This summer, we covered the Elemental, a unique stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer from Australia-based Hardcotton. The big innovation that Hardcotton brought to SLA 3D printing was a pressure control system that the company believes brings down the cost and raises the quality of high-resolution 3D printing. Five months have passed and, now, the company from down under is ready to flip 3D printing on its head, via Kickstarter.
Hardcotton explains on their Kickstarter page that their patent-pending pressure system allows for more precise control over the build platform in the printing process. As the laser zaps and hardens a vat full of UV-curable resin, layer by layer, the pressure system raises the build platform. How the system works is by using a three chamber process. Like a straw sucking up liquid, the printer first uses a pump to pressurize the liquid resin. Then, a valve mechanism slowly releases the pressure, raising the printbed up with each layer, which the company claims offers much greater control than traditional, mechanical means.…
The original post The Elemental 3D Printer Puts Pressure on the Competition appeared first on 3D Printing Industry.