5 μm Layer Thickness Achieved — Yunyao DeepVision Redefines Metal 3D Printing Precision with Micro-LPBF Technology

November 3, 2025 — Panda3dp.com Exclusive
While many metal 3D-printing manufacturers are pursuing ever-thicker layers — some surpassing 100 μm for higher throughput — others, like Yunyao DeepVision, are pushing in the opposite direction. By reducing the printing layer thickness to just 5 μm, the company has transformed additive manufacturing from a mere substitute for traditional machining into a method capable of designing and engineering materials and structures at the microscopic scale.

From 20 μm to 5 μm: What This Leap Represents

In the evolution of metal additive manufacturing, layer thickness has long served as a defining — yet rarely challenged — boundary between macroscale printing and microscale fabrication.
Most industrial metal printers operate within the 20–30 μm range, sufficient for production but limiting for advanced materials science and micro-structure research.

When Yunyao DeepVision’s new system compresses the layer thickness to 5 μm, the precision improvement is far more than a simple fourfold gain:

· Sharper boundary reproduction: Complex surfaces, micro-holes, and fine angles retain full geometric definition.

· Smoother surface finish: Roughness (Ra) drops from 7–20 μm to as low as 0.8 μm, drastically reducing post-processing needs.

· More uniform mechanical performance: Thinner layers allow finer grain control and fatigue resistance approaching that of forged parts.

For research institutes and advanced manufacturers alike, such micro-scale precision translates directly into greater control over both material behavior and design freedom.

Micro-LPBF: Re-Engineering the Fundamentals

Yunyao DeepVision’s new platform is built on Micro-LPBF (Micron-Level Laser Powder Bed Fusion), a technology rooted in the Fraunhofer ILT research system in Germany.
Unlike conventional LPBF, every subsystem — from laser optics to powder spreading and temperature control — has been redesigned for ultra-thin-layer fabrication.

Core innovations include:

· Laser positioning precision of ≤ 2 μm with a sampling rate of 300 kHz.

· Powder-layer uniformity controlled within ± 1 μm, using an ultra-precision blade system.

· 500 °C pre-heated build chamber to suppress stress and warping.

· Multi-material printing with customizable layer thickness for gradient-material research.

· Support-free fabrication with overhang angles down to 10 degrees.

This capability allows delicate micro-structures to form without extensive support scaffolds, unlocking unprecedented design flexibility.

Precision Through System Integration

Achieving 5 μm layers is not the result of a single improved component but of a cohesive software-hardware ecosystem. Three subsystems ensure precision consistency:

· Redesigned Optical System:
Custom single-mode high-power lasers paired with high-resolution galvanometers deliver energy-spot accuracy within 2 μm, preventing over-melting and distortion.

· Advanced Powder-Control System:
Using ultra-fine metal powders (D50 ≈ 10 μm), the system employs a sealed, contact-free powder-replacement module and a cartridge-swap mechanism that enhances safety, cleanliness, and powder recycling efficiency.

· Intelligent Software Algorithms:
Real-time parameter adjustment dynamically tunes energy density and scan strategy per region, creating a smart closed-loop printing process that continuously corrects error accumulation.

Applications of 5 μm-Scale Printing

Micro-LPBF has already demonstrated exceptional potential across multiple sectors:

· Aerospace: Fabrication of complex flow channels and miniature high-temperature probes.

· Medical Implants: Ultra-fine porous structures enabling superior bone integration.

· MEMS Devices: True structural micro-machining at the metal level.

· Materials Research: Experiments on multi-material gradients, crystal-grain orientation, and other foundational studies.

With 5 μm layer precision, metal 3D printing moves from “replicating manufacturing” to “creative manufacturing” — controlling not only form but also microstructure. Humanity is, quite literally, beginning to sculpt at the metallic micro-scale.

About Yunyao DeepVision

Yunyao DeepVision (Jiangsu) Technology Co., Ltd. was founded by a team of senior experts from the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) — the birthplace of mainstream LPBF/SLM systems — with its Chinese headquarters in Taicang, Jiangsu, and its European headquarters in Aachen, Germany.

The company’s proprietary micro-scale metal 3D-printing technology achieves 2–10 μm precision, 0.8–2.8 μm surface roughness, and support-free geometries above 10 degrees, enabling the single-print formation of intricate metallic micro-structures and filling a critical gap in China’s micro-nano metal additive-manufacturing market.

Leveraging its strong expert foundation, Yunyao DeepVision collaborates closely with global research institutes, universities, and enterprises — including Lufthansa Technik Group and the China National Machinery Research Institute — advancing the frontier of micro-precision additive manufacturing worldwide.