3D Printing News Briefs, July 23, 2025: ASTM Standard, Defense, Bioinks, & More

We’re starting with business news in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, as Nikon AM Synergy has appointed a new CEO. Moving on, a proposed ASTM International standard will support 3D printing consistency, and CRG Defense is one of the first to acquire the Roboze ARGO 1000 HYPERMELT. Finally, University of Arkansas food scientists developed a 3D printable bioink based on sorghum proteins.

Nikon AM Synergy Appoints Manufacturing Executive as New CEO

Nikon AM Synergy, the engineering and services division of Nikon Advanced Manufacturing and operating out of the Nikon AM Technology Center in Long Beach, California, offers specialized capabilities in an ultra-secure environment to meet the stringent security requirements of its defense and aerospace clients. CEO David McKee announced his retirement, effective July 31st, and after a long search by the Board of Directors, Nikon AM Synergy announced the appointment of manufacturing executive Jesse Lea as CEO, to help drive U.S. industrial and defense AM growth. Lea has over three decades worth of experience across the manufacturing ecosystem, including previous leadership roles as President, Founder, and CEO. In the past, he’s worked at Uptive, GoProto, and 3D Systems Corporation/Rapid Product Development Group, with responsibilities including sales system establishment and management, business development and marketing, multi-industry sales programs, regulations compliance, profit and loss management, manufacturing and sales operations creations, and more.

“Building on the tremendous efforts and accomplishments of the Nikon AM Synergy and Nikon Advanced Manufacturing team, we are well-positioned to capture the critical opportunity that domestic additive manufacturing represents in the marketplace to address the needs of our defense and commercial customer base,” said Lea. “I am honored to have the chance to work with this talented group utilizing cutting-edge Nikon technology to drive advanced manufacturing forward.”

ASTM Developing Proposed Standard to Support 3D Printing Consistency

ASTM International’s F42 additive manufacturing committee is working on a proposed standard that will help with evaluation of 3D printing materials, specifically supporting 3D printing consistency. The WK94968 standard, currently under development within the F42.01 test methods subcommittee, will help define the printability range of cementitious materials for any given material extrusion 3D printer. As ASTM explained in a press release, the standard will define “the minimum and maximum values of yield stress and viscosity, within which cementitious materials can be reliably extruded while maintaining printability factors,” without needing access to time-consuming, costly rheometric tests. ASTM member Reza Foruzanmehr, associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Ottawa, said that the new standard addresses a current gap by offering a test method to identify a “compatibility zone” for optimal rheological properties between AM extrusion systems and cementitious mixtures. She also noted that an accessible approach to material printability evaluation will support accurate printer calibration, optimized mix design, and consistent quality control for extrusion-based 3D printers.

“Consider the example of a piping bag used for decorating cakes. If the cream inside is too stiff, it will not come out. If it is too runny, it will not hold its shape. The size and shape of the nozzle, as well as the force applied to squeeze the bag, also affect the outcome,” explained Foruzanmehr.

CRG Defense Acquires Roboze ARGO 1000 HYPERMELT to Expand AM Capabilities

In 2023, Italian large-format 3D printer manufacturer Roboze launched HYPERMELT, a heated build chamber/specialized extruder that, when paired with its high-temp ARGO 1000, supposedly created the world’s largest pellet 3D printer. In an effort to ramp up aerospace-grade 3D printing for defense applications, CRG Defense is now one of the first companies in the world to acquire the 1000 x 1000 x 1000mm ARGO 1000 HYPERMELT, which uses Fused Granulate Fabrication (FGF) technology to produce highly accurate, repeatable, high-performance thermoplastic components. The printer acquisition builds on the company’s $2.5 million U.S. Air Force contract to design an ultra-high-temperature, large-format AM system for future aerospace applications. Funded by the Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office, the project focuses on producing components that can withstand extreme operating conditions. With a U.S.-based production environment and existing contract vehicles, CRG Defense offers a fast track into defense manufacturing. Now, with the ARGO 1000 HYPERMELT, the company can improve its ability to produce aerospace-grade polymer and composite parts at scale, as the system is a fully operational, production-ready solution.

“This gives us immediate production capability while we continue developing our next-generation additive manufacturing technologies. It also allows us to support organizations that want to bring advanced materials, such as fiber-reinforced PEEK, PEK, and PEI, into secure production environments without building that infrastructure from scratch,” said Ian Fuller, Strategic Director and Additive Manufacturing area lead at CRG Defense.

“The ARGO 1000 HYPERMELT represents a strategic leap forward in our additive manufacturing capabilities. It complements our existing projects and allows us to offer a unique value proposition to our partners: cutting-edge research combined with immediate, large-scale production capacity in a secure environment. We have already demonstrated these advantages through the development and manufacture of multifunctional composite layup and debulking tools for aerospace customers.”

Food Scientists Develop 3D Printable Bioink from Sorghum Proteins 

Grain sorghum protein has several health benefits, including lowering total cholesterol levels, inhibiting inflammation, and increasing antioxidant potential. Last year, Ali Ubeyitogullari, an assistant professor of food engineering at the University of Arkansas with the food science and biological and agricultural engineering departments, demonstrated that sorghum flour can be made into a bioink used to 3D print cookies. Now, he and his team have optimized the 3D printable sorghum protein-based bioink for producing stable food and medicine structures that won’t turn into blobs. These proteins are very helpful in food 3D printing because they are hydrophilic, which means they can repel water, while many starches and proteins absorb it (hydrophobic). Ubeyitogullari and Sorour Barekat, a postdoctoral fellow in the food science department, recently published a study showing that they’d achieved optimal 3D printing results with grain sorghum protein—25% protein and a print speed of 20 mm/second with a 0.64mm nozzle.

“What we’ve shown is that sorghum protein can be made into a novel 3D printable gel, which hasn’t been done before. Due to their unique structure, these gels can be used in the food and pharmaceutical industries as a bioink to encapsulate medicine or as a carrier of hydrophobic compounds and nutrients,” explained Ubeyitogullari.