Gallery: MIT Whizzes Create an Amazing New 3-D Printing Technique
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Hyperform translates 3-D CAD models into paths that are populated with a chain of rings that act like pixels. Each link in the chain has a specialized notch that allows it to be assembled like a Lego kit, in this case creating a chandelier. *Photo: Marcelo Coelho*
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The 50 foot long chain was printed in a single piece in a Formlabs 3-D printer that cost just over $3,000. *Photo: Marcelo Coelho*
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A couple MIT geniuses figured out how to build a 50 foot chain inside a five inch box. *Photo: Marcelo Coelho*
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*Photo: Marcelo Coelho*
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Hyperform algorithms can creates any kind of shape, including spheres. The project was supported by an Ars Electronica and Voestalpine Art and Technology Grant. *Photo: Marcelo Coelho*
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The chain comes out of the printer as a solid block and is unraveled like a sweater. *Photo: Marcelo Coelho*
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The Hyperform software adds notches into each link individually so it can only be assembled in a single configuration. *Photo: Marcelo Coelho*
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The Hyperform software utilizes [Hilbert Curves](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilbert_curve) to maximize the use of space within the 3-D printer's build chamber. *Photo: Marcelo Coelho*
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The Hyperform team broke six 3-D printers in the course of their research and had some print jobs that spanned several days. Coelho and Tibbits were also assisted by Natan Linder, Yoav Reches, Maxim Lobovsky, Will Walker, Craig Broady, Alan Argondizza, Graham Francis, Amir Soltanian, Lina Karain, Marianna Gonzalez, Matthew Gardiner, Erwin Reitboeck and Futurelab. *Photo: Marcelo Coelho*
