(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- Do you know Benchy the Boat? NIST researchers certainly do, and the 3D-printing design is helping them make waves with a technique called vat photopolymerization.

To start off, Benchy (a nickname for “benchmark”) isn’t a NIST original work of art. More commonly referred to as #3DBenchy, the third-party, open-source design has been around for almost a decade, and many in the 3D-printing world have tested their machines with it. That’s because the boat contains challenging features for printers to overcome, such as pillars and overhangs.

Those features are especially challenging when using resins such as the one NIST researchers are working with.

Many involved in 3D-printing have tested their machines against #3DBenchy (short for benchmark). That’s because the boat contains challenging features for printers to overcome, such as pillars and overhangs. Credit: T. Kolibaba/NIST

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