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Sunday, May 22, 2011

World’s smallest 3-D printer

May 20, 2011

A very small and light 3-D printer prototype has been developed by researchers at the Vienna University of Technology.

The prototype is designed for use at home, using Internet blueprints to print custom 3-D objects. The desired object is printed in a small tub filled with synthetic resin.

The resin hardens under the illumination of intense beams of light. The synthetic resin is irradiated layer-by-layer at exactly the right spots. When one layer hardens, the next layer (a 20th of a millimeter thick) can be attached to it, until the object is completed — a method called “additive manufacturing technology.”

This allows the printer to produce complicated geometrical objects with an intricate inner structure not possible using casting techniques, the researchers said.

The printer can be used for applications that require extraordinary precision — such as construction parts for hearing aids. The printer uses light emitting diodes to create the high intensity light.

The prototype is the size of a carton of milk, weighs 1.5 kilograms, and is currently priced at €1200.00 ($1717.00).

Source: http://goo.gl/mXz8d



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