of this project, allowing dental labs to offer this alternative in practices across the U.S., so that patients can gain access to this less painful and less invasive veneer option. 

We also recently opened BMF Biotechnology, Inc. through our San Diego Research Institute. The team in California is working on researching and developing 3D-printed BioChips (organ-on-a-chip platforms) that will help to accelerate the drug development process and eliminate animal testing in the biotech industry. Medtech and life science research have been areas where we’ve seen a huge amount of opportunity for 3D printing, so it’s exciting to see these projects come to life. 

Looking ahead, how do you see high-precision 3D printing impacting various industries in the future?

Having spent over 20 years in the 3D printing industry, I’ve seen how fast the industry has grown and it’s allowed me to have unique understanding of how far we can take this technology to make space for innovation. As parts continue to get smaller, I expect 3D printing to continue to be an enabler of innovation across these platforms. Whether in life sciences, electronics or consumer packaged goods, we’ll see more companies turn to high-precision 3D printing as a manufacturing solution better suited to support their design process and experimentation, as well as to create new and better ways to utilize the products that they have.

Here you can find further information on Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF).