3D printer and materials manufacturerPhotocentrichas announced the launch of a new division that’s dedicated to the development of eco-friendly 3D printed electric batteries.
的Peterborough-based firm has committed a “significant investment,” which includes its entire research team, to designing more energy-efficient storage devices. Having previously led several other grant-funded projects, the company is now stepping up its efforts and dedicating further resources to optimizing 3D printed fuel cells for automotive applications.
According to Dr Sarah Karmel, Head of R&D Chemistry at Photocentric, by utilizing its patented 3D printing technology, the firm could develop custom-made car batteries with enhanced storage capabilities. “Currently, electric vehicles are made to fit around the battery module” she explained. “We want to create customised batteries that fit the vehicle”.
Photocentric’s broad product portfolio
PhotCentric成立于2002年，被称为光聚合物树脂的生产国，并获得了专利的可见光聚合（VLP）3D打印技术。该公司的技术使用低能光源来聚合液体树脂，而不是高强度的紫外线激光或基于轻投影仪的印刷方法。
该公司的LCD系统范围包括液晶andLC Maximus, which address applications in the industrial sector as well as the dental and figurine industries. Launched in 2015, Photocentric’s low-cost Liquid Crystal represented its first foray into the printer manufacturing market.
Featuring the firm’s proprietary Daylight Printing Process (DPP) technology, the desktop system had a print volume of 200 x 100 x 200 mm, enabling a layer resolution of 25 microns.Photocentric’s newer LC Maximus machine is more geared towards mass-production and large-scale prototyping. The Maximus also uses DPP technology, but features a larger 4K 40” screen and 700 x 893 x 510mm build size, allowing more parts to be printed at once.
More recently, the company has expanded the medical applications of its technology by transforming its headquarters into a PPE print farm, in order to help in the fight against COVID-19. In a英国政府授予的合同，该公司将在接下来的六个月内生产超过760万个3D打印的防护罩。
Now, through its new battery development division, Photocentric is aiming to further utilize its LCD 3D printers to fabricate more eco-friendly car-specific fuel cells.
Photocentric’s new battery research division
长期以来，PhotCentric已将改进的储能设备的开发视为世界上最重要的环境问题之一。近年来，该公司领导了许多研究计划，并试图将其3D打印技术集成到电池生产过程中。
Using grants funded by the高级推进中心，PhotCentric目前正在为Technology Developer Programme(TDAP). The research project has seen the firm collaborate with the过程创新中心（CPI），Innovate UKand sustainable tech businessJohnson Matthey, to 3D print solid state batteries.
Building on this research, Photocentric is now ramping up its development plans for its own additive manufactured fuel cells. In what the company is referring to as “the biggest research project in its history,” it’s seeking to leverage its VLP technology to enable the low-cost mass manufacture of car batteries.
Current battery cells are large, heavy and not optimized for automotive use, meaning that vehicle design is often dictated by availability rather than suitability. Utilizing its existing fleet of systems, Photocentric intends to 3D print battery electrodes that are lighter and smaller, and better suited than existing devices.
该公司希望其未来电池的快速充电和增加的功率密度能力将导致其在内部采用特斯拉的upcoming UK-based Giga factory. In order to achieve its lofty end-use ambitions, Photocentric has already started to expand its team of scientists, and will put them straight to work on its next-generation 3D printed fuel cells.
的eco-friendly credentials of 3D printing
Additive manufacturing is often marketed as a more sustainable and efficient form of production than traditional industrial methods. In order to make 3D printing even more eco-friendly, numerous researchers have attempted to develop different recyclable printing materials in recent years.
Researchers from哈佛大学have开发了基于角蛋白的3D打印聚合物可以使用纺织行业的再生服装来制作。新颖的细丝也可以通过可逆的形状记忆能力进行预编程。
科学家弗莱堡大学have combined lignen with cellulose to produce a木基生物合成聚合物用于增材雷电竞充值制造。可持续的新印刷材料可用于轻型建筑或工业领域。
A team fromOak Ridge National Laboratory（ORNL）已经开发了新颖的3D打印设备that’s capable of increasing the amount of carbon captured from burning fossil fuels. Leveraging additive manufacturing, the researchers were able to combine a heat exchanger and a mass-exchanging contactor into a more efficient multi-functional unit.
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Featured image shows a researcher experimenting with a Photocentric 3D printer. Image via Photocentric.
