Editorials / Opinions
Desktop UV Printers & 3D Printing: Collision Course
UV printing has been around for ages, of course. But, since a few years ago, desktop UV printers have made their way into households, small businesses, and enterprises. These machines…
The Next Phase of EB-PBF Will Be Defined by Beam Control
The bar for metal additive manufacturing has moved. Early on, the question was often simple: Can the machine print the material and produce a dense part? That still matters, but…
The SLS Market, Game of Trucks: Part 2
With the release of the new HP 1200 and the Formlabs X1, we can see real competition from very different segments. From several million dollars to just $20,000, the laser…
APAC’s 3D Printing Capital Wave Is Bigger Than Venture Funding
By the usual measure, a tally of funding rounds, APAC’s additive manufacturing market had a quiet second quarter. The capital that has actually closed across the region comes to about…
The SLS Market: Game of Trucks
This is truly an exciting moment in the SLS market. With HP‘s release of the 1200 and Formlabs‘ release of the X1, we can see the SLS market heating up….
AM Asia Watch: Chinese Company Claims Advances in Titanium Powder Beyond 700C
They’re a familiar sight at trade shows: Chinese powder companies with barren stands lacking parts. There’s maybe some glass vessel with powder in it and a semi-complete data sheet, but…
Rocket Lab Buys Iridium in $8 Billion Deal, Creating a New SpaceX Rival
Rocket Lab is buying Iridium for $8 billion in a cash-and-stock deal worth $54 per share. Shareholders will receive $27 in cash plus additional Rocket Lab common stock. The company…
Solukon Releases SPR-Pathfinder PRO—and a Smart Software Strategy
Large-format LPBF darling Solukon Maschinenbau launches SPR-Pathfinder PRO, an upgrade to its depowdering software. This is a smart play because it enables the company to keep ahead of potential competition…
China Now Has 29 Universities Offering Additive Manufacturing Engineering Degrees
As China’s national college entrance examination (Gaokao) concludes, millions of students and parents are once again focused on university admissions and future career choices. Computer science, artificial intelligence (AI), and…
ExOne Bets on Smaller Foundries with the S-Print Pro
ExOne has released the S-Print Pro, a more affordable-than-usual compact system for foundries. The company hopes that this will make its system more accessible to new customers and to customers…
JAECOO to You Too: How China Works
You may be beset by a bewildering array of new Chinese cars. How can they all be viable? They can’t be, and this is the point. This is why so…
The Rise of IP: The First Emoji 3D Printer Is Here. Don’t Rule Out Star Wars Next.
For years, most desktop 3D printers have looked more or less the same. Some are black. Some are gray. A few are bright orange. They look like boxes. Some are…
The Seminal Moment: Creality’s IPO Analysis & Possible Effects
Something super important happened just a few days ago, and too few people paid attention. Creality, a pioneer in low-cost desktop material extrusion printers, went public. Creality is now listed…
Killer 3D Printing Applications: Tools
A previous Killer 3D Printing Applications article looks at tool voids and tool storage. With 3D printing, we can connect different sets and make cases to organize tools. We can…
Formlabs Launches the X1: Let’s Pack It In?
I’d like to share my disappointment. When Formlabs teased that something big was coming, I really hoped the firm would finally get around to making CNC machines, as it always…
Creality’s Listing: A Sign That China’s Consumer 3D Printing Has Entered a New Phase of Global Competition
Just days ago, the bell rang at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) for Creality. The company opened at HK$33.80 per share, up from the IPO price of HK$18.8, giving…
Killer 3D Printing Applications: Tool Voids and The Hidden Opportunity in Tool Storage
Sometimes, nothing is the product. Hand tools, electric tools, factory tools, surgical tools, gardening tools, hobbyist tools, firefighter tools, and many other specialized tools can be found all over the…
Bambu Launches A2L: What the New Printer Reveals About Its Strategy
Bambu Lab continues its relentless march for 3D printing domination with the launch of the A2L. The 330 × 320 × 325 mm printer will have a nozzle temperature of…
Stratasys Acquires Markforged, Analysis of AM’s Latest Consolidation Move
A very long time ago, in 2023, the additive manufacturing (AM) industry was enraptured over the attempts by a large chunk of its publicly traded original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to…
The Arsenal of Democracy is Empty: Enter SOUTHCOM’s Autonomous Warfare Command SAWC
One of the most important things to happen to the US Military in over a decade just happened: SOUTHCOM (The US’ Southern Command responsible for Central America, South America, and…
AM Drilldown: the Beginning of 3D Printing’s Next Phase in the Energy Sector
For much of the last decade, many have pushed an unjustifiably optimistic view of global energy consumption, along the lines of, fossil fuels are “on their way out.” Sadly, this…
Why Additive Manufacturing Has Finally Earned Its Place on the Production Line
For years, the conversation around additive manufacturing followed a predictable script. Engineers would acknowledge its usefulness for prototyping – faster iterations, cheaper design validation, no tooling to worry about –…
Asia AM Watch: Advantages to the Chinese Way of Doing Business
Timo Göbel, the Head of Additive Manufacturing at the BMW Group, spoke at the AM Forum in Berlin about industrializing additive. He had wise words to share, including that we…
The Additive Chicken Coop, Part IV: Lemmings
If we look at our past, we can see how making custom machines, incessantly watching ourselves, and our inability to rescope shaped our industry. We have also looked at the…
