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New 3D Printing Technology Can Create Structures Smaller Than a Human Hair

The world of medical diagnostics and chemical analysis is becoming increasingly smaller. Scientists are developing microfluidic devices—tiny systems that can move and control extremely small amounts of liquids through microscopic channels. These devices are used in biomedical testing, chemical analysis, drug research and lab-on-chip technologies.

However, making such tiny structures has always been a major challenge. Conventional 3D printing can produce complex shapes, but creating extremely small enclosed channels quickly and accurately is difficult.

Now, researchers led by Miner and his team have developed a new multi-resolution 3D printing technique that could overcome this problem. Their method can create fully enclosed microfluidic channels with cross sections as small as 1.9 × 2.0 micrometres.

That is an extremely small structure—about two orders of magnitude smaller in cross-sectional area than the 18 × 20 micrometre channels demonstrated in earlier work.

Why Microfluidic Devices Matter

Microfluidics is a technology that works with very small quantities of liquids, often at the scale of microlitres, nanolitres or even smaller.

A microfluidic device may contain tiny channels, chambers, mixers and other structures that control the movement of fluids. Because everything is miniaturized, these systems can perform laboratory functions using very little material.

This makes microfluidics particularly useful for:

  • Medical diagnostics

  • Blood and biological testing

  • Chemical analysis

  • Drug development

  • DNA and molecular research

  • Lab-on-chip devices

  • Compact scientific instruments

But smaller devices require smaller and more precise channels. This creates a problem for traditional manufacturing and 3D printing.

If researchers try to print the entire device at extremely high resolution, the process can become very slow. On the other hand, printing quickly at lower resolution may not produce the tiny structures needed for advanced microfluidic applications.

The new technology attempts to solve both problems at once.

A 3D Printer With Two Different Resolutions

The key idea behind the researchers' method is surprisingly simple: instead of using one resolution for the entire object, use different resolutions for different parts of the same object.

The system uses two separate optical engines:

  1. Very High Resolution Optical Engine (VHROE)

  2. Main Optical Engine (MOE)

Each optical engine has a different job.

The VHROE is designed for extremely small and precise features, while the MOE is designed to rapidly print larger structures.

The VHROE has an exceptionally small 0.75-micrometre pixel pitch and uses a 365-nanometre ultraviolet LED. This allows it to produce extremely fine features.

The MOE, in comparison, has a 15-micrometre pixel pitch and uses a 405-nanometre LED. Its larger pixels allow it to cover much bigger areas much faster.

The MOE can efficiently print areas as large as approximately 38.9 × 24.3 millimetres.

This combination allows the printer to switch between speed and precision depending on what is required.

How Does It Print in Three Dimensions?

The researchers did not only introduce different resolutions across the horizontal surface. Their system also provides different resolutions in the vertical, or Z-axis, direction.

To achieve this, they developed a special photopolymer resin containing two UV absorbers.

These absorbers respond differently to the two wavelengths of ultraviolet light used by the optical engines.

As a result, the 365-nanometre light from the VHROE penetrates the resin to a depth of approximately 2 micrometres, while the 405-nanometre light from the MOE reaches approximately 20 micrometres.

This difference is extremely important.

It means the researchers can control not only how small a feature is printed from side to side, but also how deeply the light penetrates into the material.

In simple terms, the technology provides multi-resolution control in all three dimensions—X, Y and Z.

Special Filters Improve the Printing Process

The researchers also developed custom UV short-pass filters for the two optical engines.

These filters help control the light spectrum produced by each LED. By tailoring the wavelengths reaching the resin, the researchers can optimize the performance of both printing systems.

The two optical engines are mounted on an XY stage, allowing them to move across the printing area.

During fabrication, the system can therefore use the high-resolution engine where microscopic precision is necessary and the main engine where speed and larger structures are more important.

This avoids wasting time printing large, simple areas at extremely high resolution.

Printing Channels Smaller Than 2 Micrometres

One of the most impressive demonstrations of the technology was the creation of fully enclosed channels measuring only 1.9 × 2.0 micrometres in cross section.

To understand how small this is, a micrometre is one-millionth of a metre.

Such tiny channels could open new possibilities for designing extremely compact microfluidic systems.

The ability to create enclosed channels is particularly important because microfluidic devices often need complex internal pathways that cannot simply be produced on a flat surface.

Complex Structures at the Microscale

The researchers also demonstrated their technology by printing intricate microfluidic structures.

One example involved a triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structure.

TPMS structures are complex three-dimensional geometries that can provide highly interconnected surfaces and pathways.

In this demonstration, the researchers created a TPMS structure containing 7-micrometre pores inside a 150 × 150 micrometre cross-section enclosed channel.

Creating such a detailed structure requires both high precision and careful control of the printing process.

The new technique was able to combine the two.

An Ultra-Compact Microfluidic Mixer

Another important demonstration was an extremely compact microfluidic mixer.

The entire printed volume was only 0.017 cubic millimetres, equivalent to approximately 17 nanolitres.

Despite its tiny size and complex structure, the device could be printed in just 21 minutes.

This result highlights one of the biggest advantages of the new approach.

A conventional high-resolution printing process might require extremely long printing times if it had to maintain the highest resolution throughout the entire object.

The multi-resolution method avoids this problem by using high resolution only where it is actually needed.

Why This Could Be Important

The combination of high resolution and faster manufacturing could have a significant impact on the future of microfluidics.

Researchers could potentially design smaller devices with more complicated internal structures without accepting extremely long manufacturing times.

Smaller microfluidic systems could also require less sample material, less reagent and less space.

In medical diagnostics, for example, highly compact microfluidic systems could contribute to smaller and more sophisticated testing platforms.

In chemical research, they could enable precise control of tiny fluid volumes and complex reactions.

The technology could also support the development of advanced lab-on-chip systems, where multiple laboratory functions are integrated into a device that can fit into a very small space.

A New Direction for 3D Printing

The most important idea behind this research may not simply be the ability to print a 1.9 × 2.0 micrometre channel.

Instead, it is the concept of using different printing resolutions within the same object.

Just as a digital image can contain areas requiring different levels of detail, a 3D-printed device does not always need the same resolution everywhere.

Large structures can be produced quickly using the lower-resolution printing engine, while microscopic features can be produced with the ultra-high-resolution engine.

This approach creates a practical balance between precision, speed and complexity.

The Future of Miniaturized Manufacturing

Microfluidic technology is already transforming areas such as diagnostics, chemical analysis and biological research. But further miniaturization requires manufacturing technologies capable of producing increasingly smaller and more complicated structures.

The multi-resolution 3D printing technique developed by Miner and his team represents a promising step in that direction.

By combining two optical engines, specially designed UV filters, a wavelength-sensitive resin and three-dimensional multi-resolution control, the researchers have demonstrated a way to manufacture structures that are both extremely small and relatively fast to produce.

From microscopic channels smaller than 2 micrometres to a 17-nanolitre mixer printed in 21 minutes, the results show what could be possible when 3D printing is designed to use precision only where precision is needed.

In the future, this approach could help engineers and scientists build smaller, smarter and more complex microfluidic devices—bringing powerful laboratory functions into increasingly tiny spaces.

Reference: Miner, D.S., Viglione, M.S., Hooper, K. et al. Fast multi-resolution 3D printing of microfluidics: enabling 2 μm channels and ultra-compact mixers. Microsyst Nanoeng 12, 66 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41378-026-01194-4

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