3D Holographic Printer with no Moveable Parts (full image printed in seconds)!

[gravityblock]

Hi Gravock,

Thank you for all the links, some are malformed, but was still able to get to read through them.

So the idea is you take a glass aquarium like box and fill it with a clear polymer gel. Then from each of the sides you project a holograph into it allowing it to set where it intersects from the DCPF technique(?)

I'm no expert in holography so I'm trying to understand.

How do you keep an object from falling through the liquid or would you also holographically project a support grid?

In a large complicated model would it be able to evenly cure to the center?

I really like this idea it would allow models to built to quickly with a reduction in all the mechanical requirements. This would allow scaling from a small cup model all the way up to an aquarium sized model. Other polymers are heat cured so it might be possible to project infrared to cure those.

Just trying to get a simple small cube or even a 3D map (projective displacement) to print using this technique would be a breakthrough. From there the sky is the limit. Are you working on a prototype?

There's a few work-arounds to help overcome the issue of the penetration depth.

1.)  Pulsed UV Technology:  What will have a deeper penetration? A 10 watt continuous lamp running for 120 seconds or a 400,000 watt pulsed lamp for 3 milliseconds? The difference in peak power is readily apparent. This is analogous to penetrating a block of wood with a nail: one could press a nail into the wood with a finger for 10 seconds without effect, or exert the same amount of energy and drive the nail instantaneously into the wood with a single strike of a hammer. Pulsed UV, like the hammer, delivers light at high peak power to achieve deep penetration.

2.)  Dual Cure:  If [UV] light can reach all surfaces of the part and all the resin in the casting, we can cure with Pulse UV light in only a few milliseconds.  However, if the part has dark colors or contours that shadow light penetration, then we can "dual cure" by premixing a mild amount (1%) of MEKP catalyst.  Since the hologram is only projecting the surface areas of the part (both inner and outer surfaces), then we'll need to use the "dual cure" method.  The Pulsed UV light of the hologram will cure whatever areas of resin are exposed to the UV radiation and the resin will rapidly cure and gently exotherm, warming and accelerating the other shadowed areas that are bathed in the mildly catalyzed resin.

For example, we can generate a holographic image of a hollow cylinder (see image below), and bath this UV hologram in a light activated curing resin with 1% MEKP catalyst while hitting it with a few short pulses.  After a few pulses, we can drain the resin away from the printed part and continue to provide pulses to further cure the mildly catalyzed resin between the surfaces of the outer and inner walls of the cylinder.  The purpose in draining the resin after a few quick pulses is to create the hollow portion of the cylinder (If we didn't drain the resin, then the cylinder wouldn't be hollow).  Please remember, the hologram is only projecting the surface areas of the part, and it's only the deep inner surface areas where there may be a concern in regards to the penetration depth.

Gravock

[gravityblock]

I found another method to generate a holographic image using a 4d Cartesian coordinate system which can be developed in an open source program such as Panda3d or Blender.  The 3d printer will superimpose and project the 4 images into open space forming a single holographic 3d image, allowing a physical copy to be made in minutes.  The parabolic or DCPF method which generates the hologram from a physical object has a limitation to only projecting the surface areas of an object with no control of density between the surface areas, along with the issues of curing depth.  The 4d Cartesian system overcomes these limitations by allowing the areas between the surface areas to varying in density according to the 4 images being superimposed (a simple technique easily overcomes the curing depth issue, and similar techniques are already being used in some form of 3d printers).  Below is an example of 4 images to be superimposed and projected into a single holographic 3d image to be printed.  Since this project has lacked any kind of interest or ideas in bringing this 3d printer with no moveable parts to reality, then I won't be disclosing all of the information related to it, until I build a working prototype.  The lack of interest is more than likely due to most thinking this idea isn't possible.  However, it's actually quite simple, and the resin will more than likely cost more than the 3d printer itself.  However, the resin will be brought down in costs by demand and bulk ordering after this becomes mainstream, and it will become mainstream.  It's just a matter of time and a little effort.

Gravock

[gravityblock]

I found another method to generate a holographic image using a 4d Cartesian coordinate system which can be developed in an open source program such as Panda3d or Blender.  The 3d printer will superimpose and project the 4 images into open space forming a single holographic 3d image, allowing a physical copy to be made in minutes.  The parabolic or DCPF method which generates the hologram from a physical object has a limitation to only projecting the surface areas of an object with no control of density between the surface areas, along with the issues of curing depth.  The 4d Cartesian system overcomes these limitations by allowing the areas between the surface areas to varying in density according to the 4 images being superimposed (a simple technique easily overcomes the curing depth issue, and similar techniques are already being used in some form of 3d printers).  Below is an example of 4 images to be superimposed and projected into a single holographic 3d image to be printed.  Since this project has lacked any kind of interest or ideas in bringing this 3d printer with no moveable parts to reality, then I won't be disclosing all of the information related to it, until I build a working prototype.  The lack of interest is more than likely due to most thinking this idea isn't possible.  However, it's actually quite simple, and the resin will more than likely cost more than the 3d printer itself.  However, the resin will be brought down in costs by demand and bulk ordering after this becomes mainstream, and it will become mainstream.  It's just a matter of time and a little effort.

Gravock

Ok, this method produces a virtual holographic image instead of a real holographic image projected into 3D space, so this method won't work.  However, both the parabolic and DCPF methods do project a real holographic image into 3d space.  I have an idea on how to overcome the limitations of the curing depth.  Without overcoming this issue, we would be left with a printable part that is analogous to an egg, with a thin hard outside layer and a soft yoke on the inside.

Here's the idea on overcoming the curing depth issues.  Imagine a transparent balloon being filled with a gel.  As the transparent balloon is being filled, the frames of the holographic movie of the part being projected into 3D space is changing at the same rate as the balloon is being inflated with the gel.  In other words, the holographic movie of the part to be copied will be made up of frames or snapshots of the inside of the part to the outside surfaces of the part and will be projected into 3D space hardening the gel as it expands. 

Gravock

[gravityblock]

Ok, this method produces a virtual holographic image instead of a real holographic image projected into 3D space, so this method won't work.  However, both the parabolic and DCPF methods do project a real holographic image into 3d space.  I have an idea on how to overcome the limitations of the curing depth.  Without overcoming this issue, we would be left with a printable part that is analogous to an egg, with a thin hard outside layer and a soft yoke on the inside.

Here's the idea on overcoming the curing depth issues.  Imagine a transparent balloon being filled with a gel.  As the transparent balloon is being filled, the frames of the holographic movie of the part being projected into 3D space is changing at the same rate as the balloon is being inflated with the gel.  In other words, the holographic movie of the part to be copied will be made up of frames or snapshots of the inside of the part to the outside surfaces of the part and will be projected into 3D space hardening the gel as it expands. 

Gravock

In a way, the concept of this 3D holographic printer mimics the simulation of the universe as matter expands past stationary light.

Gravock

[gravityblock]

If we sliced a digital image into layers to be displayed onto a LCD, then we can do away with the 3D projection and eliminate the hardware necessary to project a 3D hologram.  The 3D hologram projection is only needed to print all of the layers simultaneously in only a few seconds..  The LCD method will print a sliced layer every few seconds.  The sliced layers is displayed onto the LCD as a slideshow and used as a dynamic mask to cure the resin.  A VAT is placed over the LCD with resin and a glass plate is raised incrementally as the next layer of the sliced image in the slide show is displayed.

Professional LCD 3D Printing Made Accessible (KickStarter)

The 3D LCD printer looks relatively easy to make at home.  Details can be found with a google search.

Gravock