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Microscopic manufacturing

3D-printed microboat: 30 micrometres long

The adopted reference is about 30 µm.

boat length ≈ 30 µm

30 µm = 0.03 mm. A micron (µm) is a millimeter divided by 1,000.

2020Demonstration

An entire boat, shorter than the thickness of a human hair.

Explore at this scale
3D-printed microboat, interpreted illustration
Interpreted illustration · dimension stated in the fact sheet.

What does this number measure?

In 2020, a Leiden team presented a microboat about 30 µm long, made using two-photon polymerisation. A laser locally solidifies resin to build very small three-dimensional shapes. This is not a boat carved atom by atom: its finest detail and its total length are two different measurements. The silhouette shown is an interpretation.

Compare the stated dimensions

The comparison uses the number in each fact sheet: altitude, height, diameter, length or distance, depending on the reference. Two values in metres do not necessarily describe the same property.

Compare with Gold bond wire in the explorer →

Source and limitations

Documentary source linked; access was blocked by the proxy during this session. Approximate value not checked again online.

The microboat's total length is compared; interpreted boat shape, not a photograph.

Demonstration: 2020. Proposed historical date; an existing documentary source is linked but was not consulted for this date in this session. Do not interpret this reference as the manufacturing date of the illustrated specimen. Date of the Leiden microboat, not the invention of 3D printing; the institutional deep link was not validated in this environment.