Improving the Reliability of Digital Light Processing Printing Using a Digital Micromirror Device Grayscale-Gaussian Correction Method

As digital light processing (DLP) printing is increasingly utilized across various industries, improving manufacturing reliability is essential. However, fabrication reliability may be compromised owing to nonuniform light exposure over the build-plate of the DLP printer. To ensure reliable DLP printing without fabrication deviations, we propose a light distribution calibration using a grayscale method. To achieve a more uniform light distribution, a filter-image correction technique was used to generate a DLP light-control image mask based on a Gaussian distribution. This method effectively ensured uniform light distribution across the build-plate of the DLP printer. The efficacy of this light-distribution calibration method was demonstrated by fabricating large-scale, three-dimensional, cell-scaffold structures over the entire area of the build-plate. Cells were cultured in a stable manner throughout the scaffold structure. These results highlight the potential of this method to enhance the reproducibility and reliability of not only bioapplications such as cell scaffolds but also other industrial applications, such as optical devices and dental applications.