IEEE Photonics Journal (Jan 2025)

Improving Edge Quality of Liquid Crystal Display 3D Printing Using Local Dimming Method

  • Xing-Rui Ding,
  • Zi-Hao Deng,
  • Jia-Sheng Li,
  • Rui-Xiang Qian,
  • Bo-Wen Duan,
  • Zong-Tao Li

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOT.2025.3527537
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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The burgeoning advancements in Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology have opened avenues for applications beyond traditional display and lighting, notably in the realm of 3D printing. This study introduces a Local Dimming (LD) method that employs LED backlight technology to enhance the edge quality of Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) photocuring 3D printing (LPP). LPP, known for its rapid and cost-effective fabrication, faces challenges with light leakage and precision under high-power ultraviolet (UV) light. By locally adjusting the backlight array's brightness to conform to the digital mask's shape, this study effectively suppresses LCD light leakage and improves edge definition. A comprehensive investigation into the LD method's process parameters—exposure time, pixel compensation coefficient, and initial backlight calculation—reveals significant improvements in print quality. The LD method achieves up to an 81.56% enhancement in dimensional accuracy compared to the conventional full-backlight technique. This research not only addresses the intrinsic light leakage in LCDs but also facilitates the high-resolution printing of complex structures, thus expanding the utility of LED devices in additive manufacturing.

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