3D Printed Castle on a Pencil Tip

High Precision Microscope Stage for Two Photon Polymerization

Two-photon polymerization (2PP) is not limited to layer-by-layer fabrication, but is an inherent 3D process technology suitable for the fabrication of almost any conceivable 3D structure, including those in the nm range.

In a transparent, photosensitive liquid material, only the areas that are to polymerize are selectively aligned in a tiny laser focus.

This process is based on the second order absorption of the laser light intensity in the material and therefore requires very high laser focal intensities at a very small focus as well as the highly precise alignment of the laser focus within the material. The Austrian high-tech company UpNano uses a customized version of SmarAct's SOM-180150 high-precision microscope stage – a long range piezo stage with a travel range of 120 x 100mm – for this purpose.

The stage's motion accuracy combined with the breakthrough 2PP technology offers enormous potential and enables innovative applications in academic and industrial research, e.g. in biomechanics such as tissue engineering.

To demonstrate the capabilities of UpNanos NanoOne, a tiny castle was 3D printed onto the sharpened tip of a pencil using 2PP and then imaged by scanning electron microscopy.

SOM-MS-180150

Travel X: 123 mm
Travel Y: 103 mm
Dimensions: 286 x 216 x 30 mm
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