3D printing pioneer Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF) unveiled a machine it says is capable of printing with a resolution of 2μ, or 0.002mm, it announced in a press release.

The MicroArch, which the company describes as “the industry’s most accurate and precise high-resolution microscale 3D-printing solution for commercial use,” is based on a proprietary approach to 3D printing named “PμSL” for “Projection Micro-Stereolithography.”

PμSL is able to achieve a resolution of 2μ, or 0.002 mm, which is more than 100 times smaller than a human hair and far smaller than typical 3D printers, which often top out at 0.05 mm.

The company and PμSL technology were launched in China 18 months ago. In an initial roll-out, over 40 systems have already been installed for multiple customers across a range of industries, the company said.

“When it comes to additive manufacturing, the next limit is not large parts, but high-precision, small parts,” said CEO John Kawola. “As devices and parts get smaller, the need for accuracy and precision grows even more important and, until now, more difficult to achieve.”

(Source/Lead image: Boston Micro Fabrication)