Lightpaper is Lighting the 3D-Printed Path

Lightpaper? Although that sounds like an odd concept, this idea might be more realistic than you would think, thanks to Rohinni, a United States-based company.

What happens when you pair light with 3D printing? The result is Lightpaper, which may one day help users print their own light.

Rohinni is working to 3D print with light, in order to prove that new innovation and flexibility for manufacturers exists. Shockingly enough, they do have some competition; however, Rohinni’s invention is unlike the others, because the Lightpaper is razor thin, flexible and most importantly, 3D printable.

The Lightpaper that was invented by this company can be applied to pretty much any surface, anywhere.

Through this process, lighting can be produced affordably and rapidly, offering consumers a better way to light specialized areas like headlights in the automotive industry.

As of late, Lightpaper is manufactured by combining ink and tiny LEDs together, which are then printed on a conductive layer.

From there, this layer is sandwiched between two additional layers and is then sealed.

Throughout the material, tiny diodes that are the size of red blood cells are then dispersed. It’s when the current runs through these diodes that the material lights up.

Where exactly can we expect to see Lightpaper? As of right now, the company is hoping to provide everything from headlights on a car to an illuminated logo on a mobile phone.

However, like most inventions, there are problems and Rohinni is working to iron out these wrinkles. Some of the problems with their first version are that the LEDs are not evenly distributed on the printed surface, which can give off a starry night or shimmering effect.

So, the company is working on a second version of Lightpaper, which will hopefully produce even light distribution.