> The technology being discussed hasn't actually drilled much of anything yet. Their latest press release with actual numbers[0] gives depths drilled in inches.
That's what bothers me about this. If drilling with microwaves works, why aren't there industrial applications? Laser cutters are widely used, from little ones that engrave plastic to big ones that cut steel plate. Yet nobody seems to be selling microwave cutters. In industrial applications, you don't even have to fit the microwave generator into the hole and keep it working in a hostile environment.
The idea was suggested back in 2002, but seems to have gone nowhere.
Microwaves are a longer wavelength of light which makes them less precise. So people don’t use them to cut stuff for the reason lithography swapped to ultra violet light.
That's what bothers me about this. If drilling with microwaves works, why aren't there industrial applications? Laser cutters are widely used, from little ones that engrave plastic to big ones that cut steel plate. Yet nobody seems to be selling microwave cutters. In industrial applications, you don't even have to fit the microwave generator into the hole and keep it working in a hostile environment.
The idea was suggested back in 2002, but seems to have gone nowhere.
[1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11075717_The_Microw...