4 ms·
What a weird let down that this is actually thousands of kilometers of super advanced super conducting tape, and not the more mundane varieties available at my
by epistasis 3y ago
What a weird let down that this is actually thousands of kilometers of super advanced super conducting tape, and not the more mundane varieties available at my local hardware store.
Great headline.
- hammock 3y agoThe headline relies on our shorthand of “adhesive tape” as “tape.” There is no adhesive in this tape and it’s not holding anything together. “Tape” simply refers to the geometrical shape of the product
- epistasis 3y agoWell there's a second double meaning of the "held together" phrase in the headline too, as it's not adhesive properties of the tape but the electromagenetic properties of the superconducting tape that's doing the "holding."
- adhesive_wombat 3y agoCorrect. Unidirectional bonding strip is the preferred Star Command terminology for the adhesive material.
- ck2 3y agoWe can still make our own x-ray machines with mundane scotch tape for giftwrapping https://google.com/search?q=scotch+tape+x-ray+machine https://google.com/search?q=scotch+tape+x-ray+machine
- genewitch 3y agoI knew about this before i saw it on House M.D., but it was still good to see it spread further. It was usually mentioned in the same paragraph as Certs mints making sparks in your mouth.
- visarga 3y agoYBCO tape - Yttrium barium copper oxide ReBCO tape - Rare-earth barium copper oxide
- jacquesm 3y agoYou can buy it though: https://www.bruker.com/zh/products-and-solutions/superconductors/superconductors/ybco-2g-hts-superconductor.html https://www.bruker.com/zh/products-and-solutions/superconduc...
- xyst 3y agoYou can buy it but there’s no listed price lol Probably too much if I have to ask ha
- willis936 3y agoI've always heard this but when I'm spending millions is when I ask about price the most.
- jacquesm 3y agoThat makes good sense, but if there is no competing product and/or if there is an urgent need the price may not be all that elastic. For a commodity (say, server hardware or mechanical gear with well understood production processes) you'll probably be able to negotiate to some degree. But for a niche item such as this I'm not sure it would be nearly as effective. It would be interesting to know how many manufacturers of such tape there are and what the spread in pricing is. But usually they are not listed, it's 'call us for pricing' aka we'll see how much we can fleece you for.
- willis936 3y agoThere are half a dozen companies making and selling REBCO commercially, so there is competition. In my personal experience with I&C equipment the number is much higher. When the market isn't making sense I make it myself or pay someone to make it. Knowing the price matters a lot.
- jacquesm 3y agoCan you give a rough indication of what stuff like that costs?