Path: ...!weretis.net!feeder6.news.weretis.net!news.cmpublishers.com!usenet.blueworldhosting.com!diablo1.usenet.blueworldhosting.com!feeder.usenetexpress.com!tr2.iad1.usenetexpress.com!69.80.99.22.MISMATCH!local-2.nntp.ord.giganews.com!nntp.supernews.com!news.supernews.com.POSTED!not-for-mail
NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 08 Apr 2024 14:29:58 +0000
From: John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com>
Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design
Subject: Re: MIT 3D printed key components of mass-spectrometer
Date: Mon, 08 Apr 2024 07:28:16 -0700
Organization: Highland Tech
Reply-To: xx@yy.com
Message-ID: <hiv71jl2oojqal9kcivl2brh88lron0k4g@4ax.com>
References: <uuvss9$986g$1@solani.org> <uv0d2c$3dhmh$1@dont-email.me>
X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 3.1/32.783
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Lines: 30
X-Trace: sv3-QZmunph6YnZANqOiz6IrFDpkifqqqaX+0lc7Vs7TEqCM/AeTsSlNIr461SalpHyqbPMlg+Vzqrn3cjY!d86rDYSJY2uIDmfTltzo5sBAt7M7aXZ5Q3w9kiSGHTEJOYiB5PgnuM91uwdp5FU2r8ATT9ZhoMON!PvVlFw==
X-Complaints-To: www.supernews.com/docs/abuse.html
X-DMCA-Complaints-To: www.supernews.com/docs/dmca.html
X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers
X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly
X-Postfilter: 1.3.40
Bytes: 2774

On Mon, 8 Apr 2024 10:23:24 +0100, Martin Brown
<'''newspam'''@nonad.co.uk> wrote:

>On 08/04/2024 05:47, Jan Panteltje wrote:
>> Researchers 3D print key components for a point-of-care mass spectrometer
>>   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240404113429.htm
>> pdf:
>>   https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jasms.3c00409
>> 
>> Massachusetts Institute of Technology
>> Summary:
>> Researchers 3D printed a miniature ionizer, a key component of a mass spectrometer. Their device could someday enable an affordable, in-home mass spectrometer for health monitoring.
>
>It is complete nonsense. Making the hard vacuum needed for ions to move 
>freely in mass spectrometry and sample handling to introduce the sample 
>into the unit without losing vacuum are fundamentals that won't go away.
>
>The closest to a quick dirt cheap MS is time of flight laser ablation if 
>your sample is a solid or can be put on one. Liquid samples are really 
>messy and water vapour is the bane of vacuum systems.
>
>Selective ion probes offer a much better alternative for bio samples (I 
>suppose the MIT PR department has to justify its existence somehow).

I'd expect 3D printed stuff to outgas forever.  

3D is super slow, too. I've heard of modestly complex parts taking
days to fab. The upside is that it can make things that are impossible
to machine or mold.