Laser-based 3D printing, according to Vilnius University

According to Vilnius University (VU), a team of scientists from the Laser Research Center (LRC) at the Faculty of Physics, led by Prof. Mangirdas Malinauskas, has co-authored a foundational guide on advanced laser-based 3D printing. Published in the prestigious journal Nature Reviews Methods Primers, the work highlights Lithuania’s growing prominence in the field of high-tech innovation.

“Our primer is the first of its kind in the field of multiphoton 3D lithography,” said Prof. Malinauskas. “It systematically explains all the principles behind this technology and also reveals crucial details often overlooked in original research articles. For newcomers to the field, it is difficult to grasp the vast amount of information and nearly impossible to gather everything needed from published scientific literature if they want to replicate the research in their own laboratories.”

The guide is intended to serve as a practical and theoretical roadmap for researchers, covering everything from laboratory setup to optimizing existing equipment. It’s a milestone in the field, representing the first time leading experts – many from competing institutions – have collaborated to unify their understanding of this complex technology.

“This guide marks the first collaboration of experts from different, often even competing, scientific camps who have come together to present a unified and coherent approach to the physical principles and applications of this technology,” said Malinauskas. “For the reader, this means a reliable and universally accepted source of knowledge rather than just subjective opinions. Previously, it seemed that each researcher or company had their own truth. Now, we have a single handbook where the answers do not contradict but complement each other.”

The LRC team’s influence in multiphoton lithography has been longstanding. “We were original from the very beginning because we used Lithuanian lasers emitting green light, whereas most other researchers worked with infrared lasers,” said Malinauskas. “Over time, our contribution became visible and influential, and that is why I was invited by Nature to prepare this guide and assemble an international team of experts.”

The team behind the guide includes some of the field’s most respected figures, such as Prof. Shoji Maruo (Yokohama National University, Japan), a pioneer in two-photon polymerisation; Prof. Georg von Freymann (University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, Germany), with decades of experience; and Prof. Julia Greer (California Institute of Technology, USA), a leading authority in materials engineering.

Lithuania is represented by Prof. Malinauskas, Dr. Edvinas Skliutas (a graduate of the VU Faculty of Physics), and Dr. Greta Merkininkaitė (a graduate of the VU Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences), who continues to work with Prof. Malinauskas on research within the VU Centre of Excellence of Advanced Light Technologies.

The VU research teams are currently developing new materials for inorganic 3D printing using multiphoton lithography. These materials go beyond conventional organic chemistry and are enabling innovations in micro-optics and biomedical scaffolds. Lithuanian tech companies have adopted and advanced the required hardware and software, while academic researchers use these systems – an example of successful collaboration between science and industry.

Lithuania’s position in the global multiphoton lithography landscape continues to grow. Two postdoctoral researchers – Dr. Gordon Zyla (Germany) and Dr. Dimitra Ladika (Greece) – have recently joined the team, and Prof. Arturo Susarrey-Arce from the University of Twente (Netherlands) is expected to visit Vilnius soon, encouraged by the guide’s release. These developments underscore Lithuania’s emergence as a key international hub in this field.

The primer itself provides a comprehensive overview of multiphoton 3D lithography, a technology that uses laser light to create nanoscale 3D structures in light-sensitive materials. This technique unlocks new possibilities in micro-optics, electronics, biomedicine, and beyond.

Vilnius University students are also poised to benefit from this momentum. Courses and lab classes on multiphoton 3D lithography are offered across all levels – from Bachelor to PhD – providing hands-on training in one of today’s most advanced technologies.