It seems like 3D printing is more often than not scaled on the macro side of things, like the world's tallest 3D printed building that we covered recently, but now and then we get to see things from a micro perspective. Today we've got a project to share put together by a team of scientists that have managed to 3D print structures that are so small, you need a microscope to see them. The process creates what the team refers to as scalable phononic metamaterials.
One of the scientists on the team recently shared a post to Reddit answering questions about the development. The setup uses lasers to 3D print extremely small structures that can be fine-tuned in the design process to target specific frequencies for sound dampening. The laser used to polymerize the material when printing is produced with a beam ten times thinner than a human hair.
