TI DLP technology is shrinking down the size of TI DLP® Pico™ chipsets to fit into smaller applications so that engineers can develop small, high-quality 3D printers that are more accessible and affordable.

While some photopolymerization printers use a moving laser to cure the resin point-by-point, TI DLP technology utilizes high-power full-layer exposure for 3D printing, resulting in reduced printing times and high fabrication accuracy. TI DLP technology uses an array of millions of individually controlled microscopic mirrors, called a digital micromirror device (DMD), which are leveraged in 3D printers to project a pattern onto the resin, allowing an entire layer to be printed all at once.

One challenge has been the high cost, which has confined high-quality 3D printers to large-scale manufacturing settings and kept them out of the workshops of individuals like Mattia. But new TI DLP Pico chipsets – which are smaller than earlier versions – are poised to make high-quality 3D printers small enough to fit on your desk at home or at work and, as a result, available for less than US$499. That’s less than half the price of DLP 3D printers previously. Anycubic in Shenzhen, China, is one of the first to implement the technology in 3D printers to make them more affordable for artists like Mattia.