3D Printed Vinyl: Are we in the future?

In what might be the coolest use of 3D printing yet, a young lady by the name of Amanda Ghassaei has developed a piece of software that converts MP3 files into fully playable vinyl ala a 3d printer. Her 3D record was printed on an Objet Connex500 which has “incredibly high resolution: 600dpi in the x and y axes and 16 microns in the z axis, some of the highest resolution possible with 3D printing at the moment.” Despite this level of detail, the records are a long way from a quality vinyl record. As 3d printing advances and tolerances rise we'll see 3d printed vinyl with a truer fidelity. That doesn't make this project any less awesome, however. The audio on the records is very low resolution, with a sampling rate of 11kHz (a quarter of your average mp3) and 5 to 6 bit resolution (incredibly low compared to 16 bit audio), but the results are easily distinguished. Sounds like hold music to me! Get the full details on this project at tonedeaf.com.au