Magnetic particles in inkjet printers to replace?

Particles are concentrated and press against the substrate with a laser printer is a new colloidal printing method in which is designed by Lars Helseth, researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Helseth printer to take advantage of the electrical and paramagnetic properties of small beads and could be a new printing process, the application in the printing chemical, and biological samples may have.
"To the best of my knowledge is based, that is the first laser printer to print of colloids," he said.
The idea came to him after reading about some very interesting experiments by Arthur Ashkin done (discovered scientists, the optical tweezers - the fields are used to atoms, molecules and manipulate processes in cell biology, 1986), which shows how people colloids by using the optical forces push.
Helseth recently worked with a lot of methods to capture the colloidal particles using nanomagnets, and during the last year, he was able to combine optical and magnetic tweezers to the small group size femtonewton to investigate particles.
In this configuration, a focused green laser beam optics with a wavelength of 532 nm transport paramagnetic polystyrene beads - colloids - from the reservoir is enabled on the glass substrate.
Polystyrene beads, less than 3 microns get their paramagnetic behavior of nanoscale iron oxide grains on the beads.
He put the beads on the glass surface, the negative charge of the rinsing process chemicals and water.
Negatively charged beads on the bottom of the glass substrate due to gravity, without embedded glass.
With a microscope lens to focus the laser light, scientists created a focal spot about 30 micrometers.
In this place of light and 30 mW, the laser can push a single bead against gravity to the substrate.
Once the particles to reach the substrate, they must be installed with a layer of chemical and magnetic charge beads alone, and he did so with an accuracy of about 200 nanometers.
Unfortunately, we must resist the temptation to throw away ink cartridges or laser printer at home, because the printing speed is about 1 micron per second, which means a few minutes for an average-sized letters.
No, not a letter to a friend, the letter L.
Scientists have good news, because he estimates that by increasing the laser power and reducing the distance between the two substrates, it is possible to increase the printing speed for a few millimeters per second.
Not fast enough for you? Well, maybe in the near future with some improvements, it might be feasible.
A marketing director, said a few decades ago that the world has the potential for 4-5 computers, so this new printing technology could find its way into mass production faster than you think to find!