Design and optimization of a light-emitting diode projection micro-stereolithography three-dimensional manufacturing system

The rapid manufacture of complex three-dimensional micro-scale components has eluded researchers for decades. Several additive manufacturing options have been limited by either speed or the ability to fabricate true three-dimensional structures. Projection micro-stereolithography (P mu SL) is a low cost, high throughput additive fabrication technique capable of generating three-dimensional microstructures in a bottom-up, layer by layer fashion. The P mu SL system is reliable and capable of manufacturing a variety of highly complex, three-dimensional structures from micro-to meso-scales with microscale architecture and submicron precision. Our P mu SL system utilizes a reconfigurable digital mask and a 395 nm light-emitting diode (LED) array to polymerize a liquid monomer in a layer-by-layer manufacturing process. This paper discusses the critical process parameters that influence polymerization depth and structure quality. Experimental characterization and performance of the LED-based P mu SL system for fabricating highly complex three-dimensional structures for a large range of applications is presented. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4769050]