Founded in 2016, Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF) specializes in precision 3D printing on the microscale with its patented Projection Micro Stereolithography (PµSL) technology. The startup is a spin-out of MIT, established to commercialize Professor Nicholas Fang‘s PµSL research, and now has offices in Shenzhen, Singapore, and Tokyo in addition to Boston. BMF debuted its high-resolution microArch 3D printer in the winter of 2020. Now, it’s introducing a new microscale AM system: the microArch S240, and said to be the only micro-precision 3D printer for short-run industrial production.
Just like its predecessor, the new microArch S240 uses PµSL technology, which uses a single flash of UV light at microscale resolution to achieve rapid photopolymerization of an entire layer of liquid polymer. By combining controlled processing technology, light, and customizable optics, this technology is able to fabricate extremely precise and accurate high-resolution 3D prints that are 100 times smaller than a human hair. This makes it ideal for creating prototypes and end-use parts in the microfluidics, MEMS, electronics, medical device manufacturing, and biotech fields. But, thanks to an advanced spreading mechanism and a larger build volume of 100 X 100 X 75MM / 750 cm3, this new system has print speeds that are up to ten times faster than the original microArch, which means it can produce bigger parts, or achieve a higher throughput of smaller ones, that still have 10 µm resolution, +/- 25 µm tolerance.
