When You See the Actual Size of This 3D-Printed Spaceship Your Mind Will Likely Be Blown

Some 3D printing projects are almost unbelievable given their sheer scale -- like these plans to create a whole building out of materials made by a 3D printer. On the flip side, some 3D-printed projects are impressive due to the level of detail they host at such a small size.

Take this spaceship, for example. It's length is only the width of a human hair -- the dimensions are 125µm x 81µm x 26.8µm. Some human hairs can be as wide as 181 µm.

The project is the work of the German company Nanoscribe using "direct laser writing," which its website describes as a "non-linear two photon absorption process."

The spaceship specifically, according to the description of the video showing its printing process, was created with a Photonic Professional GT 3D printer. It took less than 50 seconds to complete.

A few seconds into printing. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

More detail emerges after little more than 30 seconds of printing. (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Final product (Image: YouTube screenshot)

Here are a few up-close pictures of the spaceship taken through the view of a scanning electron microscope:

(Image: YouTube screenshot)

(Image: YouTube screenshot)

Watch real-time the printing of the microstructure:

Learn more about the nano-lithography process of printing in this video:

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(H/T: SlashGear)