broke a glass? someday you might 3-d-print a new one

Glass making is one of the oldest art in the world.
More than 5,000 years ago, the ancient miso Nada mians and Egyptians made glass glazes, which were blown in the early days of the Roman Empire. Since the mid-
For 1900 seconds, the glass is made in the factory by melting the sand, and then floating the glass pieces in the molten tin bucket (
Or, you know, as a by-product of testing atomic bombs in the desert).
Researchers now want to make more versatile, modern glass --
Day Technology: 3-D printing.
In a study published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, a team from Germany proposed a new glass manufacturing method based on \"liquid glass\", which can be used in 3
D printer, then heated to solid.
The technology can reduce the time and cost of making complex or detailed glass pieces and generate high
Bastian Rapp, chief researcher and thesis author at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, said high-quality glass is smooth enough to make lenses and mirrors. Three-
Size printing is more common than ever, but it is still largely confined to plastics, ceramics and metals.
People think 3-can\'t touch the glassD printing, Dr. Rapp said.
\"We want to close this important material gap.
There are 3 other groups-D-
It includes an Israeli company called Micron3DP and a group led by M Neri Oxman. I. T. ’s Media Lab. But Dr.
According to Michael Page, editor-in-chief of the website 3D printing industry, the Rapp approach is different.
The other two methods include melting and laying a piece of material, just like you do with a glue gun.
Layered extruded glass makes it difficult to create a smooth and transparent object, SirPetch said. Dr.
The Rapp team used a method called stereo exposure, which included shaping the structure with UV rays.
They loaded high concentrations of glass nanoparticles into a liquid called light curing, which harden under UV light.
The mixture is located in the container and is exposed to slices already programmed to create different shapes of UV light on each layer.
The exposed areas become solid.
Heating structure at high temperature
Like a ceramic kiln, the temperature furnace burns the remaining liquid and blends the glass nanoparticles together.
Dr. , creating unique or complex glass shapes in this way has the potential to be easier and cheaper than the methods commonly used today by several orders of magnitudeRapp said.
At present, the forming of large glass structures includes detailed melting and casting processes, and the fine features of etching involve hazardous chemicals.
In this way, you upload your 3-
\"The software has done all the work,\" he said . \"
According to the doctor, there are many potential applications, from creating skyscraper facades to making tiny devices for chemical research. Rapp.
Since the final product is clear and reflective enough for optical applications, the technology may one day be used to make camera lenses for smartphones or components for lighting --Based on computing.
People can even design their own glass products at home.
\"Maybe in the future, you can 3-if you drop a drink-D-
Print a new one . \"Rapp said. Dr. Oxman, at M. I. T.
He praised the new study as \"the most detailed demonstration of what we have seen using glass for stereo molding technology \".
So far, she said.
The team at Rapp has proven that the technology works on a small scale in centimeters.
The goal of her team is not necessarily the size of a large building.
But she said: \"Overall, the work shows a leap in the right direction.