Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have unveiled a new 3D printing method that uses two wavelengths of light to simultaneously fabricate complex components and temporary support structures from a single resin system. The aim of this innovation is to simplify the production of free-floating or overhanging geometries without relying on complex mechanical supports. The findings were published in ACS Central Science and developed in collaboration with the University of California, Santa Barbara.
At the heart of the method is a so-called “one-pot” process, which combines two photochemical reactions. A specially developed DLP printer with dual-wavelength exposure (DWNI) uses ultraviolet light to cure the primary epoxy structure, while visible light hardens a degradable thermoplastic that can later be completely dissolved in a basic solution. The key advantage lies in the precise separation of both materials within the same build process—without changing resins or requiring additional post-processing steps.
“This work adds another option to the growing range of multi-material printing possibilities,” said principal investigator and LLNL staff researcher Maxim Shusteff. “Using multiple materials is critical to many manufacturing processes, and that’s been hard to accomplish using 3D printing. And manually removing supports printed from the same material is one of the bottlenecks preventing the use of DLP in production activities and hurting part accuracy — dissolving a sacrificial material is much more automation-compatible and less cumbersome.”
“Our one-pot embedded printing approach improves the fidelity of unsupported, free-floating structures, such as overhangs and cantilevers, by using degradable supports that act as temporary scaffolds to prevent collapse and misalignment during fabrication,” said first author Isabel Arias Ponce, a UC National Laboratory Fees Graduate Scholar and soon-to-be LLNL materials engineer. “Additionally, mobile components — such as hinges and interlocking systems — could be fabricated in place by simply patterning a degradable interface between multiple parts. This would eliminate the need for manual assembly and enhance production efficiency.”
The method also opens up new design possibilities for movable assemblies, by strategically placing soluble interfaces. This would allow for the creation of functional parts like hinges or joints without the need for post-assembly. The process also reduces material usage, shortens print times, and increases design flexibility for the additive manufacturing of complex multi-material structures.
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