Scientists develop 'Replicator' to build objects with light
The replicator might have groundbreaking implications -one that could lead to a Star Trek future.
(Web Desk) – Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have found a new way of printing objects in 3D by using light which can fabricate objects in one shot only.
The process could potentially revolutionize the rapid manufacturing technology.
The regular 3D printing work requires many hours or even days for larger objects.
The research which has been published in the journal Science, describes a printer the researchers have nicknamed "the replicator" in a nod to Star Trek.
It works more like a computed tomography (CT) scan than a conventional 3D printer.
It builds a 3D image by scanning an object from multiple angles, and projecting it into a tube of synthetic resin that solidifies when exposed to certain intensities of light.
In two minutes, for instance, the team was able to fabricate a tiny figurine of Auguste Rodin’s famous "The Thinker" statue.
The replicator might have groundbreaking implications, but it does have some inherent limitations as well: the objects it produces are small, and require special synthetic resin to produce.
But it’s an exciting new technology - and one that could lead to a Star Trek future.
