Specifically designed for
3D printing glass microstructures
Nanoscribe GP-Silica is the world’s first photoresin for high-resolution 3D Microfabrication by Two-Photon Polymerization (2PP). High optical transparency combined with thermal, mechanical and chemical stability enable to explore new applications in microfluidics, microoptics and other microtechnology fields. GP-Silica is the centerpiece of the Glass Printing Explorer Set and was developed in a joint research project with Glassomer.
The Glass Printing Explorer Set offers everything you need for printing freeform microstructures made of fused silica glass out of the box. The set includes the photoresin GP-Silica, silicon substrates, several print accessories and detailed processing instructions for a successful print. These instructions contain recommendations and notes on print job preparations, a preset of printing parameters for the Solution Set Large Features and detailed information about the thermal post-process.
Explore microstructuring of glass
The Glass Printing Explorer Set is designed for applications where polymer resins reach their natural limitations such as temperature resistance, mechanical and chemical stability or optical transparency. Two-Photon Polymerization (2PP) of fused silica glass encourages the exploration of new applications in life sciences, microoptics or other fields that require the outstanding properties of glass.
Please note that due to the special manufacturing process including thermal sintering, the fabrication of glass structures is more complex than with classical IP Photoresins and the achieved resolution is reduced, cf. specifications for GP-Silica. But with some experience you can achieve excellent results, cf. the gallery on this page. Thus, discover glass printing with our explorer set.
The new photoresin GP-Silica is optimized for the 3D Microfabrication Solution Set Large Features.
- High mechanical, chemical and thermal stability
- Optical transparent from the UV- to IR-region
- Smooth optical quality surfaces
- Inorganic material for the exploration of new applications
Nicolas Muller, College of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg
GP-Silica has great potential for our research manufacturing complex microfluidics systems, although the required thermal post-processing is demanding.
Explore 3D printing of glass with GP-Silica
Explore details on
materials and processes
| Properties | GP-Silica | IP-Q |
| Young’s modulus [GPa] | 68.3 | 3.1 |
| Thermal stability [°C] | > 1,000 a | 242 b |
| Refractive index at 589 nm, 20 °C | 1.458 | 1.513 |
| Lateral resolution [µm] c | 20 | 5 |
| Post-processing | Sintering | - |
| Surface roughness Ra [nm] c | < 10 | < 10 |
| Sintering shrinkage [Vol. %] | 27 (isometric) | - |
a Glass transition temperature Tg
b Degradation temperature
c Structure and print parameter dependent
Glass Printing Explorer Set
The Glass Printing Explorer Set offers everything you need for printing freeform microstructures made of fused silica glass out of the box. The set includes the photoresin GP-Silica, silicon substrates, several print accessories and detailed processing instructions for a successful print. These instructions contain recommendations and notes on print job preparations, a preset of printing parameters for the Solution Set Large Features and detailed information about the thermal post-process.
A suitable sinter oven is needed for the thermal post-process. For ideal results, we recommend a tailored sinter oven model provided by a partner company. Please contact our sales experts regarding product details.
Content of Glass Printing Explorer Set
- GP-Silica
- Silicon substrates
- Print accessories
- Print and processing instructions
System requirements
- Nanoscribe Photonics Professional GT+ /GT2
- Solution Set: Large Features
- Oven for thermal post-processing
Two-photon curable
silica nanocomposite
The new printing material GP-Silica was developed in collaboration with Glassomer GmbH, a recognized specialist in room temperature shaping glass. The new resin is a composite of silica nanoparticles dispersed in a photocurable binder matrix that can be printed directly with Nanoscribe’s microfabrication systems. GP-Silica requires a two-step fabrication process:
First, the desired microstructures are printed from GP-Silica and unpolymerized material is washed away, resulting in the so-called green part. In a second step, the green part is thermally treated. Here, initially the polymerized binder matrix is removed at 600 °C, followed by a sintering process at 1,300 °C. During this step, the part shrinks in volume as the silica nanoparticles fuse, revealing a 3D microstructure of pure fused silica glass.
Glass
A new class of materials
With GP-Silica, we introduce a new material class designed for 3D Microfabrication. This new, inorganic print material features the excellent characteristics of silica glass, such as its high thermal and chemical stability. Combined with an optical transmission window that extends from 200 nm to the infrared region, the new material is an excellent candidate for imaging applications in life sciences, microfluidics, microreactors or microoptics. Furthermore, the new printing material has a Young’s modulus about ten times higher than standard printing materials such as IP-Q, opening up new possibilities in the field of MEMS and material engineering.
Are you looking for
further high-precision printing materials?
Nanoscribe’s IP Photoresins are proven printing materials for high-precision 3D Microfabrication by Two-Photon Polymerization (2PP). The product line presents a broad range of negative-tone, (meth)acrylate-based resins designed for nano-, micro-, and mesoscale structures.