this post was submitted on 01 Jan 2024
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Unfortunately it's not possible to 3D print memory and the memory densities required makes it impossible for anyone other than those on expensive cutting edge hardware to achieve cheaply.
Lies!
I can 3D print all the parts of an Abacus, giving me tens of bits of memory and a calculating device!
But yeah, on the serious side, nobody is going to be 3D printing any time soon, if ever, the kind of stuff small enough (and hence with sufficient memory densities for modern applications) to require advanced lythographic techniques and clean rooms to make, even if somebody went to the trouble of figuring out printeable materials for each of the kinds of layer (undoped semiconductor, various variants of doped semiconductors, conductive layer, isolating layer and others) currently present in ICs.
You can print "kiddy electronics" (really big transitors, resistors, capcitors and so on) on flexible substrates, but that's way too big for any halfway decent memory densities (the Abacus joke is only half joking).
Actually, DIY lithography is a thing and in the uprise.
Is it not possible to print a plastic tape storage device?
The magnetic read write head is going to be difficult to manufacture. The gearing will need to be 100% on point. You will either need a PCB custom made for your project or you will need to program an Arduino or pi to perform the tape backup. Your OS will need software to manage the data transfer.
You can store 30tb on tape for well under $100. It's the magnetic tape itself that costs.
You could buy a used tape drive and cassette for less than the cost of a HDD of the same capacity.
Tape storage is slow and finicky. Retrieving is even slower due to seek time.