Revolution in the world of 3D printing. A new technique for reading the original object will make it possible to reproduce it identically: in essence, a utra-precise 3D printing. Programming, as learned, takes place by converting the data describing the object to be printed into voxelsi.e. in 3D pixels, rather than in geometric representations, as is the case with today's machines. The techniqueput into practice by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Harvardwas reported in the magazine Science Advances.
This is a very important step forward, so much so that it can be compared to the switch from ink-jet to laser printers. In essence, it is a ultra-precise 3D printing because it is capable of unprecedented accuracy. With a resolution of 2.3 million voxels per cubic centimetre, the end result is an artefact that is extremely faithful to the original, whether it is a mechanical component or an artificial heart. Currently, objects produced by 3D printing cannot be one hundred per cent faithful to the original because in order to print them, it is necessary to transform their 2D geometric descriptions into a number code. A step in which it is natural that some information may be 'lost'. For this same reason, it is notoriously difficult to reproduce objects in which solid parts are separated by empty spaces.
Ultra-precise, polychromatic 3D printing.
The other problem, as reported from ANSAis that relating to the colourbecause 3D printed objects, even today, are not polychromatic. Instead, thanks to the new ultra-precise 3D printing it will be possible to overcome all these difficulties by directly converting the object data into 3D pixels and allowing it to be printed with varied details that are very faithful to the original. In the test, for example, the human brainbut how? By taking images directly from the MRI and converting them into voxels. Each individual 3D pixel has a 'colour code' within it that is used to recreate the original colour shade of the object to be printed. The ink used is a resin coloured resin that hardens when exposed to ultraviolet light. Finally, it is also possible to use different colours of resin to obtain specific shades and even create new ones.
