In the world of 3-D printing, plastic has been the base material of choice for most purposes. Metal, ceramics, and graphite are also used, but on a smaller scale. Now, that list is being expanded to include transparent glass.
The basic concept of 3-D printing with glass is the same as with other materials: the glass is heated until it becomes a liquid, and is then extruded in 0.4 inch thick filaments through a software-controlled nozzle.
Ironically, the production of glassware by coiling strands of molten glass is a throwback to the earliest methods of glass-making that originated in Mesopotamia more than 4,000 years ago, before glass-blowing and molding was discovered.
The production of glassware by coiling strands of molten glass is a throwback to the earliest methods of glass-making
