Liquid Supplied One Droplet Continuous 3D Printing

Digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing is widely regarded as a highly sustainable additive manufacturing technique, prized for its rapid production capabilities and high resolution across diverse applications. Recent research has centered on optimizing curing surfaces and resin formulation to achieve continuous printing. Nevertheless, as printing continuity improves, issues such as excessive heat buildup from the exothermic curing process and constraints in printing volume persist or intensify. To address these challenges, we introduce a liquid-supplied one-droplet 3D printing approach, which incorporates a controlled liquid supply mechanism into a drop-on-demand one 3D printing system. This design enables consistent in situ curing within the droplet reservoir alongside real-time resin replenishment, effectively removing limitations on printing volume. Furthermore, the continuous infusion of ambient liquid promotes internal thermal circulation within the droplet, facilitating heat dissipation and mitigating systemic heat accumulation during prolonged UV curing. As a result, this method supports high-speed continuous printing with thermally independent operation, improved printing accuracy, enhanced stability, and mechanical performance-compatible with polyacrylate, ceramic, and flexible resins. This thermally regulatable strategy for fabricating intricate 3D architectures holds considerable promise for on-demand, continuous 3D manufacturing.