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Researchers demonstrate the First Chip-based 3D Printer

Graphic of hand holding a glowing chip-based 3D printer
The tiny device could enable a user to rapidly create customized, low-cost objects on the go, like a fastener to repair a wobbly bicycle wheel or a component for a critical medical operation.
Credits: Sampson Wilcox, RLE

Smaller than a coin, this optical device could enable rapid prototyping on the go. Researchers have demonstrated the first chip-based 3D printer, a tiny device that emits reconfigurable beams of visible light into a well of resin that rapidly cures into a solid shape. The advance could enable a 3D printer small enough to fit in the palm of a person’s hand.

Imagine a portable 3D printer you could hold in the palm of your hand...

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