Faulhaber Supplies DC Gearmotors for NanoOne 3D Printer

Parts even smaller than the “nano” are possible with the NanoOne 3D printer from UpNano. Light particles are fired at the starting material and this process plays out over a range of thousandths of a millimeter. Three compact, high-performance motors from Faulhaber ensure the correct position. The structures that UpNano produces in the 3D printer are so small they are only recognizable under a scanning electron microscope. These structures are used in medical experiments as a framework for living cells, or as microfilters, microneedles or microlenses.
With this printer, structures smaller than 200 nanometers can be realized horizontally and smaller than 550 nanometers vertically. The production of such miniaturized objects is possible thanks to 2-photon lithography, which is based on a quantum effect between two light particles. They trigger the solidification of the material, resulting in the formation of stable chains in the plastic molecules. 

“To get the decisive photon pairs across the finish line, we need to fire a massive number of light particles," UpNano Co-founder and CTO Peter Gruber said. “This is because we need an enormous photon density with respect to both time and space to bring about the controlled polymerization. With other light-based 3D-printing methods, polymerization is triggered along the entire beam path,” Gruber said. “As a result, production can only be performed in layers. With 2-photon lithography, we can focus them on a tiny point. This point can be moved freely through the material by our printer's high-performance optics. This allows us to produce nearly any geometric structure.” 
Automatic Tilt Correction Insert corrects the tipping that is nearly impossible to avoid when inserting the print substrate in the printer. The alignment of the substrate can be changed on three axes (x, y and z) and thereby optimally positioned.

“We achieve a flatness in the sub-micrometer range,” Gruber said. “This ensures the precision of the laser optics actually finds its way into the print material. Furthermore, the relevant components are decoupled from the surrounding technology and the housing. As a result, the printer can simply stand on any stable table.” 
The mechanical force for the precise positioning of the support is supplied by three precious metal commutated DC-gearmotors with integrated encoder of the 1512, SR IE2-8 series from Faulhaber. The flat winding technology with three flat, self-supporting copper windings enables a compact design with a diameter of 15 millimeters and a length of 14.3 millimeters.  In addition to the gearhead, an optical encoder is also integrated in the drive. 

"We selected the gearmotors as the optimum solution for our needs," Gruber said. "The suggestion to select the version with encoder came from Faulhaber. Alignment thereby functions even more precisely and more smoothly. In relation to its small dimensions, the drive delivers enormous power. With its high precision, it contributes to the quality of the printing process of our NanoOne devices at a key point." 
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