Mediated Matter, a group that focuses on “Nature-inspired Design and Design-inspired Nature,” collaborated with MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and MIT’s Glass Lab to synthesize millennia-old glass manufacturing processes with modern 3D Printing technologies to create an additive manufacturing platform for printing optically transparent glass. It’s called G3DP, and watching it in action is truly mesmerizing.
Check out the video:
The platform consists of two heated chambers, one on top of the other. Molten glass is created in the kiln cartridge, which is heated to approximately 1900°F. From there, the molten glass flows through a nozzle into the lower annealing chamber, which is only about half as hot as the kin cartridge.
The forms created by G3DP are really remarkable. Skip to the 3:00 mark in the video to watch what happens when they suspend lights inside them.
Author: Tom Gernetzke
