Formlabs partners with OpenCAL V2 to develop specialized resin for open-source volumetric 3D printing

OpenCAL V2, an open-source volumetric additive-manufacturing platform developed by a University of California, Berkeley team, combines printer hardware, the Tomo desktop application and a specialized photopolymer resin effort with Formlabs. The system uses computed axial lithography: projected two-dimensional images are delivered from multiple angles into a rotating resin vessel so the required voxels receive a curing dose simultaneously. The project says complete parts can be formed in minutes without layer-by-layer construction or support structures. OpenCAL V2 supports different build-volume and projector configurations, while Tomo is intended to run both OpenCAL and other volumetric printers without command-line operation.

For Formlabs, the collaboration places its materials capability at the constraint most likely to limit volumetric printing: resin chemistry rather than the availability of commodity optics and electronics. The required resin must combine nonlinear photochemistry, transparency at the relevant wavelength and high viscosity, characteristics the project says are rarely available in off-the-shelf products. That makes the arrangement an early materials-validation opportunity in vat photopolymerization, not evidence of a near-term production platform or a broad commercial launch. Practical adoption will depend on repeatable cleaning of uncured and partially cured resin, reliable completion detection and usable build volumes before the material opportunity can translate into recurring demand.