Building a 3D Printed Atomic-Resolution Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM)

I just stumbled on this video. Ambitious. I don’t know that most filaments will remain dimensionally consistent over time, as VC’s will generally continue to evaporate, which would presumably become significant at nanometer scales.

Using carbon fiber reinforced filaments (as he does in the video) is probably the best case scenario, but I’m not sure if the “reinforcement” is all that meaningful when it’s basically just scraps of CF melted into the plastic. I’d be interested to see any independent studies that may have been done on this. Either way, I think one could use traditional carbon fiber laminate as a plausible DIY alternative that might be more stable over time, while still being accessible to a home lab.

3D printed parts can still be really useful, especially if designed with care using a mix of stronger materials and strategically reinforced structures.

Good call on the Teensy, they are incredibly capable devices, very inexpensive, and pretty widely supported for an open-source project.