Printing Lab

Outfitted with 3-D printers and materials for prototyping, sensor development, etc.

SLA and MSLA 3D Printing

SLA (Stereolithography) printers use a laser to cure a liquid resin into solid parts. This allows for high-resolution and precise prints. If you need detailed models, smooth surface finishes, and high print accuracy, SLA is the technique for you. Note: Prints that are made with SLA printers require a post-processing step to remove excess resin and cure the part.

Equipment

The Formlabs Form 4 is a large-format SLA printer that is ideally suited for high-resolution printing. With Formlabs' Low force Display (LFD) Print engine, the Form 4 delivers speed, resolution, and reliability.

Equipment Specifications

• Build Volume: 200 x 125 x 210 mm
• X-Y Resolution: 50 µm with pre-tuned anti-aliasing for subpixel resolution
• Smallest Feature: ~50 µm
• Layer Height: 25–200 µm
• Available Materials: 38 different Formlabs materials, including 15 biocompatible, or third-party materials using Open Platform.
• Stocked Materials: White V5, Black V5, Clear V5, Fast Model, Flexible 80A
• Typical Print Speed: Average - 40 mm/hour (across all materials) / Range - 16-50 mm/hour (depending on the material)
• Technology: MSLA, 405 nm LFD (Low-Force Display)
• Dimensional Tolerance: 1-30 mm features: ±0.15% (lower limit: ±0.02 mm) 31-80 mm features: ±0.2% (lower limit: ±0.06 mm) 81-150 mm features: ±0.3% (lower limit: ±0.15 mm)

Digital Light Processing (DLP) Printing/Microfluidics

DLP uses a digital light projector to cure multiple layers of resin simultaneously. This approach produces prints with high resolution, smooth surfaces, and fine details. The Discovery Lab’s DLP printer is purpose built for microfluidic device manufacturing. Utilization of the DLP is restricted to trained and approved users.

Equipment

The CADworks3D ProFluidics285D printer is designed to make microfluidic device fabrication faster, more accurate, and reliable. No cleanroom required.

Equipment Specifications

• Build Volume: 110 (length) x 62 (width) X 120 (height) mm
• X-Y Resolution: 40 µm
• Maximum suggested part aspect ratio: 5:1 (add outside corner fillets if working at/near/above this value)
• Pixel Size: 40 µm native, 28.5 µm dynamic
• Wavelength: 385 nm
• Z-Hight Resolution: 5-500µm
• Commonly Z-Heights: 50µm OR 30µm
• Minimum Suggested Encapsulated Channel Diameter (clear resin): 80µm
• Materials: "Mastermold" for PDMS molding applications, "Clear" for direct-use microfluidic applications (biocompatible, inert under fluorescent light)

CNC Machining

Benchtop CNC Mill

Our benchtop CNC mill is ideal for small-scale and precise CNC machining. Our Carbide3D Nomad 3 can handle a number of metal and plastic materials (more details below). 

Equipment

Carbide3D Nomad 3 Benchtop CNC, a fully integrated and ready-to-run desktop CNC mill.

Equipment Specifications

• Size: Cutting Area - 8"(X)x8"(Y)x3"(Z) & Footprint - 17.5"(X), 19"(Y),17"(Z)
• Spindle: Spindle Collet - ER-11, 7mm max cutter diameter (collet not included), Spindle RPM: 9000 - 24000 RPM, Spindle Motor: 130W Brushless DC Motor
• Materials:
  • Metals:
    • Brass: Excellent machinablity. Typically used for precision instruments.
    • Copper: Commonly used for fabricating materials for electrical components.
    • Aluminum: Highly machinable and lightweight metal. Commonly used in aerospace and consumer applications.
  • Non-Metals:
    • Polycarbonate: Touch and impact-resistant material. Commonly used where transparency and strength are needed.
    • Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS): Versatile and rigid thermoplastic polymer with high impact resistance, chemical stability, and heat resistance. Commonly used for 3D printing, prototyping, and LEGO bricks.
    • High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE): Versatile and durable thermoplastic polymer with high strength-to-density ratio. Commonly used for chemical and medical components.
    • Acrylic (PMMA): Easy to machine material. Commonly used in optical applications.
    • Derlin (POM): Used when you need to machine parts requiring high stiffness, low friction, and good dimensional stability.
    • Polyether ether ketone (PEEK): A high-performance semicrystalline thermoplastic known for extreme chemical resistance, strength, and thermal stability. Commonly used in medical implants and aerospace applications.