Covestro has partnered with Silicon Valley-based company Carbon, to assist with the scale-up and production of Carbon’s novel polyurethane liquid resin suitable for its Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) technology, which can accelerate the production of parts up to a hundredfold compared to previous processes.
With the DLS technology, oxygen is supplied from below to counteract the curing and therefore creating a liquid dead zone.
For this purpose, the bottom of the vessel is made of a light- and air-permeable membrane, similar to a contact lens.
Due to this dead zone, the printed part can be pulled continuously upwards without the formation of individual layers.
Production using DLS technology is up to 100 times faster than with stereolithography, another important prerequisite for industrial mass production.
In that context, a proprietary process combines software, hardware, and materials, imparting the desired technical and mechanical properties to the finished parts.
Patrick Rosso, Global Head of Additive Manufacturing at Covestro, said: “Our biggest challenge in the upscaling of additive manufacturing until series production lies in the supply of suitable materials in the required quality and quantity.”
“By partnering with companies like Carbon, we are pushing existing scale boundaries and supporting various industries along the value chain on their way to digital mass production.”