Charles R. Goulding and Andressa Bonafe explore the innovative world of 3D printed living seawalls.
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The 3D Printing Material Property We Often Forget
When choosing a 3D printing material, we usually start with the conditions that part must survive.
See You At Formnext 2026
In only a few days, it is Formnext Week.
GE Patent Proposes Self-Refilling Powder Bed 3D Printers
GE has found a way to automatically refill powder hoppers on 3D printers.
Studio 3E8 to Launch a Desktop Metal 3D Printer
Stealth startup Studio 3E8 revealed an inexpensive desktop metal 3D printer.
SLB’s US$4.1 Billion Kelvion Deal: Transferring From Oil & Gas to AI Data Centers With Help from 3D Printing
Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi connect the dots between SLB, Kelvion, Apollo, AI data centers and 3D printing in a deal that could reshape how critical infrastructure is designed and cooled.
Stratasys Patents a Way to Anchor 3D Prints Through Fabric
How do you stop a 3D printed object from peeling off a piece of cloth?
Google Wants Spirit Airlines’ Data. What Could 3D Printing Data Be Worth?
Charles R. Goulding and Ari Willick examine the growing competition for Spirit Airlines’ business data and what it may tell us about the value of additive manufacturing datasets.
Welding 3D Printed Parts May Start In The Slicer
A plastic weld can fail before the welding equipment is even switched on.
Two New 3D Printer Nozzle Patents Challenge CHT Designs
Is there a better way to soften filament in FFF systems?
Creality Needs Your Input
Creality has issued a 3D printer operator survey, and it’s quite interesting.
Xerox Patent Eliminates Sticky 3D Prints With Two UV Wavelengths
The very last layer of a 3D print can be the worst.
The Army’s Search for Obsolete Parts Opens a New Door for 3D Printing
Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi investigate how the Army’s push to source legacy components is creating new opportunities for digital inventories, additive manufacturing and on-demand production.
A 3D Printed Tabletop Simulator for Vocal-Cord Surgery
Charles G. Goulding highlights an innovative Georgetown-developed 3D printed surgical trainer that brings vocal-cord surgery practice out of the operating room and onto an affordable tabletop platform.
X-Hinges: A 3D Printed Hinge That Senses Its Own Movement
A 3D printed flexible hinge can report how it’s bending. That’s “X-Hinges”, a 3D printing technique developed by researchers at MIT CSAIL, Tianjin University and Zhejiang University. They produced compliant joints that can detect movement in three directions without requiring conventional sensors to be attached afterward. The trick is to make the hinge itself part… Continue reading X-Hinges: A 3D Printed Hinge That Senses Its Own Movement
Desktop Metal’s Zombie Patent Makes Aluminum Jetting More Reliable
A dead company has just published a pretty interesting patent application.
3DFilamentProfiles adds Profiles and an API
There’s been an interesting update to 3DFilamentProfiles. Two, actually.
The Sound of Innovation: 3D Printing Takes on Hearing Loss
Charles G. Goulding examines how AI-powered hearing aids and 3D printed ear components are changing the way researchers approach hearing loss and surgical repair.
Why High Density Isn’t Enough For Metal 3D Printing
A metal 3D printed part can be almost completely solid and still not work properly for its application. Researchers made this observation in a new study of metal additive manufacturing. For years, one of the most important measures of successful metal 3D printing has been density. The fewer internal voids, the better the part. That… Continue reading Why High Density Isn’t Enough For Metal 3D Printing
Bambu Lab’s H3C Just Reset the Toolchanger Market
The high-end toolchanger market has suddenly become a bit more uncomfortable for many 3D printer manufacturers.
New StandardFlow Platform Automates Standards Compliance Analysis
A new company should enable manufacturers to more quickly qualify 3D printed parts.
Sinterit “Winds Down” After Bankruptcy Filing
Sinterit is winding down manufacturing.
Design of the Week: Affordable RAM
This week’s selection is Affordable RAM by Printables contributor Dezain 3D.
Researchers Turn Ordinary 3D Printers Into Electronics Assembly Machines
The 3D printer’s toolhead can also be a gripper.
Who’s The Biggest In 3D Printing, November 8, 2026
Once again we take a look at the valuations of the major 3D printing companies over the past week.
Solving Supply Issues: How Additive Manufacturing Represents the Future of the U.S. Air Force and Jet Engine Technology
Charles R. Goulding and Kate Esposito reveal how additive manufacturing could help the Air Force break free from lengthy casting and forging bottlenecks while powering the next generation of drone swarms and uncrewed aircraft.
Is Vibe Coding Slowly Destroying The Market For 3D Printing Software?
Something strange is happening in my inbox.
Why Prusa Released Firmware 7.0 And 8.0 Days Apart
Prusa’s firmware version numbers have suddenly gone into overdrive.
D-Shape Founder Revoces License from Hong Kong Partner
An dispute has emerged over one of the oldest names in large-scale 3D printing.
Acquisitions, Aircraft, and Additive Manufacturing: How a Deal Between Boeing and Archer Aviation Shapes the Future of eVTOL Technology
Charles R. Goulding and Kate Esposito take readers inside the rapidly evolving eVTOL industry, where Boeing, Archer, Wisk, and Joby are using additive manufacturing to overcome the challenges of electric aviation and push air taxis closer to reality.
AI Study Finds Big Strength Differences in 3D Printing Infill
Changing two print settings more than doubled the measured tensile strength of a 3D printed part.
3D-Fuel Permanently Drops Filament Prices
3D-Fuel is dropping prices, again.
Will Hot Powder Compaction Make 3D Printed Parts Stronger?
Squeezing 3D printed parts could be the way of the future.
Two Layers Beat Three In Carbon Fiber PLA
A two layer PLA and carbon fiber PLA print delivered the strongest result in a multi material filament extrusion study.
Hawaii’s Startup Surge: Can 3D Printing Help Build the Next Tech Economy?
Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi take a closer look at how Hawaii is turning its geographic challenges into technological opportunities as entrepreneurs pursue ambitious startups, advanced manufacturing and the elusive billion-dollar unicorn valuation.
MultiMaterial 3D Printing Has a Hidden Weak Point
A multi-material 3D print can look perfect and still break apart where its materials meet.
Could AI Generators Eventually Replace 3D Model Repositories?
I’ve noticed an interesting difference between two of the biggest 3D model repositories.
Could Creality Be Planning Dedicated Retail Stores Worldwide?
Creality has been building something that could become a worldwide network of its own dedicated 3D printing stores.
Force Sensing Could Bring Flow Analysis Into Extrusion Printing
A force sensor at a material extrusion nozzle may be a way to dynamically measure viscosity during a print.
Your 3D Printer Can Be the Fix-It Tool You Didn’t Know You Needed
Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi show how the humble home 3D printer is becoming a powerful fix-it tool for replacing hard-to-find parts and extending the life of everyday products.
AI Control In AM Has A Data Problem
A metal 3D printer might one day be able to correct its own mistakes. Or should it?
3D Printing Meets “Made in Italy”: The Next Industrial Renaissance
Charles R. Goulding and Kate Esposito explore how Italy’s celebrated “Made in Italy” tradition is getting a high-tech makeover through additive manufacturing, from Ferrari supercars to custom medical implants.
Hands On With The Bambu Lab H3C 3D Printer, Part 4
Our look at the Bambu Lab H3C 3D printer concludes with Print Results and Final Thoughts.
Hands On With The Bambu Lab H3C 3D Printer, Part 3
Our review of the Bambu Lab H3C 3D printer continues with a look at Operations and Software.
Hands On With The Bambu Lab H3C 3D Printer, Part 2
Our review of the amazing Bambu Lab H3C 3D printer continues with Unboxing, Assembly and Calibration.
Hands On With The Bambu Lab H3C 3D Printer, Part 1
The H3C is official today, and we’ve been quietly testing it for several weeks.
ICON Patent Turns An Extraterrestrial Printer Into A Rover
What if the 3D printer had to drive to the job site because the job site was another planet?
A Filament Dryer Goes Back to Its Day Job
Oh, how times have changed with filament drying.
Design of the Week: The Mushroom
This week’s selection is the Mushroom by Thingiverse contributor skylerjrandolph.
Patent Proposes Larger Extruder Wheels for Faster FFF Printing
Could the answer to filament feeding problems be bigger wheels?
Who’s The Biggest In 3D Printing, November 1, 2026
Once again we take a look at the valuations of the major 3D printing companies over the past week.
Rockwell Automation’s Three 3D Printing Plays
Charles Goulding and Ari Willick discuss three ways Rockwell Automation is applying its industrial automation expertise to the 3D printing industry.
OpenFilament Offers New Life For Aging Stratasys 3D Printers
Certain old industrial 3D printers can remain usable even when their manufacturers stop supporting them.
IBM Patent Uses Flame Hardening Inside a 3D Printed Part
What if a 3D printer could heat treat the inside of a part before the part is completed?
Spoolara Bundles A Collection Of 3D Printing Utilities
Spoolara has bundled a bunch of small 3D printing utilities together.
OpenVCAD Patent Treats Material Distribution Like Geometry
Most 3D design software knows the surfaces of an object, but it doesn’t usually know what the object is made of at every point inside.
3D Printing Goes Underwater as DARPA Eyes the Future of Maritime Repair
Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi dive into the emerging technology that could let robots build and repair underwater infrastructure using materials found on the seafloor.
EOS Patent Alternates Laser Beam Shapes For Stronger LPBF Parts
EOS wants to make a laser powder bed fusion part with two different laser personalities.
Anycubic Uses Thingiverse To Fill Makeronline’s Model Gap
Anycubic has made a very quite but potentially important ecosystem move.
ELEGOO Introduces Its First 3D Scanner, the M1 Ultra
ELEGOO is opening up another type of 3D technology.
From 3D Printer Fans to HVAC Innovation: Madison Air Makes a US$5.4 Billion Move
Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi look at the surprising 3D printing connections behind Madison Air’s acquisition of German fan giant ebm-papst.
ETH Zurich Uses Bacteria To Cement 3D Printed Sand Structures
With bacteria, less infill can make a stronger 3D printed part.
Meltio And HORKOS Compress Manufacturing Into One Hybrid Machine
3D printers are starting to fold into machine tools.
Seurat Patent Proposes A Faster Light Valve For Metal Printing
Seurat is patenting a very unusual method of speeding up metal 3D printing.
From Rockets to Missile Defense: Madison’s 3D Printing Boom
Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi investigate how Madison’s proximity to Huntsville, Redstone Arsenal and Marshall Space Flight Center is helping turn 3D printing into a production technology for America’s aerospace and defense industries.
3D Printed Valves Get Directional Tuning
A new study suggests that the toolpath in an FFF printed heart valve may be almost as important as the material.
Formlabs Continues to Test 3D Printer Resins
Formlabs is offering to test the safety of any 3D printer resin.
Signify Patent Puts Pellet Material Inside A Filament Skin
Signify describes a single-nozzle FFF extruder that surrounds pellet-fed material with a different filament, potentially combining low-cost bulk deposition with a controlled outer surface.
Formlabs Patent Moves SLS Powder With Flexible Screws
Formlabs has filed a patent for a new way to push powder around inside SLS 3D printers.
AI-Enabled Bills of Materials Could Help Build America’s Humanoid Robot Supply Chain
By Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi take readers inside the way an AI-powered bills of materials could help U.S. manufacturers close the humanoid robot production gap and build a stronger domestic supply chain.
Ultrasound Maps Hidden Stiffness in Wood PLA Prints
A new ultrasonic test method reveals how strongly infill geometry controls the stiffness of FFF printed wood PLA parts.
3D Printed Wax Foam Makes Recyclable Molds for Complex Concrete
Imagine making a concrete mold, using it once, then melting it down and 3D printing another one.
Prusa Now Offers High Temp 3D Printing at a Much Lower Price
Prusa takes an interesting step into higher-temperature materials.
A New Way to 3D Print the Surface of Other Worlds
I ran across a very interesting 3D model service, OrbitStudio.
Growing Robots vs. FiloBot: Comparing Advantages
Charles G. Goulding explains why the future of robotics may not roll or crawl, but grow, comparing two groundbreaking technologies poised to reshape industrial applications.
Design of the Week: Dokdo Sea Lion Skeleton
This week’s selection is the Dokdo Sea Lion Skeleton reconstruction by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea.
MXene Coatings Could Lower PEEK Powder Fusion Energy
A newly published research study suggests that MXene coated PEEK composite powders may require far less fibre laser energy during polymer powder bed fusion.
Who’s The Biggest In 3D Printing, October 25, 2026
Once again we take a look at the valuations of the major 3D printing companies over the past week.
Medtronic’s TIME Award Puts Sinus Surgery Equipment in the Spotlight
Charles G. Goulding looks beyond Medtronic’s award-winning innovation to explore how 3D printed sinus models, smarter instruments, and equipment partnerships are shaping the future of ENT surgery.
Prusa Patent Combines Nozzle Cutter, Brush, And Parking Pad
Prusa has come up with a tidy answer to a messy 3D printing problem: make the nozzle pass through a small cleaning station that cuts, scrubs, and parks it.
University Of Arizona Patent Splits One Laser Into Multiple 3D Prints
Two-photon polymerization 3D printing has a throughput problem: the machine usually can print only one object at a time.
PostProcess Patent Turns Powder Removal Into A Programmable Process
Powder removal is one of those 3D printing jobs that looks simple until you have a production batch in front of you.
Sailing Toward Success: How AM Helped the Brunswick Corporation Revolutionize the Marine Industry
Charles R. Goulding and Kate Esposito chart how additive manufacturing is powering everything from Mercury Marine’s 600HP engines to Sea Ray’s luxury yachts and custom boat components.
MIT’s InstructMesh Repairs AI Generated 3D Models Before Printing
An AI generated mug might look magnificent, until you try to pour something into it.
Hands On With The Creality SPARKX i7 3D Printer, Part 3
Our look at the SPARKX i7 3D printer concludes with software, print results and final thoughts.
Hands On With The Creality SPARKX i7 3D Printer, Part 2
Our review of the SPARKX i7 3D printer continues with a look at unboxing, assembly, calibration and operations.
Hands On With The Creality SPARKX i7 3D Printer, Part 1
We’ve been testing the Creality SPARKX i7 desktop 3D printer, and it’s quite a machine.
From Scrap to Print: How Recycling Is Reshaping 3D Printing
Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi look at the expanding role of recycling in securing materials for 3D printing, from America’s steel and aluminum scrap streams to copper, precious metals, plastics, and concrete.
Remote 3D Printing Through Opaque Materials Uses Focused Ultrasound
What if the printing head never had to reach the place where the object is being made?
Polymaker’s CymphoniK Creates Any Color With Pellets
Polymaker has long been known for their incredibly wide range of filament colors, and now they’re adding a pellet colouring system, CymphoniK.
VulcanForms Patents Steerable Laser Beams
Laser beam steering usually means moving something.
SprintRay Patent Turns Resin Printer Lighting Into A Replaceable Cartridge
What if the most troublesome part of a resin 3D printer could simply slide out?
The BMW Group’s Keys to Success: How the Company is Using Additive Manufacturing to Drive Toward the Future
Charles R. Goulding and Kate Esposito highlight how the BMW Group is leveraging cutting-edge additive manufacturing technologies to reduce costs, speed production, and drive the future of electric vehicle manufacturing.
X-Bow Patents Controllable 3D Printed Rocket Fuel
What if a rocket motor could change the way it burns after manufacturing?
SolidCraft, a Free Autodesk Fusion Clone
Autodesk had better look out: there is a clone of Fusion on the loose.