Vader Systems creates liquid metal 3D printer for manufacturing
Published January 18, 2017 This content is archived.
An article on DPA Magazine reports that Vader Systems, a father and son team in the Start-Up NY program, has invented a liquid metal printing machine that could represent a significant transformation in manufacturing.
The story quotes Edward P. Furlani,a professor in UB's Chemical and Biological Engineering and Electrical Engineering departments, who said that Vader's process mimics drop-on-demand inkjet printing and is based on the principles of magnetohydrodynamics, i.e. the manipulation of conductive fluids using a magnetic field.
"It's a transformative technology," Furlani said. "It's very exciting interdisciplinary engineering. I think its application base will continue to broaden and expand for the foreseeable future."
Ciprian N. Ionita, a research assistant professor in UB's Department of Biomedical Engineering, foresees the Vader Systems printer ultimately printing out custom stents and other surgical devices right in the hospital.
"This is a game changer," he said. The metal powder used in the current metal printing processes is a contaminant that is difficult to clean up and can be toxic inside the body.
Read the DPA Magazine story here.
Read the Tech Times Story here.
Read the MaterialsGate story here.
Read the Production Electronic News story here.
