A MicroLCD 3D Printer that is perfect for testing small quantities of photocuring UV resin, quickly and easily.

PicoFAB was developed with a very specific purpose: after a market research lasting several months, it emerged that research laboratories, developers of new materials, researchers in the field of bioprinting, are in difficulty when they must test new photopolymers. The problem is that commercially available resin 3D printers have an average footprint area of ​​10 x 7cm or more, and therefore to print, at least 100ml of resin is required. This becomes a problem when you want to test a new resin of which you have very small quantities available, because it is very expensive (bioprinting, certified resins) or because you are testing new materials and therefore you prefer to initially produce small quantities of resin.

The PicoFAB, an high quality LCD based 3D Printer, perfect for testing small quantities of UV-photocurable (~405nm) resin

To overcome this problem, we have developed PicoFAB, a 3D Printer that allows you to print already with 10 – 15ml of resin, in a printing area of ​​24x24mm at 100 microns of XY resolution and 25 / 50 / 100 microns on the Z axis.

Another interesting feature is the resin tank made of stainless steel, easily removable and sterilizable, and a design that allows a good cooling of the internal LCD even if the machine is inserted in a laminar flow hood.

The PicoFAB is the perfect tool for universities, research labs in the development of new materials, bioprinting, and for all those who wish to test small quantities of expensive resins (high performance resin, certified for dental use, castable resins) before to use them for printing on machines of normal dimensions.

Testing a certified dental resin
Testing a new castable resin
Testing a model resin
Testing an high quality piece made with castable resin on the Picofab
Sample of a dental model
Sample of a dental model

FAQ

  • Q: What is the XY resolution and printing volume?
  • A: The current resolution is 100µm on XY, so 240×240 pixels on a 24x24mm area.
  • Q: What is the intensity measured for each irradiation layer in mW/cm2?
  • A: The current version is approx.  2mW / cm2. Custom versions can be made.
  • Q: What are the limits of viscosity in which it is recommended to use on the printer?
  • A: We have been able to use composites resins with success such as the Liqcreate Composite-X: https://3dsolutions.store/en/prodotto/liqcreate-composite-x-rigid-resin/ , and some Tethon resins.
  • Q: What are the minimum and maximum layer thickness that it can be used?
  • A: The standard setup is 25.4µm / 50.8µm per layer (Z resolution).
  • Q: Does it exist a specific software (for free or not) to generate the .gcode files for the 3D printer?
  • A: We provide free Chitubox profiles for the PicoFAB