When seeing a story from MIT’s Lincoln Labs that promises 3D printing glass, our first reaction was that it might use some rare or novel chemicals, and certainly a super-high-tech printer. Perhaps it was some form of high-temperature laser sintering, unlikely to be within the reach of mere mortals. How wrong we were, because these boffins have developed a way to 3D print a glass-like material using easy-to-source materials and commonly available equipment.
The print medium is sodium silicate solution, commonly known as waterglass, mixed with silica and other inorganic nanoparticles. It’s referred to as an ink, and it appears to be printed using a technique very similar to the FDM printers we all know. The real magic comes in the curing process, though, because instead of being fired in a special furnace, these models are heated to 200 Celsius in an oil bath. They can then be solvent cleaned and are ready for use. The result may not be the fine crystal glass you may be expecting, but we can certainly see plenty of uses for it should it be turned into a commercial product. Certainly more convenient than sintering with a laser cutter.
Deep eutectics are wild. Would love to see if these can be used as molds for casting metal with household microwave ovens.
“The real magic comes in the curing process, though, because instead of being fired in a special furnace, these models are heated to 200 Celsius in an oil bath. ”
I think we’re seeing a lot more this instead of “lets do everything in air” but goo.
https://www.rapidliquidprint.com/
Not the same. That technology is printing in a gel to eliminate the need for supports. This process is using oil only during the thermal curing process to ensure the part is heated evenly, not to provide support.
Probably not just for even heating, actually. I’d imagine the oil keeps enough water trapped in the sodium silicate to allow it to react with the other ingredients. Sort of like an in-situ hydrothermal reactor. Really cool idea if that’s what it is.
How tough is the result, watertight and resilient enough for outdoor lighting applications?
One of the things I would like to see done is having a sculpted liquid surface harden at once—no layers.
Maybe this points the way:
https://phys.org/news/2025-06-physicists-3d-spines-sculpt-surface.html
For the cortex of Darth Vader’s Super Star Destroyer, each layer is about a deck—so that works out.
For Star Trek ships—you want smoother saucers.
I have seen Bessel functions and acoustics have the raised letter “S” in a liquid
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-ultrasound-imaging-detachable-acoustic-lens.html
https://phys.org/news/2025-04-exception-laws-thermodynamics-recovering-liquid.amp
https://phys.org/news/2019-02-sculpting-stable-pure-liquids.amp
Is it only me that took a moment to realize that a 410um nozzle is simply a standard 0.4mm nozzle?
I see where this is headed… Miniaturize the process by about 100x and add in doping compunds instead of dyes, and you’re 3D printing microchips. If they’re able to pull that off, it will put SoC design in the hands of hobbyists. It’ll be the next great silicon revolution.
Good ICs require monocrystalline silicon. which melts at 1687 K. At best, they’re getting amorphous sodium silicate which is annealing (?) at 500 K.
It’s a nice new tech, but it’s not near semiconductors.
SUTD has a new product “Glass-Nano:”
“Glass nanostructures reflect nearby all visible light, challenging photonics assumptions”
From Phys,org
Next thought in the thought chain… Add AI into the design cycle once you reach that level of resolution and computers would be self replicating. Hello Skynet! LOL
This is very cool,, though I don’t want a toluene/IPA wash bath as part of my home game.
Now I know why I bought a $500 laboratory blast oven that can reach and hold temps as high as 300 deg C for many hours — instead of the various “high temp” filament driers emerging on to the market and which top out between 80 and 160 deg C …
No idea what those widely available, inorganic nanoparticles are, though.
Will it dissolve in water after it has been cured?
Water glass was used in Fukashima as I recall