June 21, 2025 – Lausanne, Switzerland — A team of researchers at EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) has unveiled a new 3D printing system that may drastically change how we build complex objects — not by printing them layer by layer, but by forming the entire volume at once using holographic light.
This breakthrough technology, called Holographic Tomographic Volumetric Additive Manufacturing (HT-VAM), is powered by a new MEMS-based phase-only light modulator that sculpts light with high precision. In simple terms, this allows scientists to project a 3D “hologram” into a vat of liquid resin and instantly harden the entire shape — in just seconds.
From Layers to Light: How It Works
Traditional 3D printing builds objects layer by layer, a bit like icing a cake one thin layer at a time. While effective, this method is slow and can leave visible “layer lines” and imperfections.
The new system developed by EPFL flips that concept entirely. Instead of adding layers, it uses a light projector to send a dynamic 3D light field through a rotating bottle of resin. Wherever the light’s energy accumulates, the resin solidifies — meaning the whole object forms all at once, suspended in space.
At the heart of this system is a small but powerful innovation: a phase-only light modulator built using MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems). These are tiny movable mirrors that can control the shape and timing of light waves. Unlike older digital mirror devices (DMDs), which block or reflect light in binary patterns (on/off), this new device reshapes the wavefront of light itself — like bending a river instead of just damming it.
Why This Changes the Game
By switching to precise phase modulation instead of crude amplitude modulation, the EPFL team achieved:
- 78% optical efficiency, compared to <10% in older DMD systems — a 70x improvement.
- Faster projection speeds (up to 1,440 frames per second).
- Cleaner images with fewer light artifacts like speckle noise (random bright/dark spots).
This means higher-quality prints, lower energy use, and dramatically reduced print times.
In lab tests, the team printed:
- a 4mm helical pasta structure in 32 seconds,
- a classic Stanford bunny in 61 seconds,
- and a smooth DNA helix at micron-scale resolution — all with minimal power consumption (as low as 18mW laser power).
Suppressing Speckles: Making Holograms Look Clean
One major challenge in holographic printing is speckle — noisy dots caused by light interference, similar to static on a TV screen. EPFL tackled this by combining:
- nine offset projections from different angles (time-multiplexed), and
- a special Bessel beam phase modulation, which helps spread light evenly.
This reduced speckle contrast by 50% and improved the depth of field, so the print quality remains consistent across the entire volume.
Why It Matters Across Industries
This new printing approach could be transformative for many fields:
- In bioprinting, it allows fast, clean fabrication of delicate cell scaffolds and tissues.
- In micro-optics, it can produce lens arrays or light guides that require ultra-smooth finishes.
- In aerospace and design, it enables rapid production of lightweight internal structures with no need for support material.
Because the system uses low-power, single-mode 405 nm lasers, it also reduces cost and complexity — making it feasible beyond research labs.
How It Stacks Up: Traditional vs. Volumetric Printing
| Feature | Traditional 3D Printing | EPFL’s Holographic Volumetric Printing |
| Print Method | Layer-by-layer | Entire object at once |
| Speed | Minutes to hours | Seconds |
| Light Efficiency | <10% | ~24% |
| Surface Finish | Layer lines, potential defects | Smooth, uniform surfaces |
| Complexity of Shapes | Needs supports | Can float in resin; no supports needed |
| Light Source Requirement | Often high-power | Low-power laser |
What’s Next?
As volumetric printing gains traction, EPFL is working with its spin-off company Readily3D and bio-ink specialist BIO INX to commercialize this technology — especially for use in bioprinting and medical modeling. Future versions may include automatic light exposure control and photo-activated nanoparticles to allow deeper, more precise polymerization.
Final Thoughts
Rather than building objects piece by piece, EPFL’s new system shapes matter all at once using light — like freezing a hologram into solid form.
It’s a bold step toward a future where 3D printing is not only faster and cleaner, but closer than ever to real-time manufacturing.
The link to the relevant paper:
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2506.02578