Advanced Manufacturing Science

Research Overview

Building on previous advances by the DeSimone lab related to the continuous liquid interface production (CLIP) polymer 3D printing technology (Science, 2015), we are currently pursuing the development of new digital 3D printing capabilities. We have recently developed a 3D printer with 1.5-micron projection optics (high-resolution CLIP), which uses light and oxygen to rapidly produce structures and devices from a wide range of biomaterials with geometries down to single-digit micron resolution, and at a print speed that is 105 times faster than commercially available high-resolution direct write printers (Science Advances, 2022). Additionally, we have developed a technology referred to as “injection CLIP” (iCLIP), which mitigates print defects and enables the generation of negative spaces (channels, void spaces, and chambers) by preventing UV overcuring in the z-axis which plagues traditional UV-based 3D printing technologies (Science Advances, 2022, PNAS, 2024). We are currently leveraging this technique to fabricate high-resolution, high-density porous structures for a range of biomedical and energy applications, and utilize fluid dynamics modeling for prediction of injection schemes. We have also established a scalable, high-resolution technique referred to as roll-to-roll continuous liquid interface production (r2rCLIP), for the production of microscopic particles with permutable, intricate designs which enable direct integration within biomedical, analytical, and advanced materials applications (Nature, 2024). Finally, we have developed a method for high-resolution, high-area printing, referred to as Segmented Projected Image TraNslation (SPIN) (Science Advances, 2026, in revision). We are applying these novel additive manufacturing techniques to address fundamental challenges in developing multi-scale biomedical devices and energy systems, and are continuing to explore novel methods for multi-material 3D printing. Students: Vedika Shenoy, Jize Dai, Dan Ilyin, Ian Coates Collaborators: Eric Shaqfeh