A group of welders from Mazda Motor Corporation in Japan recently showcased their exceptional skills by creating a metal die that measures just 1mm but features fully detailed faces.
Images of the metal die, small enough to resemble a grain of sand on a human fingertip, have recently gone viral on Japanese social media. The photos garnered significant attention on Twitter, receiving over 30,000 likes and thousands of comments. Most people found it hard to believe that welding a die with metal faces just 1mm in size was feasible, with many praising the artisans for their technique and patience.
A metal die with faces measuring just 1mm.
The Mazda welding team started by creating all the faces in a T-shape, which were then bent into a block. Finally, all the faces were expertly welded together, with the welder needing to hold their breath during the process to ensure the highest accuracy. The welds are only 0.1mm in size, and the die is made from stainless steel plates that are 0.05mm thick, making it potentially the smallest metal die ever created.
The die is so small it resembles a grain of sand on a human fingertip.
The die was created as an internal challenge for Mazda employees. They began with a size of 100mm about four years ago and have since scaled down to just 1mm.
The die is made from stainless steel plates that are 0.05mm thick.
“It’s like surgery; we weld by holding the die with tweezers while looking at a screen. Breathing can cause our hands to shake, so it’s best to work while holding your breath,” said one welder involved in the project.
