Multiphoton polymerisation creates 3D printed glass objects
Researchers have developed a laser-based process for 3D printing parts made of glass, an advance that could lead to complex optics for vision or laser-based applications.
According to research team leader Laurent Gallais from The Fresnel Institute and Ecole Centrale Marseille in France, the new process avoids the limitations of building an object in layers by using a laser beam to polymerise a liquid precursor into solid glass.
3D printing has potential to cut cost of optical silica fibres
In The Optical Society (OSA) journal Optics Letters, Gallais and research team members Thomas Doualle and Jean-Claude Andre demonstrate how they used the new technique to create a variety of silica glass objects such as miniature models of a bike and the Eiffel Tower without any pores or cracks.
The 3D printing approach is based on multiphoton polymerisation, which ensures that polymerisation takes place at the precise laser focal point. It allows direct fabrication of 3D parts that range in size from a few microns to tens of centimetres with a resolution that is theoretically only limited by the optics used for laser beam shaping.
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