An advance in additive manufacturing now allows varying material properties within the same 3D printed object. The technique enables mixing resins with different characteristics during the printing process, precisely controlling hardness and transparency at every point on the surface. This eliminates the need to assemble separate parts.
How the Mixing of Resins with Variable Properties Works ⚙️
The method is based on an injection system that combines two or more photosensitive resins with different mechanical and optical properties. A print head deposits and mixes the materials in specific proportions for each pixel of the build volume. After deposition, a UV light source cures the mixture, fixing the desired properties. Microscale control allows for smooth gradients or abrupt changes.
Your Prosthesis Will Be Harder Than Steel... Except Where It Itches 😅
Imagine a future where your phone case is so rigid it survives a drop, but with a soft and caressable button. Or glasses with perfectly clear lenses and temples that adapt to your ears without pinching. It seems the era of objects with multiple personalities has arrived. Soon we'll have to explain to the table that that part is edible, but the rest is not.