Micro 3D Printer from Boston Micro Fabrication

This technology is used wherever miniaturization, precision, and complexity come together. The most important fields of application are:

• Medical technology: Surgical instruments, catheter components, stents, hearing aid components, ophthalmic devices, prototypes for clinical trials
• Electronics and connectors: Miniaturized connectors, housings, MEMS components
• Fiber optics: Precision components for fiber optic connectors, ferrules, alignment structures
• Microfluidics: Lab-on-a-chip, organ-on-a-chip, micromixers, valves, diagnostic platforms
• Micromechatronics: Miniaturized mechanical assemblies, actuators, sensor components
• Research & Development: Universities and institutes requiring high-resolution prototypes for basic and applied research

Yes. BMF offers an open material system for all of their micro printers. The microArch printers can handle viscosities of up to 20,000 cP and are therefore compatible with a wide range of third-party UV-curable resins. BMF also collaborates with material manufacturers, universities, and OEMs to qualify application-specific materials for the platform. This means that if your application requires a special resin with specific thermal, mechanical, or biocompatible properties, you can often use it directly with your micro printer.

BMF offers a comprehensive portfolio of photopolymer resins developed specifically for the microArch platform, as well as ceramic materials:

• HTL – High-performance material with high stiffness and temperature resistance up to 114 °C
• TOUGH – Robust engineering material with a good combination of strength and elongation, suitable for end-use parts
• HT 200 – High-temperature material for applications up to 200 °C
• BIO – Biocompatible resin for non-implantable medical applications, sterilizable, tested according to ISO standards
• BMF MED – Medical technology material for regulated applications
• CLEAR – Optically transparent resin with over 90% light transmission, biocompatible according to GBT 16886, ideal for optics and microfluidics
• AL Ceramic – Aluminum oxide ceramic for applications requiring high temperature resistance and mechanical strength

This depends heavily on the specific field in which the printer will be used and the requirements for the components. In microfluidic 3D printing, for example, the S240 and the D1025 already offer many customers excellent solutions and possibilities.

For applications that require significantly smaller structures, the S230, for example, is an excellent choice.

Please feel free to contact us with a specific application; our experts will be happy to advise you.

As we are the official Boston Micro Fabrication distributor in Germany, we offer the entire product range.

• microArch S230 – 2 µm optical resolution, build volume 19.2 × 10.8 × 45 mm, for maximum detail accuracy in very small components
• microArch S240 – 10 µm optical resolution, build volume 100 × 100 × 75 mm, for applications requiring a good balance between resolution and part size
• microArch S150 Series – 25 µm optical resolution, compact desktop/benchtop format with one-touch operation, ideal for laboratories and development teams
• microArch S350 – 25 µm optical resolution with an expanded build volume, for larger parts or batch printing
• microArch D1025 – Dual-resolution system that combines 10 µm and 25 µm resolution in a single printer, offering maximum flexibility

Since PµSL exposes an entire layer at a time, the process is significantly faster than point-based technologies such as two-photon polymerization (TPP). Depending on the part size, layer thickness, and selected resolution, a print job on a micro printer from BMF typically takes just a few hours. The microArch S150 Ultra accelerates the process by up to a factor of 9 compared to the standard S150. In many cases, it takes less than 24 hours to go from the CAD model to the finished part—without tooling or setup times.

The key difference lies in resolution, accuracy, and surface finish. Conventional desktop 3D printers (FDM, SLA) achieve resolutions of around 25–100 µm and tolerances of ±50–100 µm at best. A micro printer from BMF, on the other hand, delivers optical resolutions of up to 2 µm and surface roughness of 0.4–0.8 µm Ra. This enables functional microstructures—such as fine channel geometries, thin-walled connectors, or optical components—that simply cannot be produced using conventional 3D printing.

Unlike conventional 3D printing, which typically achieves resolutions in the range of 50–100 µm, our micro printers operate with optical resolutions ranging from 2 µm to 25 µm and maintain tolerances of ±10 µm to ±25 µm.