Researchers from Argonne National Laboratory are analyzing materials for use in 3D printing, and have released results in the recently published ‘Additive Manufacturing Fabrication of PEEK Counter-Current Centrifugal Contactor Components.’ While the benefits of AM processes are discussed, there are still limitations for some types of production—despite the potential for greater affordability, customization, and on-demand … Read more

Beijing researchers are examining SLA, DLP, LCD, CLIP and MJP techniques in the recently published ‘Photo-curing 3D printing technique and its challenges.’ As 3D printing continues to rise in popularity and progress in capabilities available to users, there are still a wide variety of obstacles to overcome and different processes to refine—especially as the structures … Read more

David L Walmsley and Emilie Sellier, UK scientists at Vernalis Research, have 3D printed a new device for flow chemistry applications, outlining their study in the recently published ‘Design and Development of a 3D-printed back-pressure regulator.’ With the fabrication of a new back-pressure regulator, the researchers are hoping to improve flow rates in chemistry systems … Read more

As discussed in the first and second installments of this series, we are drifting into a consumption-driven stupor and self-medicating our way through lives that, if we live in OECD countries, use 15 tonnes of material per year. Even though some things are recycled, these recycled goods do not often become high-value items. Repurposing existing … Read more

International researchers are moving to the next level in digital fabrication, publishing their findings in ‘Shape-Adaptive Metastructures with Variable Bandgap Regions by 4D Printing.’ Focusing on how 4D metastructures can filter acoustics and transform filtering ranges, the authors used FDM printing with a 4D printer head to experiment with deforming materials that are lower in … Read more

Andy Wen Loong Liew has submitted a thesis, ‘Laser-based 3D printing using bessel beams for tissue engineering applications’ to Nanyang Technological University. Exploring a new technique for bioprinting, Liew studies the use of Bessel beams in connection with regenerative medicine techniques, and he also compares the benefits of traditional techniques. Liew cites the benefits of … Read more

Chinese researchers are looking further into the uses of titanium in bioprinting, outlining their findings in the recently published ‘Mechanical behavior of a titanium alloy scaffold mimicking trabecular structure.’ Five different unit cells were used in this study as the authors experimented with creating new trabecular structures via electron beam melting. 3D printing has already … Read more

UK researchers from the Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge are studying new systems for construction materials, outlining their results in the recently published ‘A novel biomimetic design of a 3D vascular structure for self-healing in cementitious materials using Murray’s law.’ Some of the most interesting scientific breakthroughs are founded in nature as researchers are … Read more

Leading off our 3D Printing News Briefs today, the Wohlers Report for 2020 has been released. Moving on, Nanofabrica has achieved excellent results of direct rapid soft tooling with 3D printing. Two more interesting 3D printed projects we’re covering are ACCIONA’s 3D printed concrete bus stop, and HP’s 3D printed artwork in honor of Women’s … Read more

3D printing is used often in the automotive sector, and many recognizable names, from Volkswagen and BMW to Ford and Toyota, are adopting the technology. German automobile manufacturer Porsche, which specializes in high-performance sports cars, SUVs, and sedans, has turned to 3D printing multiple times in the past to make components for e-drive powertrains and turbo … Read more

Dutch chemical company Royal DSM has announced a partnership with Youngstown, Ohio’s Juggerbot 3D to develop 3D printers and materials for pellet-based manufacturing. This represents greater momentum toward the adoption of pellet-based additive manufacturing (AM), which is sometimes considered to be the future of material extrusion 3D printing technologies.  While DSM is already well-known within … Read more

Last year, a scientific team in Warsaw, Poland, bioprinted the world’s first prototype of a bionic pancreas with a vascular system. Led by clinical transplantation expert and inventor, Michał Wszoła, the specialists seek to introduce 3D bioprinting of the bionic pancreas to clinical practices worldwide in just over three years. The work, conducted at Polbionica, … Read more

In our last article in our series covering 3D printing in a climate-disrupted world, we discussed the myriad problems associated with polylactic acid (PLA), the most popular plastic and bioplastic for desktop 3D printers. Here we’ll break down one of the more interesting alternatives to PLA that is emerging on the market. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are … Read more

In the first article in this series, I laid out a consumer consumption-driven world where our needs are never quite met by things. Our needs are now mistranslated into a desire for objects that we do not yet have. Yet when we get that t-shirt, pair of headphones or gadget it never fills the needful … Read more

Just a few years ago, the FDA approved the first Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) to be produced domestically without the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU). This medical isotope helps radiologists detect bone decay, heart disease, and some types of cancers that are difficult to find, and in 2018, the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration … Read more

SmarTech has published its latest report, Market Opportunities for Additive Manufacturing in the General Industry and Tooling Sector 2020-2029, which will add a great deal of clarity to some of the stories we’ve recently covered related to the adoption of 3D printing in the general industry and tooling sector. One of the most important insights … Read more