Innovations in Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing offers enormous opportunities to quickly produce 3D parts. The technology has significantly advanced since the first commercial Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA) of the 1980s. Today, layer-by-layer resin printing is available for everyday home use. But even with industrial high-end SLA solutions, there are still limitations in terms of manufacturing speed and surface quality.

In order to overcome the speed limitations, Digital Light Processing (DLP) was developed, allowing printing of an entire layer at once. The improvements brought by DLP technology are significant, but there is still a lot of re-work needed on the finished piece. The printed parts must be washed and the visible surface structure requires additional treatment. This is where Axtra3D comes in. Their new additive system based on an innovative photopolymerization process allows users to print fine features very fast and with superior surface finishing.

Founded in 2021, Axtra3D set out to shake up the additive manufacturing industry. Only one year later, the company introduced its Hybrid PhotoSynthesis Technology (HPS), which is transforming the market. HPS is the first coaxial system to allow the user to print fine features very fast and with superior surface finishing. The innovation is based on a photopolymerization processes with two light sources: a digital projector combined with a solid-state laser. Key to the HPS technology is perfect synchronization of the laser beam with the light. With MKS technology, the company achieves the ideal fit and relies on Ophir® measurement devices during the whole product cycle.

Find out how this new technology using dual light sources increases the speed of the 3D printing processes — surpassing SLA printers, matching high-speed DLP processes, and eliminating the need for post-processing.

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