Solar Sinter - a solar-powered 3D glass printer

[damianpoirier]

These LOOK very fragile because of the sand sticking to the outer surface. What they look like with that sand washed off would be most interesting to see.

[damianpoirier]

A large part of the layering effect visible on the parts here is due to how slow the manual labor part of the process of dumping and spreading the sand is, as it gives the lower layer a LOT of time to cool.

[damianpoirier]

I'd been thinking about this for a long time in terms of use on the moon for building the infrastructure using robots and local material. In the vacuum of space the sunlight is about 15 times as strong. The moons day is 14 of our days long and the solar power strength is constant throughout. Another factor is that the melted regolith (lunar sand) would not cool as quickly so the new layer would be placed on a layer that has not cooled much at all.

[kfarhaan]

I want one.

[Dekartdek]

as far as I know, was the editor NOT the real editor of the film. Wonder, what else might be stolen or who is falsly taking all the credit for some innovations here...

[firebender111]

I'd want that bowl to sand down (heh) and eat my cereal out of so when someone asked I could say "Yeah I made this bowl using sunlight and sand"

[locouk]

Wow, kids could make bully-proof sand castles! Lmao.. Is that bowl dishwasher proof?

[Trigonography]

What a wonderful idea. Practically speaking, this would be great for industry. Lasers are cool, but the sun's cheaper. Even setting aside practicality, this is a fantastic bit of cleverness, and I wish I'd thought of it.

[jxrel]

@markcocjin I agree with you but i think that this technology is useless in Mars because the sunlight is too weak for be used as an energy source. At least in this way but of course we can get some electricity

[LMatii]

jajaja, que hijo de puta, le puso las ruedas del skate, igual un idolo el pibe este

[pljevaljcic81]

4 people live in past and they will stay there...feel sad for them !

congrat. on this video ! 

[LumecFbr]

SKATEBOARD WHEELS :D !

[leigh8959]

Congratulations Markus Kayser! This is amazing work.

Thumbs up if you think the Vimeo version will get more hits!

[freakman707]

they should build an epic sandcastle......

[kalenen]

was expecting the car to crash into that thing for atleast some sort of entertainment....

[dwarner27315]

@kalenen If this did not entertain you and excite the hell out of you, you have no emotion and probably a potato where your heart should be...

[sp1ic3sp1ic3]

Maybe this glass may be of lousy quality but i think the idea is there. And i like the idea of domes for the desert. I mean if u are poor and dont even have a place to stay, i think thats really a viable option dont u think..

[UberCoolKid]

BUT WHY???

[Everything2You2]

he doesn't show you the work he made, its like watching the highlights of a game and not showing the touchdown!

[Dekartdek]

@Everything2You2

hehe!! very good comment. The final cut of this film is awkward.

[MythOfEchelon]

Did anyone else think he was gonna crash into it at 5:12?

[olllj]

interestring. and so useless

[broadcaster1star]

Where is the final work!?

[sharpezor]

@broadcaster1star I have a feeling that they went out of their way to not show it

[claybratt]

It must be nice having a trust fund

[markcocjin]

Markus Kayser made this with the original video on Vimeo.

Imagine if people in the Middle East and sandy parts of Africa used this to print 3d building blocks for massive dome colonies for use around the world. A renewable energy source to create building materials from sand, an abundant material.

Imagine a Mars rover creating colonies for us straight from the Martian sands. Because it is a 3d printer, it uses a computer to create complex rough and unique shapes.

[boner2008]

@markcocjin I would never live or even like to be close to any sizable structure made from this terribly flawed "glass".

[MrSwighton]

@markcocjin

Except that it takes all day to make one tiny piece. Clay bricks work much better.

[junekentucky]

@MrSwighton Hard to find clay in the desert.

[destinws2]

This type of rapid prototype would be called "SSS" for "Selective Solar Sintering". As opposed to "SLS" for Selective Laser Sintering"

[LindenNolet1]

really cool, but why!?

[FoxHoundUnit89]

This video is about 3 times as long as it should be.

[biggsff]

That's awesome.

[breckakim]

Whoaa that's cool!

Is it 100% solar powered then?

[junekentucky]

@breckakim Yes, they have a battery for surge needs of motor and to even out the voltage but it's completely solar. Very cool. I wonder what the strength of the final product is...

Could you have a robot with a lens on top "walk" a perimeter of a house and slowly make glass walls? Would need a robot loader to load it with sand to sift onto the path in front of it to slowly build it up to height. Once high enough we can scoop the extra sand away and roof it with glass slabs (O_O)

[jetquiroz]

That is AMAZING! 

[freakman707]

This some how reminds me of Aladdin.

[josephcboggs]

@freakman707 Probably because Aladdin had one of these machines