Application of Microstereolithography Technology in Micromanufacturing

Stereolithography (SL) technology is the mostly widely used Rapid Prototyping (RP) process in which complex structures are fabricated in a layer-by-layer fashion. Currently Microstereolithography (MSL) is undergoing fast development. In this paper, the development of MSL and its application in micromanufacturing are reviewed. One promising direction for the development of MSL is the assembly-free process, through which a complex structure can be manufactured in a single process thus avoids the extra assembly procedure. With the assembly-free process, the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced and the manufacturing reliability dramatically improved. The assembly-free process may play an important role in the future fabrication practice.