I just watched a video on youtube demonstrating a 3D solar printer that uses
sand as a sintering medium.  The sunlight is focused through a set of large
Fresnel lenses onto a hopper into which sand is loaded.

The machine is designed so that the hopper moves around while the focal-point
remains stationary, but it occurred to me that the same effect might be achieved
with a gantry-style printer using a series of fibre-optic cables to carry light
from a parabolic reflector.

A similar setup was used to create a solar-powered laser scalpel.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3111705.stm

thaughts?

Regards,
A.D.B.

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