About Hexastorm
The Mission: Democratizing Laser Direct Imaging
In semiconductor and high-density PCB manufacturing, Laser Direct Imaging (LDI) replaces physical photomasks by exposing photoresists directly with computer-controlled laser beams.
However, commercial LDI equipment costs hundreds of thousands of euros and weighs several tons, placing the technology far out of reach for individual developers, academic labs, and small-scale prototyping workshops.
Commercial industrial LDI machines require dedicated cleanroom facilities and massive capital investments. Hexastorm was created to prove that high-speed laser direct imaging can be achieved on an accessible desktop footprint using precision rotating prism optomechanics and smart feed-forward mathematics.
Hexastorm bridges this accessibility gap. By utilizing a high-speed rotating refractive prism, the system eliminates expensive f-theta scan lenses, bypasses fragile galvanometer mirrors, and delivers industrial-grade scanning speeds (up to 34 m/s) and sub-60 µm resolution on a desktop budget.
Design Philosophy
🔬 Physics Over Complexity
Rather than aligning dozens of finicky laser diodes or complex multi-axis galvanometer mirrors, Hexastorm relies on an elegant single-beam optical path dynamically corrected for non-linear distortion using Snell’s law feed-forward algorithms.
🛠️ Commodity Hardware First
Precision optomechanics are paired with widely available desktop frames—most notably the standard Vevor CNC 3018 Pro—allowing anyone to build or evaluate the system without requiring custom chassis fabrication.
⚡ Open & Reproducible Stack
From optical ray-tracing in Python (pyoptools and opticaldesign) to FPGA gateware in Amaranth HDL and 4-layer electronics (Firestarter), the entire ecosystem is open source.
📐 Sustainable, Methodical Engineering
Engineered with continuous precision over a multi-year development arc, balancing rigorous physical modeling against accessible manufacturing techniques for real-world reliability.
Project Roadmap
Hexastorm is an independent open-hardware research initiative advancing at a deliberate, reproducible pace:
01
Open Research Alpha
Current Phase
Validating seam stitching, backlash compensation, automated calibration routines, and maker replication on the CNC 3018 platform. All CAD, HDL gateware, and simulation code remain open source.
02
Modular Scan Head Kits
In Progress
Evaluating pre-assembled, optically aligned scan head modules and plug-and-play Firestarter controller kits for researchers, educators, and early adopters.
03
Ecosystem Integration
Future Horizon
Collaborating with academic research labs and open-source digital fabrication projects to integrate high-speed rotating prism engines into desktop toolchains.
Project Origins & Lead
Hexastorm is an independent open-hardware initiative architected and maintained by Rik Starmans.
With a technical background in lithography research at TNO (the Dutch applied research institute deeply connected to the regional high-tech semiconductor ecosystem around ASML), Rik has spent over a decade developing precision optomechanics, embedded firmware, and scientific Python software.
Hexastorm is pursued as an independent research endeavor alongside his professional career in enterprise technology consulting, driven by a personal engineering passion for democratizing high-resolution microfabrication tools.
Connect & Collaborate
Hexastorm is an open initiative that welcomes peer exchange, open-source contributions, and technical collaboration: