01 April 2013

Really small 3D printer

I found this while cruising around on the internet. A company called Nano scribe is now the leading provider for three dimensional nano or micro fabrication, with this technology they can create a mini space ship no longer than the width of a human hair. It's importance to design is debatable, however those who say no right of the bat have clearly never had the chance to mess around with a 3D printer. With a little knowledge about engineering and CAD you can create some awesome things with a 3D printer! The possibilities with fabrication technology this precise are endless.

"In fact, the technique was able to produce a spaceship (from the Wing Commander line of video games) from a CAD file that measures 125µm x 81µm x 26.8µm (on the order of the width of a human hair) in less than 50 seconds."


2 comments:

  1. I have seen that done and it is incredible! I wonder how long it will take for 3d printers to become cheap enough (and the materials for printing) for the average person to own. Also I wonder when the Vis Comm department will get one. Just being able to play around with it in projects would make it worth it. I think it would also be cool to use for packaging design.

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  2. I saw one of these during my freshman year at a research seminar, though it was for a larger 3D print. It was incredible to watch! I can't recall specifically what it was being used for, but I know it was health-related and I think it's great that they are able to get it to print to microscopic sizes. I have heard of 3D printers being used to print skin cells and it's amazing how far technology has come.

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