Slashdot Mirror
New Technology Could Lead To 3D Printers
nomoreself writes "PhysicsWeb reports that a team of scientists in Jerusalem has come up with a method for creating self-assembling 3-dimensional models from a single sheet of paper. The 'chemical origami' is created by etching a pattern of monomer onto the paper and then heating it. The chemical's reaction to the heat causes bends of varying degree in the paper, molding the sheet into the patterned model. A professor in the US with no apparent ties to the study says in the article that the technique could be used to create self-assembling prototypes, or even a printer that prints 3D objects."
This'll really help me finish the rest of these 10,000 paper cranes!
thought this might be good for porn - then started thinking about paper cuts.
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Geez Slashdot, get with the times. I saw my first 3d printer (that prints solid objects, not paper) prototype 5 years ago. My housemate's architect boyfriend brought home a bunch of 3D models he printed out at work in their model shop.
My printer is already 3 dimensional.
They could be somewhat more fun if the photocopier were to print out 3D pictures of the secretary's arse, in full colour.
To do something right, you often have to roll up your sleeves and get busy.
If you've ever seen any of the figurines that they've been churning out for Spore, those are done with an in-house 3D printer. They sometimes send figures to people of the creatures they designed in the Creature Editor at their trade show appearances.
3D object printed becomes 3D printer for infinite recursiveness! If these printers came with automatic paper feed, then the world will be finished in weeks, hundreds of self replicating 3D printers converting the Earth into an infinite series of... 3D printers!
It's like Skynet and grey goo all rolled into one
I spend most of my time in bed, darling.
Is for these printers to be able to print printers that can print printers themselves. Once we have recursive printers, I'll be happy.
N-isopropylacrylamide is the main compound here. Anyone who has run an acrylamide gel knows that this stuff (and its derivatives) can be very dangerous (note the NFPA label)!
Oh wait we already have those.
Despite the bad description of why this is important it actually is pretty interesting. This sort of approach is much more efficient for creating 2d sheets with varied 3d geometry than traditional 3d printing which would have to build them up layer by layer and might not even have sufficient structural stability to make the object if it's too bendy.
What would really make this technique useful is if there was some way to combine it with more traditional 3d printing technologies. For instance if you could start with a nice curved surface like this and add layers that would be really cool. However, there are such serious problems with doing this that I think it is unlikely.
Frankly, while interesting I suspect this is just a sidelight in the development of 3d printing technology. What I want to know is why it is taking so long. When will we all have our own 3d printers? When can we shut down those vast numbers of assembly lines that make nothing but strangely shaped 3d objects?
If you liked this thought maybe you would find my blog nice too:
http://www.davinci-development.dk/prototyper/sls-f lash.htm