Magnetic particles act as ink in new printer

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In (a) the letter L was printed using the chemical coating method. In (b) the line was printed using the magnetic pattern method. Image reprinted with permission from Helseth L.. E. Copyright 2007 American Institute of Physics.
In (a), the letter L was printed using the chemical coating method. In (b), the line was printed using the magnetic pattern method. Image reprinted with permission from Helseth, L.. E. Copyright 2007, American Institute of Physics.

By using a laser beam to focus and push particles against a substrate, scientist Lars Helseth of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has designed and built a unique type of colloidal printer. Taking advantage of the electrical and paramagnetic properties of tiny beads, Helseth’s printer provides a new printing method that may have applications in printing chemical and biological patterns.


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