Additive manufacturing is a layer-by-layer strategy enabling the advanced design and fabrication of complex 3D objects and structures, overcoming geometry limitations and reducing waste production compared to conventional technologies. Among various additive manufacturing technologies, digital light processing (DLP), is an additive manufacturing technology used to print photopolymer parts, using a projected light source to cure an entire layer at once. Initially developed for pure resins, recent advances have demonstrated the potential of DLP in the polymerization of ceramic and metal-loaded suspensions, enabling the fabrication of ceramic and metal components after proper debinding and sintering. Such flexibility increases the potential of DLP for different applications, ranging from dental implants and bone scaffolds to smart biomaterials for soft robotics, smart wearables, and microfluidic devices. The review provides an overview of DLP technology and its recent advances; specifically, the review covers the photopolymer properties, the ceramic and metallic feedstock preparation, and the light-matter interaction mechanism underpinning the printing and post-processing steps. Finally, a description of the current application is provided and complemented with future perspectives.

Experiments to understand the effect of surface wettability on impact characteristics of water drops onto solid dry surfaces were conducted. Various surfaces were used to cover a wide range of contact angles (advancing contact angle from 48° to 166°, and contact angle hysteresis from 5° to 56°). Several different impact conditions were analyzed (12 impact velocities on 9 different surfaces, among which 2 were superhydrophobic). Results from impact tests with millimetric drops show that two different regimes can be identified: a moderate Weber number regime (30 < We < 200), in which wettability affects both drop maximum spreading and spreading characteristic time; and a high Weber number regime (We > 200), in which wettability effect is secondary, because capillary forces are overcome by inertial effects. In particular, results show the role of advancing contact angle and contact angle hysteresis as fundamental wetting parameters to allow understanding of different phases of drop spreading and beginning of recoiling. It is also shown that drop spreading on hydrophilic and superhydrophobic surfaces occurs with different time scales. Finally, if the surface is superhydrophobic, eventual impalement, i.e., transition from Cassie to Wenzel wetting state, which might occur in the vicinity of the drop impact area, does not influence drop maximum spreading.