When it comes to 3D printing, the sky is the limit. As 3D printing technology continues to advance, applications can be as far reaching as airplane and automobile parts to medical devices and even anatomically correct, biocompatible models. Although 3D printing technology is developing at a rapid pace, the technology itself is not new. It emerged in the 1980s as a means of creating rapid prototypes. In recent years the applications for 3D printed models have evolved with the available hardware, software, and printable materials. Evolving technology, paired with the creative and innovative minds of scientists, engineers, and physicians, has been the launching pad for developments within 3D printing technology specific to healthcare. One way 3D printing technology is poised to create better patient outcomes is in creating an anatomically and patient-specific models to aid in surgery and medical procedures. With the capability to 3D ...
University at Buffalo (State University of New York) researchers have fabricated a polymer filter that reflects many wavelengths of light and could be used for portable imaging technology. “The single-step fabrication method — shining a laser light through a curved lens — is affordable and relatively simple,” according to a statement from the university.
“Such portable technology could have applications in a wide range of fields, from home improvement, like matching paint colors, to biomedical imaging, including analyzing colors in medical images to detect disease,” said Alexander N. Cartwright, UB Vice President for Research and Economic Development and co-leader of the study, in a statement.
“Our method is pretty low-cost, and because of this and the potential cell phone applications, we feel there is a huge market for improving clinical imaging in developing countries,” said Qiaoqiang Gan, a UB assistant professor of electrical engineering and co-leader of the study, in a statement.
The colors in the filter do not come from a pigment so they will not fade over time. The rainbow results from surface geometry, which is the same concept that colors butterfly wings and peacock feathers.
The UB researchers published the details of their fabrication process in a journal article and have presented it at a conference. Here’s a summary, according to the press release:
To create the rainbow material, [the researchers] sandwiched a photosensitive pre-polymer syrup between two glass slides. … Next, they directed a laser beam through a curved lens placed above the pre-polymer solution. The lens divided and bent the laser beam into light of continuously varying wavelengths. As this light hit the solution, monomers in the solution began joining into polymers, forming a continuous pattern of ridge-like polymer structures. Larger ridges rose where the light struck with more intensity. The resulting structure is a thin filter that is rainbow-colored when viewed under white light. This is because the periodic polymer layers reflect a continuous spectrum of colors, from red on one end to indigo on the other.
Will the rainbow filter be commercially available soon? Gan said in a statement that they are now working on improving the quality of the filter and starting to look at ways the technology can be used in handheld devices.
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