Swedish Scientists Create World's Tiniest 3D-Printed Wineglass

Swedish scientists have developed a new 3D-printing technique for silica glass, successfully creating the world's smallest wineglass and an optical resonator for fiber optic telecommunications. Their method uses hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) and does not rely on organic compounds, resulting in printed microstructures with the desired properties of silica glass. While an extra annealing step is required to remove residual organics, the shrinkage of the structures is minimal compared to other 3D-printing methods. The scientists believe their technique could have applications in customized lenses for medical devices, micro-robots, and hybrid quantum photonics integration.