Micro-additive Manufacturing Technology

Additive Manufacturing (AM) offers capabilities for producing accurate features in a genuine three dimensional mode in a growing number of technological disciplines, such as regenerative medicine, medical devices, bionics, micro- and opto-electronics. Biochips, MEMS, micro-fluidic devices, photonic crystals, scaffolds for tissue engineering and carriers for drug-delivery devices are some common applications of growing interest. This chapter critically discusses five AM methodologies that were developed initially for deployment in general manufacturing applications and that have demonstrated promise for manufacturing at the micro/nano scale: photopolymerisation processes, powder bed fusion processes, 3D printing via binder jetting, 3D printing via material jetting, filament deposition.