Star Trek-like Replicator? Electron Beam Device Makes Metal Parts, One Layer At A Time
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - 08:21
in Physics & Chemistry
A group of engineers working on a novel manufacturing technique at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., have come up with a new twist on the popular old saying about dreaming and doing: "If you can slice it, we can build it." That's because layers mean everything to the environmentally-friendly construction process called Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication, or EBF3, and its operation sounds like something straight out of science fiction.