3D printing can now “carve” at scales thousands of times finer than a human hair. On March 16, Anhui Hefei Astra Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Astra”), located in the Grand Union of Innovation area, unveiled the two‑photon line‑scan micro‑/nano 3D printer LineScan‑100i. Compared with conventional 3D printing, it increases speed by 100 times and achieves ultra‑high precision of 75 nm laterally and 99 nm vertically. Originating from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, this technology opens up new possibilities for manufacturing in the microscopic world.

Printing speed increased 100 times

The standout feature of the LineScan‑100i micro‑/nano 3D printer is its speed.

“We are the first in the industry to implement line scanning.” What is line scanning? Astra engineer Zhong Qiuyuan offered a vivid analogy: conventional nanoscale 3D printing uses point scanning — “it’s like using a pencil to dot one point at a time on paper to form a surface; it’s tiring and the machine has to stop and go.” The newly released device uses a method called “line scanning.” “It’s like replacing the pencil with a wide brush — one sweep paints an entire surface instantly,” Zhong said.

How fast is this “brush‑like” speed? According to Astra, its print throughput is 12.7 times higher than existing technologies, with a speed 100 times that of traditional point scanning, sustaining about 100 cubic millimeters per hour. Micro‑devices that once took several days to produce in a lab now have the potential for large‑scale mass production.

Not only faster, but more precise

The device achieves ultra‑high precision of 75 nm laterally and 99 nm vertically. To put that scale in perspective: one nanometer is about 1/50,000 to 1/100,000 of the diameter of a human hair.

To demonstrate the perfect combination of speed and accuracy, researchers used it to print a miniature version of the Qingming Riverside Scene painting. Under a microscope, within 50‑micron grids, a wealth of details were clearly visible.

“We are able to construct arbitrarily complex three‑dimensional structures at ultra‑high rates and nanoscale precision,” Dr. Zhong Qiuyuan explained.

Cost is only one‑tenth of traditional methods

For industry, the value of this technology also lies in cost reduction. Traditional two‑photon techniques are constrained by point‑scanning principles: although precise, they are slow and expensive, with a millimeter‑scale device often taking weeks to produce — keeping the technique confined to research institutions and greatly limiting the adoption of 3D printing in precision high‑tech fields.

Zhong said that thanks to the breakthrough “line scanning” technology, manufacturing costs are roughly one‑tenth those of traditional lithography equipment. At the same time, the machine runs stably — no longer the fragile, temperamental “lab toy” but an “industrial workhorse” capable of continuous, reliable operation on production lines.

What can it be used for? It makes the “microscopic world” accessible. A technology that is fast, precise, and cost‑efficient, once popularized, will press the “accelerator” for many high‑tech fields.

In biomedicine, it can be used to print cell/tissue scaffolds for organ repair and to manufacture micro‑/nano‑robots capable of navigating blood vessels for precise drug delivery. In optics and display technologies, it can produce far more refined optical components.

Source: Hefei Daily