Contrary to structural and material complexities found in nature, man-made manufacturing technologies and associated materials remain relatively simple. Despite continued technological advances in additive manufacturing, current methods remain limited in their capabilities. We report a new technology coined as Hybrid Laser Printing (HLP) that is capable of shaping hydrogel materials into 3D multiscale, multi-material, and functional constructs. Using several proof-of-concept studies, we present that HLP can print 3D structures that are either (i) technically challenging to print, and/or (ii) extremely time consuming to manufacture, and/or (iii) not possible with current technologies.
Current manufacturing techniques are limited in their ability to fabricate 3D multiscale multi-material structures. Few research groups have utilized the ability of ultrafast lasers to shape hydrogel materials into complex 3D structures. However, current laser based methods are limited by scalability, types of materials, and incompatible laser and materials processing requirements, thereby preventing its widespread use. In this work, we report the design and development of a Hybrid Laser Printing (HLP) technology, that combines the key advantages of additive stereolithography (quick on-demand continuous fabrication) and multiphoton polymerization/ablation processes (high-resolution and superior design flexibility). Using a series of proof-of-principle experiments, we show that HLP is capable of printing 3D multiscale multi-material structures using model biocompatible hydrogel materials that are highly difficult and/or extremely time consuming to fabricate using curruent technologies.
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