We had a chat with Xolo, the producers of a near-instant 3D printing system.
Their process, Xolography, is a type of volumetric 3D printing process in which the entire resin volume is exposed to energy simultaneously. This causes the part to form all at once — not layer by layer — in only seconds or minutes. We’ve seen this with our own eyes, and it is quite amazing to watch.
The latest development from the company is a new bioprinter, the Xell, adapted from their experience with their first 3D printer, the Xube.
It seems that the Xell may attract attention in its markets with its ability to near-instantly print objects. Xolo has also created bio-inks to use in the system, such as xoloGelMA X-Pure. This material can be used to quickly print scaffolds for use in biomedical research, and is provided by the company in pre-filled cuvettes.
It seems the company is also focusing on the dental market with their rapid printing technology. They are able to 3D print dental crowns in only minutes, and we’re told that from start to finish, including all steps, would be only 20 minutes in the worst case. That’s short enough to be used in dental scenarios with the patient waiting for their crown.
Another area of interest for the company is optics. One of their materials is xoloClear, described as “the first-ever true optical 3D printing material”. With this material, their systems can print small-scale optical elements in only minutes.
Space applications could be their next market. They’ve recently performed a unique experiment in microgravity that only their technology can complete. Weightless environments can be briefly simulated for a few moments by flying an aircraft in a specific parabolic trajectory. Several 3D printers have been subjected to this treatment, but because of their long print times, none have been able to actually complete a 3D print job entirely in the weightless state. However, Xolo’s print speed is so rapid that they were able to start and complete a job entirely in the weightless simulation.
What’s next for the company? We were told they are working on scaling up the build volume for use in the automotive industry. However, there are plenty of challenges: there is a limit of laser intensity, and it must penetrate all the way through the resin cuvette. This means the build volume is somewhat dependent on the type of photopolymer material used.
Via Xolo
