Photocentric welcomes HRH, The Princess Royal
Photocentric, inventor of LCD 3D printing, welcomed Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal to its Peterborough headquarters at Cambridge House, Oxney Road, Peterborough. Her Royal Highness met with staff on site, where she learned more about the Photocentric’s origins, its innovations in 3D printing technology and some of its recent initiatives including its development of 3D printing batteries and research into sustainable materials. At the culmination of her visit, HRH was presented with a golden 3D printed horse– to mark the occasion, made with a brand-new sustainable resin and printed on a Photocentric LC Magna printer.
“It was a tremendous honour to welcome Her Royal Highness to Photocentric,” says Paul Holt, Managing Director, Photocentric. “We were very grateful that the Princess Royal could find time in her very busy schedule to learn first-hand about the work we do at Photocentric, spanning 2 decades of innovation. From our origins inventing a new way to make stamps, to our more recent success creating a new method of 3D printing using LCD screens. We utilised this 3D printing invention during the pandemic when we manufactured millions of face shields for the NHS and are now applying it to disrupt a wide variety of manufacturing industries. We are proud of our home-grown, patented technology which has demonstrated that the UK can now reduce dependence on overseas production and manufacture parts locally, making large quantities competitively, using innovation to reduce cost.”
HRH The Princess Royal was accompanied by her lady in waiting, HM Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire Julie Spence, and Photocentric Managing Director Paul Holt, throughout. Other guest attendees included Dr Nik Johnson, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority’s Mayor, the Mayor of Peterborough Steve Lane, Peterborough City Council CEO Gillian Beasley and Peterborough’s Member of Parliament, Paul Bristow
Speaking about the latest sustainable resin used for the 3D printed horse, Dr Rob Young, Head of Chemistry at Photocentric, said: “Our sustainable resin has been specifically formulated to incorporate as much bio sourced material as possible whilst still retaining great mechanical properties. One of the main components used within the production process for the resin is Pinene, a compound found commonly in trees (specifically pine) as well as a wide range of plants such as rosemary and sagebrush and is a byproduct of paper manufacture.”
Photocentric anticipate that this sustainable resin will be available commercially before the end of 2021.
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