3D Printing
3D printing, or additive manufacturing, has advanced rapidly to enable the production of everything from tiny screws to engine components to entire houses ... and it's only just getting started. Keep up with the latest developments here.
Latest News
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Twisty multi-material filaments could serve as artificial muscles
January 20, 2023While multi-material 3D printers do already exist, the filament they extrude is all one material at any one point in the printing process. A new system produces actual multi-material filaments, however, and they boast a very useful helical design. -
Metal/polymer composite makes for stronger 3D-printed nanostructures
December 30, 20223D printing technology is used not only to build things as large as houses, but also as small as snowflakes. A new material allows the latter to be much stronger than ever before, and to be printed considerably faster. -
3D-printed home made from forest products is 100% recyclable
November 23, 2022A recently finished 3D-printed home has furthered the eco-credentials of the construction method through the use of 100% natural materials, which allows it to be fully recycled at the end of its life. -
New process helps 3D-printed metal components take the heat
November 16, 2022While 3D printing technology does allow complex metal parts to be produced efficiently, such items often deform when stressed and heated. That may soon no longer be the case, however, thanks to a new technique developed at MIT. -
interiqr tech prints edible, informational QR codes right into foods
October 17, 2022Scientists have developed a new method of providing information on 3D-printed foods, by printing a QR code within the food itself. Doing so doesn't affect the taste or outward appearance of the food, nor does it require the use of any labels. -
Multi-nozzle MF3 tech could revolutionize 3D printing
August 04, 2022Although 3D printing technology continues to improve, it's still limited by relatively long print times and low resolution. A new technology could help, by simultaneously utilizing multiple small print nozzles instead of a single big one. -
Hasbro will soon put your 3D-printed face on an action figure's body
July 14, 2022When you played with action figures, you probably tried picturing yourself having the same adventures they were. Well, doing so is about to become easier, as Hasbro is offering to a put a 3D-printed miniature copy of your face on one of its figures. -
New type of 3D printing uses sound waves to build up objects
May 31, 20223D printing typically involves depositing layers of molten plastic, laser-melting powdered metal, or using UV light to harden gelatinous resin. A new technique takes yet another approach, however, by utilizing sound waves. -
EPFL's super-fast 3D-printing technique makes resin objects in seconds
May 26, 2022Researchers at EPFL have demonstrated a light-based 3D-printing method that's about 30 times faster than conventional additive manufacturing, creating objects in 20 seconds that would normally take more like 10 minutes thanks to photocurable resins. -
Computer system optimizes 3D printer performance, based on the job
May 19, 2022When most people think of 3D printing, they think of fused deposition modelling, wherein an object is built up in successive layers of molten plastic. A new computer system is able to tweak that process, in order to build structurally stronger items. -
Discarded glass used to replace sand in 3D-printable concrete
April 26, 2022Concrete is a popular building material, enough so that one of its key ingredients – sand – is in short supply. Scientists are thus now exploring the possibility of replacing that sand with glass waste that would otherwise end up in landfills. -
Physicists deploy 3D printing in pursuit of world's crackliest chocolate
April 21, 2022A team of Dutch scientists has taken on the grueling task of designing the perfect piece of chocolate, using novel 3D printing techniques to create designs that shatter in the most pleasurable way when bitten. Clearly, extensive testing is required. -
New process changes color of laser light to 3D-print intricate items
April 21, 2022When most people think of 3D printing, they likely picture a relatively chunky object being built one layer at a time. A new technique, however, allows much more intricate items to be produced – and it does so by changing the color of laser light. -
Anker aims to speed up and simplify desktop 3D printing with the M5
April 06, 2022Fabricating models and design prototypes on a desktop 3D printer in the home or workplace can be a great time-saver, but prints can still take many hours to complete. Anker has entered the 3D printer space to change that with the AnkerMake M5. -
New system could simplify the inspection of 3D-printed metal objects
February 24, 2022If you're 3D-printing metal parts for use in aircraft or other critical systems, then those parts had better not be defective. A new system allows such items to be checked for structural flaws, quicker and cheaper than ever before.
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