Research

Our primary research interest lies in the development of rapid, flexible, and scalable additive micro/nano
manufacturing technologies to overcome critical technological barriers of the current manufacturing and to explore
new engineering applications by studying fundamental physics and mechanics of soft active materials.

Additive Manufacturing

본문

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A novel freeform 3D micro-fabrication technology, Projection Micro-StereoLithography (PµSL), is capable of rapidly fabricating highly complex 3D microstructures in a layer-by-layer fashion. PµSL utilizes the most advanced digital micro display technology as a dynamic mask generator, which works as a virtual photomask with digitally and dynamically configured patterns. This technique combines advantages of conventional stereolithography (SLA) and projection lithography, allowing for rapid photo-polymerization of the entire layer with a flash of UV illumination at micro scale resolution. Also, as a digital dynamic mask can control light intensity at a single pixel level, crosslinking density, thus material properties, of the fabricated structure can be tailored with desired spatial distribution. Furthermore, materials can be easily switched during the fabrication process, which enables heterogeneous integration of multiple functional material elements in a single process. Wide variety of functional material sets are available including polymers, responsive hydrogels, shape memory polymers, bio-materials. 

Related publications

  • Daehoon Han, Chen Yang, Nicholas X. Fang, Howon Lee*, Rapid multi-material 3D printing with projection micro-stereolithography using dynamic fluidic control, Additive Manufacturing 27, 606, 2019

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  • X.R. Zheng, J. Deotte, M. Allonso, G. Farquar, T. Weisgraber, S. Gemberling, Howon Lee, Nicholas X. Fang, C.M. Spadaccini*, Design and optimization of a light-emitting diode projection micro-stereolithography three-dimensional manufacturing system, Review of Scientific Instruments 83, 125001, 2012

    [link]

  • Howon Lee, Nicholas X. Fang*, Micro 3D Printing Using a Digital Projector and its Application in the Study of Soft Materials Mechanics, Journal of Visualized Experiments 69, e4457, 2012
    [link]