Fortify are the inventors and developers of Fluxprint, a magnetic 3D printing technology that uses resin to make composites with optimized microstructures. Josh Martin, CEO, and Co-founder, now continues our series looking at the State of Resin 3D Printing with his insights.
3DPI: How have you seen resin-based 3D printing develop in recent years?
Josh Martin: In recent years the application space of resin-based printing has shifted from prototyping to manufacturing. Vat-based printing has always had respectable throughput and part quality (accuracy, surface finish, etc) but functional materials are relatively new to the field and long overdue.
3DPI: What do you consider the next technology hurdles for photopolymer-based 3D printing to overcome?
Josh Martin: An area of opportunity with photopolymer-based printing is in everything that comes after printing a part. I believe that post-processing is an underappreciated part of the manufacturing process. The reality is that post-processing in a reliable and scalable way is what usually breaks a cost model.
3DPI: What applications of vat photopolymerization do you see as under-developed by the market, and why?
Josh Martin: Vat photopolymerization is capable of producing the most complex geometries – period. There are many applications that rely on geometric complexity to create value including heat exchangers and radio-frequency devices (antenna & radar for example). Fortify is focused on developing new material classes for photopolymer printing that leverage geometric complexity.
3DPI: Where are opportunities for materials development in regards to vat photopolymerization technology?
Josh Martin: Architected materials are a huge opportunity for vat polymerization technology to command the space it occupies as the most scalable way to produce complex parts. The rate-limiting factor today is the range of material properties addressable by vat photopolymers. There are significant opportunities in electronics materials that we are pursuing – the market opportunity given the current state of the global microelectronics supply chain is calling for innovation.
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Featured image shows 3D printed luneburg-like RF lenses. Photo via Fortify.