Latent image volumetric additive manufacturing

Volumetric additive manufacturing (VAM) enables rapid printing into a wide range of materials, offering significant advantages over other printing technologies, with a lack of inherent layering of particular note. However, VAM suffers from striations, similar in appearance to layers, and similarly limiting applications due to mechanical and refractive index inhomogeneity, surface roughness, etc. We hypothesize that these striations are caused by a self-written waveguide effect, driven by the gelation material nonlinearity upon which VAM relies, and that they are not a direct recording of nonuniform patterning beams. We demonstrate a simple and effective method of mitigating striations via a uniform optical exposure added to the end of any VAM printing process. We show this step to additionally shorten the period from initial gelation to print completion, mitigating the problem of partially gelled parts sinking before print completion, and expanding the range of resins printable in any VAM printer. (C) 2022 Optica Publishing Group

Automated summary

Volumetric additive manufacturing (VAM) is a rapid printing technology that can print a wide range of materials without layering issues. However, VAM suffers from striations, which limit its applications. Researchers have proposed a method of mitigating striations by adding uniform optical exposure at the end of the printing process. This method also shortens the time from gelation to print completion and expands the range of printable resins.