Slashdot Mirror
New 3D Printing Process Claimed To Be 25X Faster Than Current Technology
ErnieKey writes: Carbon3D, a startup based in Redwood City, CA. has just announced a new breakthrough 3D printing technology called Continuous Liquid Interface Production technology (CLIP). The process works by using oxygen as an inhibiting agent as a UV light rapidly cures a photosensitive resin (abstract). "Conventional 3D printers usually take several hours to print an object — because with most printing methods, they need to individually treat each new layer of material after it's put down so that the next layer can be put down on top of it. The new method is much faster because it works continually, instead of in layers, eliminating this step. As a result, it works in minutes, rather than hours — 25 to 100 times faster, its creators say, than conventional 3D printing." The company has just emerged from stealth mode and announced that they have raised a staggering $41 million to further develop the process and bring it to market.
I'll wait for a 48x or 52x speed
The risk of printing objects vulnerable to sunlight won't alarm anyone in this audience.
Sunlight? What's that?
It appears they think that their technology will replace injection molding
Their technology will replace injection molding for runs smaller than N units, where N depends on numerous other requirements. What's different between this technique, and previous 3D printing techniques, is that N has gotten bigger.
I bet at first they wanted to call it Continuous Liquid Interface Technology (CLIT)