A DLP 3D printer works by shining light into a vat of photosensitive polymer using a Digital Light Processing projector, curing a thin layer of the goo until a solid part has been built up. Generally, the resolution of the print is determined by the resolution of the projector, and by the composition of the polymer itself. But, a technique posted by Autodesk for their Ember DLP 3D Printer could allow you to essentially anti-alias your print, further increasing the effective resolution.
The technique works by using grayscale anti-aliasing on the image projected for each layer. The dimmer gray light results in the polymer taking longer to solidify. Therefore, if it’s used in key points, it can smooth out the print along the edges. It’s similar to how TrueType fonts, and other graphics display techniques, visually smooth out the edges of fonts and graphics in order to give the impression of smoother lines.
Now, the Autodesk Ember is a proprietary 3D printer – something we’re not too fond of around here. But, there isn’t any reason this technique couldn’t be used on other DLP 3D printers. Even ones you’ve built yourself. As simple as this tweak is, it’s pretty safe to assume it’ll soon become a pretty standard output option.
[via reddit]
Filed under: 3d Printer hacks
