Nano-Sculptures The Size Of A Grain Of Sand

A hand out electronmicroscope photograph shows anano-scalemodel of Wormsergate in Frankenthal, Germany, created by anewly developed 3D printing technique for nano structures, madeavailableto Reuters March 29, 2012. Researchers from the Vienna University of Technology haveset a newworld speed record for creating 3D nano objects. The University team create their grain of sand-size structures injust four minutes, a fraction of the time that other items have previously been printed. Previously making complex large3D structures would takehours or evendays but with the newly developed 3D laser printer thescientists can speed that up by afactorof 500 or in somecases 1,000 times. The process called “two-photon lithography” involves using a focused laser beam to harden liquid resinin order to create micro objects of solid polymer. The scientists said thetechnique could be developed to make small biomedical parts to be used by doctors.