The operating principle of a CLIP printer is the following: at the bottom of the reservoir with liquid resin, there is a transparent window permeable to light and oxygen. It stops the polymerization of liquid resin and prevents curing in that particular area. UV-light causes photopolymerization and starts the cross-linking process in liquid resin, which leads to solidification. Now let’s discuss both technologies in detail.Īccording to Carbon3D website, the CLIP technology is based on a chemical process, in which oxygen and light are selectively used for resin curing. However, this technology is intended for a wider audience and it’s more affordable than high-speed printing offered by Carbon3D. Fundamentally, it’s similar to the CLIP technology it also prints at an incredible speed, making use of light and oxygen. This approach not only decreases production time, but also removes the layering effect in the print structure.Ī similar technology called LSPc (Lactant Sublayer Photocuring) was introduced by Nexa3d.
Similar to the widely known SLA technology, the models are printed layer by layer, however, it’s a continuous process, since the technology harnesses oxygen as an inhibiting agent. The technology itself is based on 3D printing with light-curing resins at a speed that is 20-100 times higher than that of any other available 3D printing solution. The CLIP (Continuous Liquid Interface Production) technology was developed by Carbon 3D. To see how fast printing works, check out the video below: the model of the Eiffel Tower is printed in just a few minutes. This is one of the main reasons why 3D manufacturers strive to increase speed and develop new technologies of high-speed 3D printing. Businesses and professionals of these fields keep seeking ways to speed up the process of model creation, since the more cheap high-quality products appear on the market, the stronger the chance of raising their sales. In the car, aerospace and health industries, including dentistry, 3D printing has long been used on a constant basis. Moreover, when it comes to FDM printing, high print speed leads to poorer quality. Printing larger models can take up to several days, even if the 3D printer works day and night. Because usually 3D printers work at a speed of 30-150 mm/sec, to get a small model of medium complexity you will have to wait from 3 to 11 hours. Therefore, to produce a 10 cm-tall model, the machine will have to print 250-1000 layers. However, there’s one substantial drawback - the printing process is slow and takes too much time.įor example, when using Fused Deposition Modeling technology (FDM/FFF), layer thickness will be about 0.1-0.4 mm. We’ll also talk about its applications, utilized technologies, and 3D printers that can work incredibly fast.ģD printing allows for the production of complex models at a very low cost. In this article, we’ll tell you about fast 3D printing and whether it can get you some high-quality prints. The Fastest 3D Printer and Why You Don’t Need One