• Hjalmar
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    2 months ago

    I have a lot of questions. Why 3D print if everything is just going to be the same shape? And how do pieces shaped like 8ts snap together?

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Because shoving the words “3D printing” into your proposal is how you get the grant money.

      Also, actually doing the work to confirm that the common-sense intuition (that 3D printing glass blocks is kinda dumb) is correct is legitimate science.

    • Imacat@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      2 months ago

      The study also looked at casting the blocks. The cast ones were stronger but they noted some problems with their printing process.

      They mention a lot of the usual upsides of 3d printing. It’s easy to iterate on a design, easy to modify to a particular need, and allows for geometry that’s impossible for other methods.

      They snap together kinda like 2x1 legos.