Not my own work, but these enterprising people have adapted the mouthparts of a dead mosquito into a fine extruder nozzle, getting down to 20μm. An interesting approach. While not one we might use immediately (though do go ahead if it tickles your fancy), it does demonstrate that we can nick bits from nature if that's what it takes. I'm quite interested in the delicate silica structures of diatoms myself.
Screenshot from https://techxplore.com/news/2025-11-repurpose-mosquito-proboscis-3d-nozzle.html below.
Very interesting idea. I was toying with the idea of using a spider leg as a sharp tipped probe. We have many of those tiny little spiders with very fine and very long legs here, so it is not hard to collect some dead ones. I have a sample jar of them now. In the end I decided not to try that yet as I am not at the point where a simple bit of 0.1 or 0.05 mm wire is not up to the job.
ReplyDeleteThere's a procedure in dermatology called microneedling. A single device typically has upwards of 100 titanium or stainless steel needles that are about 0.25mm long with tips that range from 25µm down to 5µm. Would that be of any use?
ReplyDeleteRight now, probably not. In the future though it might be an interesting way to print multiple items simultaneously if alignment can be perfected. I have no idea how well the needless would hang on to the resin though. I'm dunking up to 0.5mm now - the rough probe sides seem to lessen the tendency for the resin to hang on in one big drop.
DeleteThank you for posting about these needles - I can see how there might be applications for them in the FPath Project. I will keep them in mind.
DeleteJudging by what the Goog is saying about microneedling I find yet another reason to be happy that I am a nerdy type of fellow who has no need of such procedures.
>Microneedling is a minimally invasive procedure for your skin. Your healthcare provider uses thin needles to make tiny holes in the top layer of your skin. The damage helps stimulate your skin's healing process, so it produces more collagen and elastin. These proteins keep your skin firm and smooth.
> the rough probe sides seem to lessen the tendency for the resin to hang on in one big drop.
ReplyDeleteAh, yeah. The microneedles would tend to be too smooth for this, then.
Oh, I dare say I can roughen them a bit with some of the electoetching tricks I'm using. I'll document those after the next layer attempt.
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