# Rapid Liquid Printing (RLP) (DD-013)

> RLP stands for Rapid Liquid Printing, a 3D-printing method developed at MIT's Self-Assembly Lab. Instead of stacking thin layers in air, a nozzle on a robot or CNC machine draws liquid rubber, foam or plastic freely in 3D inside a tank of granular gel. The gel holds the wet material in place until it cures. Then the part is lifted out and rinsed with water. Prints take seconds to minutes rather than hours, and they can be as big as furniture.

- Department: Science (also Tech)
- First published: 2026-06-18
- Last updated: 2026-06-18
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/rapid-liquid-printing/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## Quick facts

- **DD-013-F01**: RLP (Rapid Liquid Printing), from MIT's Self-Assembly Lab, prints liquid rubber, foam or plastic inside a tank of gel instead of layer by layer in air. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (What RLP stands for))_
- **DD-013-F02**: Rapid Liquid Printing can make a complex object in seconds to minutes, and objects up to the size of furniture. _(Write-up · Exhibit E (Big and fast))_

## Write-up

This machine prints objects inside a tank of gel. MIT's Rapid Liquid Printing draws rubber and foam in 3D: no layers, in minutes.

1. **What RLP stands for**: RLP is Rapid Liquid Printing, an experimental additive manufacturing process from MIT's Self-Assembly Lab. It was developed with designer Christophe Guberan and the furniture maker Steelcase.
2. **Drawing inside gel**: A nozzle 'draws' liquid material in 3D inside a tank of granular gel. The gel acts as a reusable support, holding the material in place while it cures.
3. **Not layer by layer**: Ordinary 3D printers build in flat layers. An RLP machine can print freely in any direction, so it doesn't need support structures for overhangs.
4. **Real industrial materials**: RLP can use any one- or two-part material that cures by light or chemistry, including industrial-grade rubbers, foams and plastics.
5. **Big and fast**: Prints range from inches to many feet. A complex object takes seconds to minutes rather than hours or days, and a whole piece of furniture can be printed.
6. **Rinse and done**: When printing finishes, the part is lifted out of the tank and washed with water. Inflatable prints can then be inflated, deflated and inflated again.
7. **From lab to company**: The process is now being commercialised by Rapid Liquid Print Co. for elastomer parts, which it calls 'Gravity Free Manufacturing'. Its prints go straight into a suspension gel with no molds.

## Related case files

- [Smart Plastics (DD-057)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/smart-plastics/): Another new way to shape material: light decides where a polymer comes out hard or soft.
- [Static Spray (DD-051)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/static-spray/): Another clever manufacturing process.

## Reel vs. record

- **Overstated**: 'formed almost instantly'. MIT says prints take seconds to minutes, and the material still has to cure before the part comes out of the gel. [MIT DSpace paper; MIT Self-Assembly Lab]
- **Confirmed**: RLP means Rapid Liquid Printing. It is additive manufacturing that extrudes liquid into an engineered (granular) gel suspension, makes large, soft objects, and does not build layer by layer. [MIT Self-Assembly Lab; MIT DSpace paper; Rapid Liquid Print Co.]
- **Nuance**: RLP isn't limited to soft objects. It also handles rigid plastics, but soft rubbers and foams are its best-known demos.

## Video: Rapid Liquid Printing (RLP): This Machine Prints Objects Inside a Tank of Gel

- Duration: 18.0 s · Published: 2026-06-18
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DZvVNEJvxvl.mp4

### Transcript

DID YOU KNOW? Rapid Liquid Printing, or RLP, is an additive manufacturing technique that creates large, soft objects by extruding liquid material directly into a tank filled with a specially engineered gel suspension rather than building it layer by layer in air, allowing complex three-dimensional shapes to be formed almost instantly. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: What does RLP stand for?**  
A: Rapid Liquid Printing, developed at MIT's Self-Assembly Lab. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (What RLP stands for) · Rapid Liquid Printing (MIT Self-Assembly Lab); Large-Scale Rapid Liquid Printing (Hajash et al., 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, 2017; MIT DSpace))_

**Q: Where does an RLP machine 'draw' its objects?**  
A: The nozzle prints inside a granular gel that holds the liquid in place while it cures. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Drawing inside gel) · Large-Scale Rapid Liquid Printing (Hajash et al., 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, 2017; MIT DSpace); Rapid Liquid Printing (MIT Self-Assembly Lab); Liquid to Air: Pneumatic Objects (MIT Self-Assembly Lab))_

**Q: How does RLP differ from a typical 3D printer?**  
A: The gel acts as support, so the nozzle can move freely in 3D. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Not layer by layer) · Large-Scale Rapid Liquid Printing (Hajash et al., 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, 2017; MIT DSpace); Technology (Rapid Liquid Print Co.))_

**Q: Which materials can RLP use?**  
A: Any photo- or chemically cured one- or two-part material, including industrial-grade rubbers, foams and plastics. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Real industrial materials) · Large-Scale Rapid Liquid Printing (Hajash et al., 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, 2017; MIT DSpace); Liquid Printed Products (MIT Self-Assembly Lab))_

**Q: Roughly how long does RLP take to print a complex object?**  
A: MIT reports seconds to minutes, rather than hours or days. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Big and fast) · Large-Scale Rapid Liquid Printing (Hajash et al., 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, 2017; MIT DSpace); Rapid Liquid Printing (MIT Self-Assembly Lab); Liquid to Air: Pneumatic Objects (MIT Self-Assembly Lab))_

## Sources

- [Rapid Liquid Printing (MIT Self-Assembly Lab)](https://selfassemblylab.mit.edu/rapid-liquid-printing)
- [Large-Scale Rapid Liquid Printing (Hajash et al., 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, 2017; MIT DSpace)](https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/122801/3dp.2017.0037.pdf?sequence=2)
- [Liquid to Air: Pneumatic Objects (MIT Self-Assembly Lab)](https://selfassemblylab.mit.edu/liquid-to-air)
- [Technology (Rapid Liquid Print Co.)](https://www.rapidliquidprint.com/)
- [Liquid Printed Products (MIT Self-Assembly Lab)](https://selfassemblylab.mit.edu/liquid-printed-products)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Rapid Liquid Printing (RLP)." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-013, last updated Jun 18, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/rapid-liquid-printing/