A team of welders from Japan’s Mazda Motor Corporation recently showed off their super skills by creating a 1mm metal die with detailed sides.
Photos of metal dice so small that they are as small as a grain of sand on a human finger have recently gone viral on Japanese social media. The photos received a lot of attention on Japanese Twitter, with over 30,000 likes and thousands of comments. Most people could not believe that welding dice with metal faces as small as 1mm was possible, many commend the artisans for their technique and patience.
Mazda’s team of welders started by creating all the faces in a T-shape, then bending them into a block. Finally, all sides are welded together so delicately that the welder must hold his breath during the welding process to ensure the highest precision. The welds measure just 0.1mm, the dice are made from 0.05mm thick stainless steel plates and this is possibly the smallest metal dice ever made.
The dice were created as an internal challenge by Mazda employees. They started at 100 mm about 4 years ago, and have since shrunk down to 1 mm.
“Like surgery, we solder by holding the dice with tweezers, while looking at the screen. Breathing causes the hand to vibrate, so it is best to do it while holding your breath.”said a welder involved in the project.
Reference: OC
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