The objects being 3D-printed looked as though they were “appearing from nowhere”. Pellizzon’s mind went to Star Trek and its iconic replicator machine, a box that could bring objects into existence – from a martini with two olives to a medical bandage – as if by magic.
By the time she flew to Denmark to witness a live demonstration, her mind was blown. Pellizzon knew exactly what her PhD would focus on, and decided to move from London to Copenhagen.
That was three years ago. In September 2025, she was crowned winner of IMechE’s Speak Out for Engineering competition after sharing the manufacturing method with engineers around the globe.
Lights, hologram, action
Pellizzon, 26, uses dental fillings to explain what she is studying at the Technical University of Denmark. First, a cavity is filled with a liquid resin. Then the dentist uses ultraviolet light to deliver energy that, in turn, solidifies the filling.
Unlike conventional AM, which builds up objects layer by layer, tomographic volumetric AM relies on light to solidify objects inside a spinning test tube filled with liquid. So, if you were building a Lego castle, the entire building would appear at once, rather than rows of pieces rising up from the floor.
Pellizzon says this method of 3D printing can be exceptionally fast, creating objects within minutes or even seconds. It’s also compact, allowing it to be used when and where needed. A good example would be an audiologist printing a custom hearing aid while a patient waits to try it out. Or an orthodontist printing aligners to straighten teeth, making sure the fit is just right.
To boldly go towards new frontiers
But the biggest potential impact of 3D printing with light, Pellizzon believes, falls within the realm of bioprinting. Although the technique is still speculative, she says printing organs or organ parts could prove doable.
“Imagine using this technology in hospitals. Instead of waiting for donors and transplants, you could print parts using stem cells,” she explains. “Then you can let the cells grow further. Maybe one day it could be an entire organ.”
Without layer-by-layer construction, the cells experience fewer stresses during printing and ultimately have higher survival rates. If successful, printed organs might lead to less organ rejection.
However, there is a daunting list of challenges for engineers to solve before volumetric printing becomes viable. These range from limited light resolution to resin blurring, and from optical distortions (a spoon appearing to break in a glass of water) to scattering (an ice cube reflecting light in different patterns as it changes from liquid to solid). Then there is the complicated chemistry of the resins themselves.
“There are still a lot of problems for engineers to solve,” Pellizzon admits. “But that’s what makes it exciting. There’s always something to do.”
Series of serendipitous events
Pellizzon has always loved a challenge. She remembers a particular primary school lesson in which she figured out how to use a sheet of paper to build a bridge capable of carrying the weight of a hundred pennies*.
As a teenager, together with her dad, she experimented with a cheap 3D printer, which never delivered the drone she’d set her heart on. Years later, at Imperial College London, Pellizzon entered and won a drone society competition, finally managing to print a working one.
But her path to engineering was by no means as straight as the drone flies. At the age of 14, she received a scholarship to study music at the Wells Cathedral School. If you’d asked her then what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would have said a concert pianist.
Engineering won out in the end, but even then, Pellizzon picked aeronautical engineering because it kept popping up in her research, largely thanks to university websites arranging their degrees in alphabetical order.
The drone competition she won happened to be sponsored by Autodesk, which opened the door to her spending a few years at the company, exploring various manufacturing methods, before pursuing her doctoral studies.
A curiosity that burns bright
Pellizzon’s advice to young engineers is to keep an open mind and join organisations like IMechE. She has been a member since her student days and aims to become a chartered engineer. For her, every event offers a chance to meet engineers who are working on fascinating projects.
Since moving to Denmark, Pellizzon has learned to knit and cook with unfamiliar ingredients. She’s finding inspiration in exploring a new country and its culture – a refreshing way, she says, to reassess what she’s always considered “normal”. From a tax form written in Danish to visiting a tourist site, she’s learning more about the world – and about herself.
“Always be open to new opportunities,” she concludes. “They’ll come from the weirdest of places.”
*The answer, in case you’re still thinking about it, is to corrugate the paper by folding it up repeatedly.
To nominate an IMechE member making a difference, email profeng@thinkpublishing.co.uk
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.