World's First Chip-Based 3D Printer is Smaller Than a Coin
Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
Imagine misplacing your house keys and then pulling out a 3D printer from your pocket to make new ones.
3D printing has made manufacturing more affordable, especially for low-volume production. However, 3D printers are often huge and heavy devices that need a stable platform to work properly - until now. MIT News reports that its researchers have worked closely with a team from the University of Texas at Austin to create a prototype 3D printer that is smaller than a coin.
This photonic chip focuses its beam into a resin well that rapidly cures when it's hit by a particular wavelength of light emitted from the chip. The palm-sized 3D printer also saves space by eschewing moving parts - instead of using arms and motors to change the beam's focal point, the prototype uses tiny optical antennas to move it around and create the desired shape.
If the team is successful in turning this concept into a viable product, it could change the face of instant manufacturing. The portability and speed of this palm-sized printer could allow anyone - engineers, doctors, or even first responders - to create solutions on the fly without needing to lug around a big and heavy device.
[...] These are just some of the exciting possibilities that this 3D printing concept brings to the table. According to MIT Professor Jelena Notaros, This system is completely rethinking what a 3D printer is. It is no longer a big box sitting on a bench in a lab creating objects, but something that is handheld and portable. It is exciting to think about the new applications that could come out of this and how the field of 3D printing could change."
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.