3D printing of microstructures based on optofluidic maskless lithography

We propose a novel stereolithography method to continuously fabricate three-dimensional (3D) and multimaterial microstructures by employing optofluidic maskless lithography (OFML) system. We generated the each layer of 3D microstructure using OFML system and stacked the layer by controlling the membrane substrate with precise motor. We extracted the mask image of each layer from a 3D cad file with a simple algorithm. In order to fabricate fine microstructures, the height of each layer was required to be controlled precisely. We used photocurable polymer with zinc oxide nanoparticles, therefore we generated thin layer for expressing smooth curve in the vertical direction.