Direct 3D printing of metals with submicron resolution is a promising additive manufacturing technique in a wide range of sectors. Here we present the FluidFM µ3Dprinter, the world’s first 3D printer capable of delivering such resolution in direct metal printing, while offering scalability and good prospects in both production cost and speed. The FluidFM µ3Dprinter is an elegant combination of fluidic scanning probe microscopy and 3D printing. Microcantilevers with buried microfluidic channels, termed FluidFM iontips, accurately dispense femtoliters of liquid in 3D space. The liquid contains metal ions that electrolytically deposit as solid atoms. FluidFM iontips have an aperture size down to a few hundreds of nanometers, about 200 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. This aperture size allows flow rates as small as femtoliters per second; a million times less than what the most sensitive flow sensor can detect. A laser beam monitors the defllection of the cantilevered micropipette. A sensitive force feedback loop is used to control the 3D printing process in situ. When the growing voxel exerts a subnanonewton force on the tip, a trigger is generated that the voxel was successfully completed. With the FluidFM µ3Dprinter various metals like Cu, Ag, Au and Pt can be printed. Printing of 30 more metals is under investigation.<br/>Pinpoint-accurate 3D printing revolutionizes micromanufacturing by combining additive manufacturing with traditional microfabrication methods. The FluidFM μ3Dprinter accurately aligns the 3D objects with previously manufactured structures using high-resolution cameras. The FluidFM μ3Dprinter opens the door to a new world of microscopic additive manufacturing of metal. This technology is industrially scalable and has the potential to drive additive micromanufacturing well beyond current technological boundaries.

Pinpoint additive manufacturing of complex 3D micro structures of pure metal

256th National Meeting (2018)

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