'Desimprimir' | 'Unprint'

Engenheiros  desenvolveram um meio de usar lasers para remover tinta do papel para que ele possa ser reutilizado em impressoras fotocopiadoras. 

Surge o 'branquinho' (líquido corretor) da era do computador.

Pesquisadores da Universidade de Cambridge usaram pulsos curtos de luz laser para apagar palavras e imagens que foram impressos em papel.

O laser vaporiza a tinta toner sem danificar o papel e abre a persectiva de futuras impressoras e copiadoras passarem a ter uma função "desimprimir" para permitir o reúso do papel.

Julian Allwood, chefe da equipe de pesquisas, disse que isso poderia reduzir muito a quantidade de árvores derrubadas para produzir papel, e até proporcionar uma alternativa mais barata de reciclagem.O processo funciona com uma grande variedade de toners.

A tinta do toner pode ser removida do papel pela aquecimento com curtos pulsos de luz que duram apenas quatro bilionésimos de segundo.

Embora lasers usando luz ultravioleta e infravermelha sejam eficazes para remover a tinta, o mais eficiente usa luz verde.

Engineers have developed a way of using lasers to remove ink from paper so it can be reused in printers and photocopiers. 

 

It is a Tipp-Ex for the computer age. Engineers have developed a way of using lasers to remove ink from paper so it can be reused in printers and photocopiers.

The researchers at the University of Cambridge used short pulses of laser light to delete words and images that have been printed onto paper.

The laser vaporises the toner ink without damaging the paper and opens up the prospect of future computer printers and photocopiers having an "unprint" function to allow paper to be reused.

Dr Julian Allwood, who led the research team, said it could drastically reduce the number of trees cut down to produce paper and even provide a cheaper alternative to recycling.

He said: "The process works on a wide range of toners. It does not damage the paper so the feasibility for reusing paper in the office is there."

He added that he has now been approached by several commercial firms expressing interest in producing the first "unprint" devices.

The researchers, whose work is published in the scientific journal Proceedings of The Royal Society A, found they could remove toner ink from a range of printers and photocopiers by heating it with short pulses of laser light lasting just four billionths of a second.

They found that while lasers that used ultraviolet light and infrared light were all effective at removing the ink, the most efficient was using a visible green laser.

This removed the ink without causing any physical damage to the paper or discolouration. Filters can be used to capture the vaporised ink, which is given off as a gas.