• Question: what are you going to use a 3d printer 4 :/

    Asked by the potatofoogle to Chris, Josh, Rebecca, Rob, Susan on 17 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Susan Cartwright

      Susan Cartwright answered on 17 Jun 2015:

      We use a 3D printer to make plastic parts that we need for our work, but which aren’t available to buy and are too complicated to mould. We also use a modified 3D printer to coat sheets of plastic film with chemicals to absorb or moderate neutrons. The advantage of having a 3D printer is that you can make just one or two objects, whereas if you asked a company to set up and make something for you they would probably expect you to buy 1000!

    • Photo: Rob Temperton

      Rob Temperton answered on 17 Jun 2015:

      We think it could be really useful for making models that we could put on display or take to events to help communicate the research going on in the department with the public.

      Nottingham actually does lots of 3d printing research, but all of their machines are too precious, in demand and expensive for us to use to make little models. One of my colleagues is doing a PhD and using a fancy 3d printer to try and make more efficient solar cells – this uses a special type of 3d printer called two photon polymerisation – this allows printing of really small features (on the order of microns!)

      Rob

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