Glass 3D Printing

The process

Glass is extremely useful, but its traditional processing is very energy-intensive because of the high melting temperature and the processing methods required. The Lithography-based Glass Manufacturing (LGM) is a multi-part additive manufacturing process for building 3D objects from glass.

The Glassomer technology

Glassomer pre-glass materials are shaped by molding.
The whitish brown part is converted to glass.

Advantages

Transparent parts with high mechanical and thermal strength
Long-term clarity without yellowing or scratching
Chemical stability
High quality haptics
Great design freedom in construction

Materials

Glassomer is a silica nanocomposite that exists as a liquid or a solid. As a liquid, Glassomer L50-SL can be modeled by room temperature replication or stereolithographic 3D printing.

Characteristics

Uses: Examples of applications for Glassomer L50-SL include the manufacture of highly integrated microfluidic chemical reactors and compact optics. It is also used in the medical technology, automotive and jewelry industries.

Processes: LGM-Technology

Base color	transparent
Price	10/10
Precision	9/10
Stability	9/10
Flexibility	7/10
Surface	8/10
Feel	smooth, solid, heavy

Glass 3D Printing in Application

The sintered glass parts are chemically and physically indistinguishable from commercial quartz glass. They have the same high optical transparency in the UV, visible and infrared range, combined with the high thermal and chemical stability and the same mechanical strength and hardness as commercial quartz glass.

Glassomer enables for the first time the production of high quality fused silica using polymer processing technologies with resolutions of a few microns and surface roughnesses of a few nanometers, fully compatible with the requirements of optics and photonics.

Overhang Design Rules

α = 0° − 30° → L=1 mm
α = 30° − 50° → L=15 mm
α = 50° − 90° → L=40 mm

Technical information

Glass Type/Purity: Fused Silica/99.9 %
Density: 2.2 g/cm3
Vickers Hardness: 980 HV
Bending Strength: 115 MPa
Max. Temperature: 1000 °C
Thermal expansion: Near-zero

Limitations

Max. size: 50 mm × 50 mm × 50 mm
Max. wall thickness: 5mm
Min. wall thickness: 0,8mm