3-D Printers

Every time I see these 3-D printers I think of Star Trek.  Printing an object, at that time, was just a fantasy.  Now we can to do it.  And, we are finding new uses for the technology all the time.  Can printing a cup of coffee or a meal be far behind?

New devices — in everything from cars to cell phones — often need custom-shaped magnets, notes Paranthaman. One advantage of 3-D printing is that it lets people customize magnets to fit any project.

This type of manufacturing “gives you the ability to make these magnets in more complex shapes than are possible with conventional machining,” says Randy Bowman. He studies magnets at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and was not part of the new study. (NASA stands for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.)