

3D printing liquid metal could offer a new range of flexible electronics - Libertatea
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23838-terminator-2style-liquid-metal-can-now-be-3d-printed.html#.Udx5ylOWlGk

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anigbrowl
Full paper with annotations:
[http://www.readcube.com/articles/10.1002/adma.201301400](http://www.readcube.com/articles/10.1002/adma.201301400)?

Meanwhile,
[http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57592867-1/3d-printing-w...](http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57592867-1/3d-printing-
with-liquid-metal-at-room-temperature/) has a video which I really recommend
you watch. I don't often use the phrase 'mindblowing' but it applies here.

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swamp40
It's not exactly clear in the video, but the structures remain _liquid_ at all
times - unlike solder which solidifies on cooling.

A thin layer of semi-rigid oxide holds the liquid in place - like a conductive
water balloon.

Very cool stuff, although it seems too delicate to me for any immediate real
world uses.

Perhaps a layer of Parylene or some other type of vapor-deposited polymer
could make the structures more durable, while retaining its flexibility?

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waster
The video link from anigbrowl noted these structures could be used in
headphone wires and other such applications where flexibility and self-healing
capability is critical.

I do also imagine an outer protective layer could increase durability and thus
expand the range of applications. That layer could, in theory, be either more
rigid or equally flexible.

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tonylemesmer
slightly unnecessary use of an insect's face to support the "printed"
structure.

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anigbrowl
I though the same thing, but apparently it had been killed earlier by a spider
which was not an employee of the lab.

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cookingrobot
The way it behaves looks a lot like hot solder. I wonder if anyone has tried
using a syringe based printer (with heated tip) to print 3d metal shapes.

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anigbrowl
Exactly my thought; my understanding is that conventional solder doesn't flow
very well and that this has been a problem for printing circuits, but perhaps
a little doping with this compound would alleviate that. Even if it's not up
to commercial standards, it could be a great benefit for rapid protoyping.

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Widdershin
Also, it means we're one step closer to Rep Rap!

