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Published: Friday 15 March 1996

A tiny 'microcar', an exact replica of a commercial car, has been built by Japanese workers at the Nisshin Research Laboratory at Nippon- denso, Japan. The car is just 4.8 mm long and 1.8 mm wide.

It is constructed bya seven-stage process wherein initially, a silicone rubber cast is made which is then moulded in a molten bismuthsilicon alloy. The next process involves nickel-plating with an electric discharge machine. And finally, after etching in silicone oil (at 150C), it is gold plated. The car has a top speed of 0.36 kmph, attainable with the aid of a tiny electromagnetic motor.

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