Creators of fastest large-scale 3D printer vow to ‘revolutionise manufacturing’

A large, fast 3D printer reportedly capable of printing a human-sized object in just a couple of hours will “revolutionise” manufacturing, its creators have claimed.

Called Harp (High-Area Rapid Printing), the machine stands at almost 4m and can print about half a metre in an hour. The resin-based printer can create both hard, durable parts and elastic, bouncy objects. Researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois, where it was developed, said it could be used for medical devices, cars, aeroplanes, construction and more.

“Often, the pursuit of larger parts has come at the cost of speed, throughput and resolution. With Harp technology, this compromise is unnecessary, enabling it to compete with both the resolution and throughput of traditional manufacturing techniques,” the announcement said.

The project leader, Chad Mirkin, said: “3D printing is conceptually powerful but has been limited practically. If we could print fast without limitations on materials and size, we could revolutionize manufacturing. Harp is poised to do that.”

The Harp is a stereolithographic machine which prints vertically, using projected ultraviolet light to cure the liquid resins into hardened plastic. A ‘time-lapse’ video released by the university appears to show a large structure growing upwards as the machine progresses.

A common issue with resin-based printers is heat generated during use, which can exceed 180ºC. To tackle this, the new device projects light through a window to solidify resin on top of a vertically moving plate. A substance reportedly like ‘liquid Teflon’ flows over the window and then circulates through a cooling unit, removing the heat and enabling continued printing without damage to the printed material.

The machine’s high-resolution light patterning also reportedly creates ‘ready-to-use’ parts without extensive post-processing, further enabling ‘on-demand’ manufacturing.

“When you can print fast and large, it can really change the way we think about manufacturing,” said Mirkin. “With Harp, you can build anything you want without moulds and without a warehouse full of parts. You can print anything you can imagine on-demand.”

A paper on the printer was published in Science.