A single light source is now the remote control for a material’s durability, allowing for real-time tuning during 3D printing.
Researchers have unveiled a technology called CRAFT — Lithographic Crystallinity Regulation in Additive Fabrication of Thermoplastics. It sounds complex, but it could advance 3D printing. A single light source is now the remote control for a material’s durability, allowing for real-time tuning during 3D fabrication.
The team from Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina, along with university and other national laboratory partners, designed this new technology. Until now, 3D-printed parts were essentially one-note — uniform from top to bottom.“We’ve never had this level of control over these materials before,” said Sam Leguizamon, SRNL researcher and project lead for the technology. “Being able to direct how polymers form during printing gives us a powerful new tool not just for manufacturing, but for advancing the entire field of polymer science,” Leguizamon added. Using the CRAFT method, a soft-bodied turtle was 3D printed with varying degrees of flexibility and physical properties. Credit: Sandia National Laboratories.Use of light Typically, 3D-printed objects have uniform material properties throughout. It is beneficial for some products but problematic for others. If you printed a plastic bracket, it was equally stiff from top to bottom. If you printed a glove, it was equally flexible throughout.CRAFT changes this by manipulating the molecular structure of polymers in real time using light intensity.Leguizamon and team found that simply adjusting the light intensity during printing could force polymers to arrange themselves differently.It can help to fine-tune specific characteristics — such as strength, flexibility, and durability — within a single printed part.High intensity might create a section as hard as bone. A quick adjustment to a lower setting, and the very next layer of the same liquid resin becomes as supple as skin.It was discovered that light intensity directly alters the material’s molecular structure — a feat usually achieved only with harsh chemicals or extreme heat. Tracking changes in clarity, it proved that light alone could achieve the same complex structural shifts, bypassing existing, more intensive processing methods.“CRAFT represents a shift in how we think about manufacturing plastic parts,” said Patrick Garcia, SRNL associate lab director. “Instead of accepting materials as they come off the printer, we can now design them with specific material properties for a specific purpose from the very beginning of the process,” Garcia added. Human hand proofMoving beyond the lab, researchers at UT Austin put the tech to the ultimate test by 3D-printing a detailed model of a human hand in a single session.Typically, creating a realistic medical model requires assembling dozens of different parts. With CRAFT, the team printed the entire hand in one continuous session using a single material. The result featured rigid internal bones, resilient ligaments, and soft, pliable skin. This capability transforms how surgeons practice complex procedures and how engineers design next-generation protective gear.Moreover, programming material properties directly into a part unlocks unprecedented efficiency, allowing industries to slash weight while boosting durability. The technique could enable aerospace engineers to build components that transition from heat-resistant to vibration-absorbing, help the energy sector develop high-stress nuclear security systems, and allow biomedicine to craft prosthetics that mimic the varying densities of human bone and tissue.
CRAFT Inventions And Machines Light-Based Printing Material Durability
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