Micro-Angelo? This 3D-Printed ‘David’ is Just One Millimeter Tall
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for SoyCow1337:
Micro-angelo? This 3D-printed 'David' is just one millimeter tall - TechCrunch:
3D printing has proven itself useful in so many industries that it's no longer necessary to show off, but some people just can't help themselves. Case in point: this millimeter-tall rendition of Michelangelo's famous "David" printed with copper using a newly developed technique.
The aptly named "Tiny David" was created by Exaddon, a spin-off company from another spin-off company, Cytosurge, spun off from Swiss research university ETH Zurich. It's only a fraction of a millimeter wide and weighs two micrograms.
It was created using Exaddon's "CERES" 3D printer, which lays down a stream of ionized liquid copper at a rate of as little as femtoliters per second, forming a rigid structure with features as small as a micrometer across. The Tiny David took about 12 hours to print, though something a little simpler in structure could probably be done much quicker.
As it is, the level of detail is pretty amazing. Although, obviously, you can't recreate every nuance of Michelangelo's masterpiece, even small textures like the hair and muscle tone are reproduced quite well. No finishing buff or support struts required.
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.