![]() On the right side of the planet is an area of brightening at the pole facing the Sun, known as a polar cap. This annotated, zoomed-in image of Uranus, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on 6 February 2023, reveals stunning views of the planet’s rings, as well as clouds and the polar cap. The lightly glued area acts as a support while the structure is built up. More adhesive is applied to the area which will form the first layer of the object less (but still some) is applied elsewhere. In the case of SDL, the process starts by the machine applying drops of adhesive to a sheet of paper. These are then sent to the printer, which reproduces each layer in turn. Like those other systems, SDL begins by taking a series of digital slices through the object to be replicated. They call the result “Selective Deposition Lamination” ( SDL) and they reckon the cost of the paper needed for it works out at about 5% of the cost of the materials for other 3D systems. (Many manufacturers put a high markup on their bespoke printing materials, just as the producers of 2D printers do on their ink.) The MacCormacks therefore set out to make a full-colour 3D printer with exceptionally low operating costs. They worked with 3D printers but found the materials expensive. The process was invented by Conor MacCormack, an Irish aerospace engineer, and his brother Fintan, an electrical engineer. And the layers their machine prints are made of a substance that Staples has in abundance: A4 sheets of paper. Staples, an office-supplies company, has introduced it at its store in Almere in the Netherlands. Some use powdered plastic or powdered metal that is then fixed in place with a laser or an electron beam. Some spray special “inks”, such as liquid polymers that solidify when exposed to ultraviolet light. Some extrude filaments of molten plastic. They all build up objects, layer by layer, but what the layers are made of varies from one to another. THERE are more than a dozen sorts of three-dimensional (3D) printer. ![]() Via The Economist A new, low-cost way of making things ![]()
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