3D Printed Liquid Metal Structures at Room Temperature [Video]
3D Printed Liquid Metal (photo from designnews.com)
3D printing has been a hot topic among the design community for a while now. We have posted about the capabilities and benefits of a 3D printer on multiple occasions.
Recently, 3D printing has been taken to the next level by a research team at North Carolina State University. They have figured out how to print small structures made from liquid metal – at room temperatures. The freestanding 3D printed structures retain their liquid state, yet are stable. The structures are stabilized by a thin oxide ‘skin’ that forms on the liquid metal. The material could benefit designers in a number of ways, mostly with electronics, such as wires, antennas, etc.
Read more about the new 3D printing process here. Watch a video below that shows the processes for extruding blobs that form the freestanding structures, as well as extruding stretchable wires. (The processes are shown sped up several times faster than normal.).
Written by: Marissa Caniano, Administrative Assistant, Beyond Design, Inc.
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