As far as things that come out of the MIT Media Lab are concerned, perhaps a flute is among the less impressive. But take into account that the entire fully-functioning acoustic instrument was created via 3-D printer with a minimum of human assembly, and it sounds markedly more impressive.
The flute was created on an Objet Connex500 rapid prototyper, a 3-D printer that can print in multiple materials at the same time. The flute was constructed from a few different materials – a rigid material for the body, a softer one for the mouthpiece, another for sealing the air in at the proper places – during a print run of about 15 hours, during which time the materials were added on one thin layer at a time.
The finished product was in four pieces, which simply had to be rinsed of supporting materials and assembled by hand (the springs were the only element added after printing). It’s not a perfect flute just yet – as you’ll see in the video below, there is still some fine tuning to be done – but it does produce good acoustic sounds. Moreover, it heralds just how far 3-D printing technology has come over the last couple of decades.
[Engadget]
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I want one of those trumpets at the end! I will be the hero of the whoville band.
Ok, now make me a grand piano please. I need one of these magic machines.
when will this technology be able to use carbon fiber to create parts for cars and buildings? The Increased strength and decreased weight should make buildings and cars safer and in the case of cars more fuel-efficient !
mmm, Blake Lively replica
In stories, magic typically involves imagining an object, and having it appear.
This is virtually indistinguishable.
I believe the piano is the sweetest sounding instrument due to the fact that a piano can play any style, can play the music parts for virtually any instrument, while still having a beautiful resonating tone.
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Fantastic.. put a light coat of varithane on it, inside and out and it will last.