TechnoclinicTechnoclinic
  • Home
  • APPS
  • CAMERAS
    • PRINTERS
  • GAMING
    • LAPTOPS
  • HDTV
  • NEWS
  • PHONES
    • TABLETS
  • REVIEWS
  • SOFTWARE
  • Contact Us!
Search
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: 3D printers could make ultrafast internet cheaper
Share
Sign In
Aa
TechnoclinicTechnoclinic
Aa
Search
  • Home
  • APPS
  • CAMERAS
    • PRINTERS
  • GAMING
    • LAPTOPS
  • HDTV
  • NEWS
  • PHONES
    • TABLETS
  • REVIEWS
  • SOFTWARE
  • Contact Us!
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Technoclinic > PRINTERS > 3D printers could make ultrafast internet cheaper
PRINTERS

3D printers could make ultrafast internet cheaper

Loknath Das
Last updated: 2019/11/05 at 5:50 AM
Loknath Das
Share
SHARE

Optical fiber

Researchers have found another cutting-edge use for 3D printing, namely creating optical silica preforms to make fibers, simplifying their production and substantially reducing manufacturing costs.

Optical fibers, of course, have many uses including – but far from limited to – the very infrastructure of ultrafast internet. So any savings that could be brought in on the manufacturing side will help with the rollout of speedy connections, and hopefully the pricing of them, too, when it comes to the consumer.

This particular project is a collaboration between research teams drawn from multiple universities across the globe, including the University of Technology in Sydney, the University of New South Wales, and both Harbin Engineering University and Yanshan University in China.

As The Engineer reports, John Canning, who heads up the Sydney-based team, commented: “Making silica optical fibre involves the labour-intensive process of spinning tubes on a lathe, which requires the fibre’s core or cores to be precisely centered.

“With additive manufacturing [3D printing], there’s no need for the fibre geometry to be centered. This removes one of the greatest limitations in fibre design and greatly reduces the cost of fibre manufacturing.”

Let there be direct-light

The actual 3D printing process used is known as direct-light projection and is a highly innovative and demanding technique, with the printing of glass requiring a temperature in excess of 1,900°C.

This process is achieved using a commercially available printer, although the technique still hasn’t been perfected. The initial runs produced fibers which suffered from high light-loss characteristics, but the root causes of these problems have been pinned down, and the researchers are successfully figuring out ways of working around these issues by all accounts.

As Canning notes, the process could be applied to a whole raft of different optical components, potentially replacing conventional lathe-based production of silica optical fibers. Along with the aforementioned production time savings, as well as much better cost-efficiency, the new method would also be safer – and require less expense on the training front.

Further applications could include ushering in more widespread usage of fiber-optic sensors, which are superior to electronic sensors in multiple ways including their longevity and general durability, and of course the fact that they do not require power at the site.

Another manner in which 3D printing could be used to produce savings is by helping trains in the UK – and possibly elsewhere eventually – get commuters to work on time, as we saw yesterday.

[“source=techradar”]

TAGGED: 3D, Cheaper, Could, Internet, Make, Printers:, ultrafast

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
[mc4wp_form]
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Loknath Das November 5, 2019
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article THE 3D PRINTERS, SCANNERS, AND ART ROBOTS OF MAKER FAIRE ROME
Next Article How to secure your printer

Latest News

Case Study: Nissan and Teads’ Immersive Concept Car Campaign Transformed Scrolls into Stories
NEWS
Review of Hootsuite: Advantages, Drawbacks, Features, and Other Options
REVIEWS
From Idea to Launch: The Software Development Journey
SOFTWARE
How schools can save money and work more efficiently with managed print services
PRINTERS
How to Write Powerful Blog Posts, Comparisons, and Reviews
REVIEWS
How to Defrost Your Lens with Condensation
CAMERAS

Most Viewed Posts

  • Choosing the Right Tablet for Blogging and Writing On the Go (1,043)
  • What You Need to Know About Smartphones vs. Tablet use of the Mobile Internet (993)
  • How to Start a Product Review Blog (Templates & Examples) (989)
  • How To Start A Review Blog and Get Free Review Products (986)
  • App Annie now tracks 5,000 Android apps in China: Report (981)

© 2023 TechnoClinic Network. TechnoClinic Company. All Rights Reserved.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?