Editorials / Opinions

A decade ago, many designers were making chairs, couches and all manner of furniture using 3D printing. These were statement pieces. Star designers planting their 3D printed tree to showcase…

In the previous articles in the Pedalution series, we looked at the prevalence of 3D printing in cycling and bike components. We’ve also explored what companies are doing with 3D…

Given the great deal of activity related to mergers, acquisitions and IPOs in 3D printing, we’ve started brainstorming about what other IPOs we’d like to see in the industry. Ultimaker…

In the first installment of this series, we looked at how 3D printing is being used in bicycles before going deeper and also exploring the use into 3D printing for…

At the start of his presidency, Joe Biden presented the Build Back Better plan, calling on over $2 trillion spending to revitalize U.S. infrastructure over the next eight years. Aspects…

In the first part of this series, we looked at what has been going with the 3D printing of bicycles and tried to show you why certain things will become…

A quiet revolution has been occurring for over ten years in the cycling world. More and more bike components are getting 3D printed. In this article, we’ll give you an…

As nTopology’s Duann Scott pointed out that they were seeing “a lot of interest in filtering systems.” It’s good to know that this exciting application is getting some traction. 3D…

For over a decade, conformal cooling for molds has been an oft-cited 3D printing application. Conformal batteries are talked about periodically, as well. Sometimes you’ll see a mention of conformal…

Every day we are continually reminded: non fungible tokens (NFTs) are here. One day, it’s the person from the “Disaster Girl meme” minting a JPG of the image she appeared…

On the 3DPOD, JPL’s Doug Hofmann recently said that 3D printed heat exchangers were one of the applications he was most excited about in additive. Since he is part of…

3D printers are ideal for making improvised, emergency repairs in austere environments. If you need something now, or a new design to improve something quickly, 3D printing is ideal. It’s…

After thinking a lot about flow as a new paradigm in considering and implementing additive manufacturing (AM), I considered batteries as one of the most impactful applications to examine. Then,…

“Please wear a mask in public spaces,” the Hilton Hotel lobby signage makes it pretty clear upon arrival that they want their guests to feel comfortable and safe while on…

More 3D printers are being leased. Vendors are looking at all-in-service models, as well. Following on from Carbon, subscriptions, including materials, are coming into vogue. HP has a hardware-as-a-service model…

You’ve probably already seen some 3D printed heatsink articles pass you by over the years, but are heatsinks a footnote or our future? In 2016, ORNL told us that, “Increased…

There are these developments that we all feel are coming (YouTube, second nozzles, inexpensive desktop SLA) and there are those that are head-splitting-ly obvious when announced (Dirk van der Kooij’s…

2021 is really shaping up to be the year of the application, capitalization, and consolidation. Many companies are being bought to facilitate market entry by new players. We are also…

Olaf Diegel, Professor of Additive Manufacturing at the University of Auckland, is well known for his 3D printed guitars. He and his students conduct many more experiments and projects, however….

In my Brittle Spear series, I wrote of how the tip of technology’s spear grows ever sharper but more brittle. One of the things I mentioned was that the Cubans…

The high-touch, high-quality 3D printing service is under threat. With OEMs starting huge services, polymer companies getting into the service game, and giant manufacturing firms looking to be the biggest…

Flow is not an industry; it’s not an established vertical; it’s not an established part; it’s not a thing you can buy at Sigma Aldrich or RS Components. Flow is…

Desktop 3D printing was supposed to be the next big thing. Due to over-claim and a response from the media that was far too enthusiastic, we were propelled to fill…

For years people have been speculating when or if 3D scanning will come to mobile phones. Apple’s acquisition of several 3D scanning companies and Google’s Project Tango fueled endless discussions. But,…