μRepRap is a do-it-yourself micron and sub-micron fabrication system that adapts RepRap principles to build extremely small devices using common materials and simple workshop techniques. It demonstrates repeatable positioning down to about 1-3 μm across a working volume on the order of millimetres: the PIKA V0.02 hardware achieves roughly 1 μm repeatability and reliable ≈10 μm accuracy in an ≈8 mm cube, deposited UV resin droplets as small as 4 μm, and cured 9 μm resin lines with a fibre-optic probe. An earlier MAUS variant reached ~5 μm best-case positioning over a 4 mm square but is deprecated. Examples include a 0.5 mm "Benchy" printed with 4 μm layer height.
The system combines a compact 3‑axis flexure stage driven by NEMA17 steppers (400‑step; 200‑step acceptable), G-code control (GRBL/Arduino compatible), USB microscopes (≥8 MP) plus a 100-200× bench microscope for inspection, and probe-based deposition. Probes range from hypodermic needles for engraving to electrochemically etched wire or optical fibres for UV curing; PIKA can etch its own probes. Additive material currently demonstrated is UV nail-gel resin transferred by capillary action, producing sub‑15 μm droplets and cured in‑place with a UV LED; oxygen inhibition and solvent evaporation impose material limits. The aim is to democratize micron fabrication and iterate toward printable parts, assembly/handling methods, and micro-scale mechanisms (folds, hinges, flexures) needed for complex 3D devices.
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The Intel 8087 chip, introduced in 1980, significantly accelerated floating-point operations like addition and subtraction, improving speed by nearly 100 times over the 8086 processor. Its microcode and circuitry, including an adder, shifter, and exponent converter, enabled efficient handling of complex calculations with special cases such as infinities. (righto.com)
Kimi K3's decode performance was optimized on NVIDIA GB300 using agent-assisted development, achieving over 840 tokens/sec on 16 GPUs and up to 1.8 times higher interactivity. The approach emphasizes isolating changes, validating correctness, and managing risk to enable faster, more reliable model optimization. (vllm.ai)
The Open MicroManipulator is a sub-micrometer 3D motion control platform designed for precise movement at microscopic scales. It is available as an open-source project on GitHub with extensive documentation and community support. (github.com)
Atari announced THE 800XL, a retro computer recreation featuring a full-size mechanical keyboard, HDMI output, and 25 built-in games, priced at $220. It is an emulator with cartridge support and is set to be released in April 2027, with pre-orders now available. (goto10retro.com)
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra 128GB is reviewed amid 2026's hardware trends, highlighting AI's growing influence and Microsoft's advancements in Windows-on-Arm. The device is part of broader efforts to improve client hardware and ecosystem integration. (servethehome.com)
Openprinter is an open-source, modular inkjet printer designed for easy repair, customization, and longevity, using standard mechanical components. It supports multiple paper formats, offers flexible connectivity, and is built to be maintained and upgraded by users. (crowdsupply.com)
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