The method is mesmerizing to watch, with the coils of glass stacking up like a thick gelatinous glaze or poured honey. The nozzle that extrudes the material is made of ceramic and heated by hand to ensure that the filament is produced at a consistent diameter — necessary for making sure the 3D printed glass cools in a slow and controlled manner. In fact, the entire build chamber is heated, kept at a temperature of between 480 and 515 degrees Celsius. The result, says the MIT team led by Neri Oxman and Peter Houk, is a machine that produces the first of its kind optically transparent 3D-printed glass. For more information on the technique, you can read the full paper from MIT here.
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