Photos: Making small parts by printing them

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  • Small, printed parts

    Small, printed parts

    Small parts made by EoPlex with an offset printer. Each side of the squares measures 30 millimeters. By printing such parts, the company hopes to cut the cost of making them.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Printing template

    Printing template

    A printing template that can produce 1,000 components at once. In this process, components are built up layer by layer. Each layer consists of polymers and another material, such as a ceramic or metal. When heated, the polymer vanishes, leaving a pattern.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Rendering of micro fluidic device

    Rendering of micro fluidic device

    No, it's not George Hardie's sleeve art for the latest Pink Floyd album, it's an anonymous rendering of a micro fluidic device, for transporting or sampling drops of fluid.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • A printed micro fluidic device

    A printed micro fluidic device

    And here's the finished device as printed by EoPlex. One advantage of printing over manufacturing is that the design can be changed rapidly.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Fuel cell

    Fuel cell

    A fuel cell. Methanol cycles through channels inside the fuel cell reformer (the white housing) until it hits a membrane. The reaction with the membrane releases electrons. The reformer pictured here consists of a few hundred layers of ceramic and metal materials printed successively.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • Another view of the fuel cell

    Another view of the fuel cell

    Another view of the fuel cell.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • The EoPlex manufacturing line

    The EoPlex manufacturing line

    The EoPlex manufacturing line. Costing about $1 million, it is relatively inexpensive.

    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

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Fuel cell

A fuel cell. Methanol cycles through channels inside the fuel cell reformer (the white housing) until it hits a membrane. The reaction with the membrane releases electrons. The reformer pictured here consists of a few hundred layers of ceramic and metal materials printed successively.

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

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