When all the layers have been deposited and machined, the supporting matrix is dissolved away by immersion in water. Thereafter, it can reproduce extremely intricate engineering parts. One of the current limitations of SDM, he said, is that it cannot yet produce quality engineering artifacts. For layered manufacturing to work well with metals, suitable alloys must be found. Several Stanford graduate students working under Prinz and Cutkosky discussed their research on alloys and the fine-tuning of deposition techniques to solve problems of shrinkage, deformation, lack of strength and surface roughness.
Ceramics are another promising material type.
The ability to make extremely complex 3-D structures as well as to vary material composition gives a huge range of possible design characteristics, Cutkosky said. Electronic devices in this size range bestow portability on such gadgets as computers, telephones, radios, watches, medical devices, and various sensors. Beyond that, small motors generate more power per unit of weight than large ones do. In theory, large arrays of tiny jet engines, made with shape-deposition techniques, could replace the giant solo engines currently mounted on airplane wings. In tests, the mesicopter has proven capable of lifting itself into the air, although it is not yet aerodynamically stable enough to fly without external support.