Today's cybersecurity headlines are brought to you by ThreatPerspective


Ethical Hacking News

New 3D Printing Resin Combines Hard and Soft Materials for Unprecedented Versatility


New breakthroughs have been made in 3D printing with the development of a novel resin blend that combines hard and soft materials. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have successfully demonstrated this technology, which has significant implications for various applications such as surgical training models, wearable sensors, and soft-bodied robots.

  • The University of Texas at Austin has developed a novel resin blend that combines hard and soft materials into a single 3D print job.
  • The resin uses an epoxy-acrylate monomer with a photosensitizer compound to achieve the desired properties.
  • The material can be made soft by exposing it to violet-colored light and hard by exposing it to ultraviolet light.
  • The blend enables the creation of hybrid materials with smooth transitions between soft rubber-like and hard polymer-like properties.
  • Applications include surgical training models, wearable sensors, and flexible robots that can adapt to different environments.



  • The world of 3D printing has long been a realm of endless possibility, where scientists and engineers strive to push the boundaries of what is thought possible. In recent years, we have seen advancements in various fields, including materials science, with significant breakthroughs being made in the development of new resins for 3D printing. Among these, a novel resin blend has recently been developed at the University of Texas at Austin, which combines hard and soft materials into a single print job.

    This new resin, inspired by natural materials such as rigid bone that smoothly melds with flexible cartilage, incorporates an epoxy-acrylate monomer combined with a photosensitizer compound. It is used in digital light processing (DLP), a type of 3D printing where focused patterns of light are shone through the transparent sides of a vat of photosensitive resin, causing select areas to polymerize into layers of solid material.

    When an area of this new resin is exposed to violet-colored light, it forms into a solid yet stretchy rubber-like material. On the other hand, wherever the resin is exposed to ultraviolet light, the photosensitizer in that area causes it to take on a hard, rigid consistency. And importantly, by softly blending the boundary line between these two types of materials, it is possible to gradually transition from soft rubber to hard polymer within a single print job.

    According to Assistant Professor Zak Page and colleagues at the University of Texas at Austin, nature does this in an organic way, combining hard and soft materials without failure at the interface. They wanted to replicate this phenomenon, and their new resin technology achieves just that.

    The capabilities of this innovative resin blend have been demonstrated in a variety of 3D-printed items, including shock absorbers consisting of hard springs embedded in a soft cylinder; stretchable electronic devices with rigid sections to prevent an embedded gold wire from breaking; and models of knee joints featuring both rigid bones and stretchable ligaments.

    These advancements hold significant promise for a wide range of applications. For instance, surgical training models can be created using this resin blend, allowing surgeons to practice complex procedures in a highly realistic environment. Wearable sensors may also benefit from this technology, with the possibility of incorporating soft, stretchy materials that can conform to the wearer's body without compromising their performance.

    Furthermore, the development of soft-bodied robots could become a reality with this new material. The ability to create flexible, shape-shifting robots that can adapt to different environments is a highly desirable one, particularly in fields such as search and rescue operations or environmental monitoring.

    While researchers at Case Western Reserve University previously developed a somewhat similar material inspired by squid beaks, which can be made harder or softer by varying the amount of light it's exposed to. More recently, scientists from the University of California Santa Barbara and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory created a resin that can form a permanent or dissolvable solid, depending on whether it's exposed to ultraviolet or visible light.

    The publication of this new resin technology in the journal Nature Materials marks an important milestone in the ongoing quest for innovative materials in 3D printing. By combining hard and soft materials into a single print job, researchers are opening up new avenues of possibility, where scientists and engineers can explore previously uncharted territories.



    Related Information:
  • https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/New-3D-Printing-Resin-Combines-Hard-and-Soft-Materials-for-Unprecedented-Versatility-ehn.shtml

  • https://newatlas.com/3d-printing/3d-printing-resin-hard-rubbery/

  • https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/new-3d-printing-tech-fuses-hard-and-soft-structures-in-a-single-print-novel-resin-can-create-both-with-different-light-sources


  • Published: Wed Jul 2 22:27:21 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M













    © Ethical Hacking News . All rights reserved.

    Privacy | Terms of Use | Contact Us