Chinese researchers have set a new benchmark in volumetric 3D printing, reporting that they can print a millimeter-scale object in just 0.6 seconds while maintaining fine structural detail. According to their peer-reviewed Nature paper, the system reaches a reported feature size of about 12 micrometers, putting it closer to microfabrication than typical desktop 3D printers. The work, which the team presents as a record-setting advance, pushes volumetric printing from the realm of tens of seconds down into fractions of a second.
The Evolution of Volumetric 3D Printing
Volumetric 3D printing grew out of efforts to move beyond layer-by-layer fabrication and instead solidify an entire object at once inside a resin bath. A key step was Computed Axial Lithography, or CAL, developed at LLNL and Berkeley, which used projected images from multiple angles to cure a full 3D shape in minutes. That approach demonstrated that objects could be created in one piece without stacking layers, but lab descriptions of CAL note that printing millimetric structures still took minutes and the achievable resolution was limited compared with the latest work.
More recent volumetric systems documented in a peer-reviewed Nature Communications study cut those build times from minutes down to tens of seconds for similarly small objects. That paper, cited by the DISH team as a benchmark, reported that earlier volumetric printers typically operated in the range of tens of seconds to under a minute and were constrained to resolution limits around 100 micrometers. Against that backdrop, the new 0.6 second build time and much finer feature sizes represent an aggressive leap rather than a modest iteration.
Breaking Down the DISH Technology
The Chinese team’s method, called Digital Inline Holographic, or DISH, rethinks how light is delivered into the resin volume. According to the primary Nature report, DISH uses digitally controlled holographic patterns to shape a three-dimensional light field that cures the target object in a single exposure. Instead of relying on many rotating projections, the system generates an inline hologram that directly encodes the desired 3D structure, allowing the entire object to emerge within a 0.6 second exposure window.
A Chinese-language report in Keji Ribao, distributed via Sina, adds technical detail that helps explain the performance jump. The report describes how DISH expands the effective depth of field to 1 centimeter while maintaining an optical resolution of about 11 micrometers, so fine features can be preserved throughout a relatively thick resin volume. It also notes that the holographic approach is compatible with a range of resin viscosities, which suggests that the method can handle denser or more complex materials than some earlier volumetric systems that were optimized for relatively thin, easy-flowing resins.
Key Metrics and Record Claims
The core numbers behind the record claim are stark. The peer-reviewed Nature paper reports that DISH can complete in situ volumetric printing of a millimeter-scale object within 0.6 seconds, while maintaining a printing resolution of about 19 micrometers across a 1 centimeter range. Within that volume, the researchers demonstrate a finest positive feature size of roughly 12 micrometers, which is small enough to resolve intricate lattices and microstructured details that were out of reach for many earlier volumetric printers.
On throughput, the same study cites a volumetric printing rate of up to 333 mm³ per second, a figure that is echoed in several news summaries of the work. A report that Provides a digest of the Nature study repeats the figures of 0.6 seconds, a minimum printable structure size of about 12 micrometers, and a printing rate of roughly 333 mm³ per second, framing them as a step change over prior systems. Coverage that attributes the framing directly to the research team and Xinhua describes the achievement as a new record in volumetric 3D printing, while still rooting the claim in the peer-reviewed measurements.
Why This Matters for Industry and Innovation
The speed and resolution combination reported for DISH has obvious appeal for sectors that rely on rapid, high-precision prototyping. In aerospace, engineers frequently iterate on complex internal geometries for lightweight brackets, fuel components, and cooling channels; being able to print millimeter-scale test pieces in 0.6 seconds with about 19 micrometer resolution could compress design loops that now take hours. Biomedical researchers, who already use microstructured scaffolds to study cell growth, could benefit from the roughly 12 micrometer feature size documented in the Primary Nature study, which approaches the scale of individual cells and fine capillaries.
The viscosity compatibility highlighted in the Chinese report on Sina also matters for real-world applications. Earlier volumetric methods such as CAL at LLNL and Berkeley were often demonstrated with relatively low-viscosity resins, which limited the range of mechanical and biological properties that could be achieved. If DISH can reliably handle thicker, more heavily loaded materials while maintaining its 0.6 second exposure and roughly 11 micrometer optical resolution, it could open doors to functional parts with embedded particles, higher strength, or tailored bioactivity. At the same time, the current results come from controlled lab setups, and the available sources do not yet provide firm evidence on how the technique will perform in large-scale industrial environments, so any claims about factory-floor deployment remain unverified based on available sources.
Challenges and Future Outlook
Even as the numbers are eye-catching, the reporting hints at several constraints that the researchers will have to address before DISH moves beyond the lab. The Keji Ribao coverage on Sina notes that the method currently operates within a defined container volume, tied to the 1 centimeter depth of field that the team has demonstrated. That suggests that scaling up to significantly larger objects will require either tiled exposures, more powerful optics, or new ways to maintain the roughly 19 micrometer resolution over bigger distances, none of which are detailed in the sources so far.
Material diversity is another open question. While the Chinese report highlights compatibility across a viscosity range and the Primary Nature Communications context paper contrasts DISH with earlier volumetric printers that were limited in material choice and speed, there is little public information yet on how many distinct resin chemistries have actually been validated at the full 0.6 second exposure time. A news summary that Another English outlet credits to Xinhua and restates the 0.6 second and 333 mm³ per second figures emphasizes the record framing but does not attach any concrete commercial timeline. Based on the available sources, any forecast about when DISH-based machines might reach the market would be speculative, so for now the technology should be viewed as a promising, peer-reviewed research result rather than an imminent product line.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
