Three-Dimensional Printing Using a Photoinitiated Polymer

Printers capable of producing three-dimensional objects are becoming more common. Most of these printers are impractical for use in the chemistry classroom because of the expense incurred in fabricating a print head that must be controlled in three dimensions. We propose a simpler solution to this problem that allows the emerging technology of three-dimensional printing to be examined and executed in a typical classroom. By replacing the print head with a data projector that can develop two-dimensional layers of the objects simultaneously rather than sequentially, the need for expensive equipment is eliminated. A simple, cost-effective mechanical staging device can be constructed that allows for control of the third dimension of the object. Students can learn about this emerging technology and also about some of the polymer science behind it, connecting chemistry to a variety of disciplines, including engineering and art.