Chinese scientists achieve record-breaking millimeter-scale 3D printing in 0.6 seconds

Chinese researchers have shattered existing speed limitations in additive manufacturing, achieving millimeter-scale 3D printing in just 0.6 seconds. The breakthrough, published Thursday in the journal Nature and reported by Xinhua News Agency, was accomplished by a team led by Dai Qionghai of Tsinghua University after five years of development.

Holographic Light Field Breakthrough

The team's innovative method—digital incoherent synthesis of holographic light fields (DISH)—eliminates the bottlenecks inherent in traditional point-by-point or layer-by-layer scanning. By projecting complex, high-dimensional holographic light patterns simultaneously, DISH fabricates entire three-dimensional structures in a single exposure. The technology achieves a minimum printable feature size of 12 micrometers and a printing rate of 333 cubic millimeters per second.

Simplified Architecture, Expanded Applications

Unlike conventional systems requiring precision motion control and specialized containers, DISH operates with a single flat optical surface and no moving components during printing. Researchers project the technology will enable mass production of micro-components including photonic chips, camera modules, flexible electronics, micro-robots, and high-resolution biological tissue models. The achievement positions computational optics as a transformative approach for next-generation industrial and biomedical additive manufacturing.