3D printing is often championed as a method for creating customized one-offs and it doesn’t get much more customized than the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. In astronomical optics, especially for a telescope of the VLT’s stature, complex one-off parts are necessary for an instrument’s operation, but can be very expensive to produce and take a great deal of time to receive. Thanks to a 3D printing and investment casting, however, the VLT was able to produce two essential components for a better price and much more quickly.…
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