Researchers from the Institute of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Carl Zeiss AG and the company developed a micro three-dimensional printing technology- and nano-objects using laser projection. But not only that. The technology provides for alternate use in the process of printing materials with different properties, that opens the door in front of her in a lot of practical applications. It can be multicolor printing and fluorescent security marks on the securities and the packaging of products for protection against counterfeiting, as well as the creation of photonic structures for electronics.
Printing is performed in a special chamber with protective glass in its upper part. Transparent window for the positioning of the laser beam has a diameter of 10 mm. The trick, that liquid photoresist is applied to the chamber pressurized by a computer command with the desired properties. photoresist, in turn, due to their properties of liquid fills the grating in the micro- or nano-carcass. Computer-controlled laser beam is focused on those cells, which should solidify. The rest of the photoresist is washed away and so layer after layer, until the entire lattice frame is processed. Then the final washing and fixation pattern.
To print space scientists have already created several liquid photoresist with the desired properties. This non-luminous liquid for a substrate (background), two photoresist with different fluorescent quantum dots, two photoresist with two different fluorescent dyes and two liquid for fixing the figure. Presented fluid focused on creating security solutions for banknotes and securities. For the three-dimensional laser printing used equipment companies Nanoscribe GmbH. The company came out of the walls of KIT Institute and is ready to continue the commercialization of the development on a new level.
