Nanotechnology startup Cytosurge, an ETH Zurich spin-off company, was founded nine years ago, and develops, manufactures, and distributes innovative, high-precision nanotechnology metal 3D printers based on its patented FluidFM technology, which stands for fluidic force microscopy and has many applications in life sciences and biophysics. Its award-winning microscale metal 3D printing system, the FluidFM µ3Dprinter, has been around for a couple of years now, and was further developed into a more consumer-friendly process last summer. The standalone system is able to 3D print pure metal objects, and has just received a pretty major design upgrade.
The FluidFM µ3Dprinter can already print metal structures ranging from 1 μm3 to 1,000,000 µm3, which is unheard of for other technologies. An electrochemical process, which works at room temperature, 3D prints a pure, high-quality metal, and can also fabricate overhanging structures with 90° angles without the use of support structures or post-processing.
But now, it features a new function that’s pretty unique – it can 3D print, with pinpoint (micrometer) accuracy, onto existing structures.
FluidFM technology combines force microscopy and microfluidics features by adding microscopic channels into force sensitive probes, or print tips. This results in the company’s FluidFM iontip, which makes the whole micro 3D printing process possible.
A very small volume of ion-containing liquid can be pumped through the iontip’s interior microscopic channel, then dispensed through a sub-micrometer aperture at the tip. The apertures, which can be as tiny as 300 nanometers, make it possible to achieve flow rates as small as a few femtoliters per second, which is a million times smaller than even the very best flow sensors can pick up on. In addition, the FluidFM iontips use their force-sensing capability to offer real-time process control during the print process. This makes it possible to 3D print complex, pure metal objects at the micrometer scale.
- Combination of structures.
- Solid objects with overhang.
- Array of pillars.
Cytosurge’s new pinpoint metal 3D printing is possible due to two state-of-the-art, high-resolution cameras that have been integrated directly into the FluidFM µ3Dprinter. These cameras make visualization of the finished structures possible, and also ensure automated loading of the FluidFM iontips, printer setup, calibration, and the computer-assisted alignment that makes it possible to print on pre-existing structures.
The top view camera images the surface or object about to be printed on, while the bottom view one mostly views internal system processes, such as controlling the FluidFM iontip’s automated gripping motions. Using the FluidFM µ3Dprinter’s live, high-resolution video, it’s possible to manually select the exact position of the surface or object that will be printed on, and then set it as the 3D printing process starting point. This allows the user to 3D print metallic objects on contact pads which are already pre-defined on the surface of micro-electromechanical-systems (MEMS) or an integrated circuit, like a microchip.
The FluidFM μ3Dprinter’s unique new function of 3D printing structures, with exacting, pinpoint accuracy, directly onto surfaces and objects could potentially revolutionize micromanufacturing by combining traditional microfabrication techniques with 3D printing to create complex metal objects.
Discuss metal 3D printing and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.
[Images: Cytosurge]
Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter
Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.
You May Also Like
U.S. Navy Approves 3D Printed Parts from Nuclear Ship Leader
As suggested in a story from 3DPrint.com Macro Analyst Matt Kremenetsky, anything related to securing the U.S. manufacturing supply chain is currently getting a significant boost from the Biden Administration,...
Investors Could be the X Factor in 3D Printing Workforce Development
It must be frustrating for stakeholders in the additive manufacturing (AM) sector to see that the companies that they’re backing are facing the exact same obstacles in the short-term that...
US Navy Submarine Installs Markforged 3D Printer
Virginia-class submarine USS New Hampshire (SSN 778), part of the US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), now has a Markforged X7 field edition additive manufacturing (AM) platform installed onboard. NAVSEA’s...
3D Printing News Briefs, February 25, 2023: Anatomic Models, Horse Trailer, & More
Fabrisonic is introducing a new build plate with embedded sensors; this hardware news kicks off today’s 3D Printing News Briefs. Moving on, we’ll cover some of the major 3D printing...
Print Services
Upload your 3D Models and get them printed quickly and efficiently.