Advances in vat photopolymerization: early-career researchers shine light on a path forward

Vat photopolymerization (VP) has emerged as a promising additive manufacturing technique to allow rapid light-based fabrication of 3D objects from a liquid resin. Research in the field of vat photopolymerization spans across multiple disciplines from engineering and materials science to applied chemistry and physics. This perspective brings together early-career researchers from various disciplines in academia and national laboratories around the world to summarize the most recent advancements with special emphasis on the research highlighted as part of the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) 2024 meeting on Additive Manufacturing of Soft Materials. We provide an outlook on next-generation polymer processing methods from synthesis of novel materials to multimodality manufacturing and performance engineering. Further, this article combines the ideas of many of these junior researchers to present a vision for the future of the field by highlighting the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.