New production method: Using EMP's to stamp steel

That's the blast from an electromagnetic pulse, or EMP (weaponized).

What does one have to do with the other? Well, if you want to stamp, shape or punch holes in steel to manufacture say, cars or washing machines, you need a big-ass press like the (relatively small) one above--which is expensive, huge, heavy, and eventually wears out. But as The Economist reports, German scientists have recently found a way to stamp steel--all the way through it if you like--using an EMP; and unlike the scary-ass diagram above, it can be done in such a controlled and refined way that it can be used for manufacturing.

The project is backed by Volkswagen and is being conducted by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology in Chemnitz, Germany, and science geeks interested in the details should click here.