A Year in 3D Prints: A Visual Journey Through 2025 in AM
2025 was a year of milestones and experimentation in additive manufacturing (AM), marked not only by technical progress but also by the mergers, acquisitions, and restructurings that reshaped the industry, and the people and companies behind them. This photo essay captures a year in prints: the machines, the materials, the makers, and the business deals unfolding across the industry.
January: Printing With Lunar Materials
GLAMS project 3D printing geopolymers from lunar soils. Image courtesy of WASP.
In January, WASP unveiled a groundbreaking 3D printing project using geopolymers made from lunar soil. The innovative materials are designed to support the future of space exploration, demonstrating how AM could play a key role in building structures on the Moon and beyond. This project highlighted the potential for 3D printing to enable sustainable construction in space using resources from other planets.
February: The Industry Gathers at AMS 2025
AMS 2025 event in New York. Image courtesy of 3DPrint.com.
In February, attendees gathered for AMS 2025, a major industry event focused on AM and healthcare. Highlights included presentations on the growing role of 3D printing in medical applications and discussions about strategic directions for the technology in the year ahead. Business strategy was a central theme throughout the event, with sessions focused on investment, commercialization, and how companies are adapting to current market realities. AMS will return in 2026, scheduled to take place February 24–26.
March: On-Site Drone Manufacturing
Laser-hit drone test and 3D printed drone parts on display during a U.S. military field experiment at Camp Roberts. Image courtesy of Daniel Linehan, Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), via DVIDS.
In March, Firestorm Labs tested a mobile 3D printing cell for drone production at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. The demonstration showed how AM can be used to produce and assemble drones closer to where they are needed, highlighting growing interest in flexible, on-site manufacturing for defense applications.
April: 3D Printing Moves Into Commercial Construction
3D printed Starbucks building. Image courtesy of the Government of the City of Brownsville.
In May, a 3D printer completed construction of a new Starbucks location, marking one of the most visible uses of AM in commercial building. The project showed how 3D printing is beginning to appear in everyday infrastructure, not just specialized or experimental settings.
May: Scaling Up Metal Printing
DEEP manufacturing HexBot robots. Image courtesy of DEEP Manufacturing Limited.
In May, Deep Manufacturing introduced its six-armed Hexbot system for ultra-large-scale wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). The robotic setup was designed to handle large metal structures, showing how AM continues to push into bigger formats and more industrial applications.
June: Patient-Specific Implants in Surgery
Vinmec successfully performed the world’s youngest pediatric total femur replacement surgery using 3D printing technology. Image courtesy of Vinmec.
In June, doctors at Vinmec Hospital in Vietnam performed a pediatric total femoral replacement using a patient-specific, 3D printed implant. The procedure showed how AM can be used to produce custom implants for complex surgical cases.
July: Printing for Energy Infrastructure
Barnard Construction workers pour concrete into the carbon-fiber-reinforced ABS form to produce one of the cast-in-place Janus columns. Image courtesy of Kairos Power.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) used large-scale 3D printing to produce formwork for nuclear reactor components. The project showed how additive manufacturing is being applied to heavy infrastructure, using printed molds to support construction in the energy sector.
August: From Research Roots to Commercial Machines
RLP Co-founder and CEO Schendy Kernizan shows 3DPrint.com the Levity 3D printer at the company’s Boston facility. Image courtesy of 3DPrint.com.
Last summer, 3DPrint.com’s Vanesa Listek visited Rapid Liquid Print (RLP) in Boston, where the team showed how the company has grown from its MIT roots into a commercial operation. The visit included a look at RLP’s Levity system, with machines running, parts taking shape, and the team hard at work.
September: 3D Printing Enters Consumer Electronics
Apple released the iPhone Air with a 3D printed USB-C feature. Image courtesy of Apple.
Apple made a major move in September by revealing that it had used 3D printing for a key component in the iPhone Air. As one of the largest companies in the world, Apple’s decision to integrate 3D printing into its production line represents a landmark moment for the industry. It highlights that AM is no longer limited to prototyping, and is increasingly being adopted for real-world, high-volume consumer products.
October: Open Desktop Systems and New Materials
Josef Prusa hosts Prusa Day 2025. Image courtesy of Joris Peels/3DPrint.com.
3DPrint.com Executive Editor Joris Peels was on site in October for Prusa’s announcement of new CoreOne and OpenPrintTag developments, including silicone printing on the XL. Josef Prusa presented the updates in person, outlining how the company continues to open up materials and workflows at the desktop and prosumer level.
November: New Bioprinted Models to Battle Cancer
Bioprinted tissue models integrated with organs-on-a-chip for cancer research. Image courtesy of OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.
Researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Knight Cancer Institute showed how bioprinted organoids and organs-on-a-chip can be used together to study cancer. The approach combines 3D printed tissue models with microfluidic systems, offering researchers a way to observe how cancer behaves and responds to treatment in a controlled lab setting.
December: 3D Printing Meets Professional Sports
Jaylen Brown entered TD Garden holding the 3D printed prototype of his 741 V1 basketball shoes, developed with Zellerfeld. Image courtesy of Boston Celtics via Instagram.
In December, 3D printing showed up in an unexpected place. NBA player Jaylen Brown arrived at a game against the Los Angeles Lakers with a 3D printed sneaker prototype developed with Zellerfeld. This shows how 3D printing is starting to appear in new cultural and commercial settings.
In 2025, 3D printing showed up in plenty of familiar settings, like coffee shops, smartphones, hospitals, sports gear, and of course, factory floors. These images don’t point to a single trend. They show AM in use across many parts of industry and everyday life.
Featured image courtesy of OHSU Knight Cancer Institute
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