MIT student’s pocket-sized 3D printer can craft objects in seconds

Researchers at MIT, led by PhD candidate Sabrina Corsetti and Professor Jelena Notaros, have developed a groundbreaking pocket-sized 3D printer based on a single millimeter-scale photonic chip. This chip uses light to create solid objects within seconds by emitting reconfigurable visible-light holograms into a stationary resin well, enabling non-mechanical 3D printing without any moving parts. The innovation combines silicon photonics and photochemistry to achieve rapid fabrication of customized, low-cost objects, marking the first demonstration of chip-based 3D printing. This compact and portable system addresses many limitations of traditional 3D printers, which rely on large mechanical setups that restrict speed, resolution, and form factor. Beyond 3D printing, the team also created a miniature “tractor beam” using light to manipulate biological particles, offering new possibilities for contamination-free biological research. The researchers anticipate that their chip-based technology could revolutionize manufacturing across diverse fields such as military, medical, engineering, and consumer applications