Editorials / Opinions
Eco-Friendly 3D Printing: Beat the Heat with 3D Printed Thermal Solutions
On the fourth day of record high temperatures, which are “probably the warmest in 100,000 years,” the conjecture and oil company fog surrounding climate change was breaking. You may not…
China and the US: Disrupting the US Military
Previously in this series, we’ve looked at how the U.S. spends the most on its military, while China may very well gain on it by developing technology more rapidly and…
Faster Wealth Creation with 3D Printing
When additive manufacturing (AM) was a sparkling new technology in the eyes of the world. it was 3D printing’s nerdy vocabulary that titillated other ears. But, now, our industry needs…
China and the US: The Second Cold War
As we’ve discussed in a previous article in this series, there has been increased confrontation between the U.S. and China. Mistrust and China’s technological and economic rise have resulted in…
There Is a Surprising Threat to 3D Printing R&D in the U.S.
Additive manufacturing (AM) is a young and flourishing technology and there is a great deal of ongoing research and development (R&D) being performed. AM patents are growing at a 36%…
A Composite Reckoning of Titanic Proportions
Over the past few days, much of the world has been glued to their respective screens. The drama centered on a submarine, the Titanic, and a terribly mystery. People have…
Consultant John Barnes on a Stratasys Merger: “We Have to Keep 3D Printing Human”
The additive manufacturing (AM) industry is on the cusp of some momentous merger activity coming to fruition. We do not know what will happen yet, but the consequences will be…
The Half-Life of Things: Taking on Landfill Culture with 3D Printing
My parents had the same egg timer for my entire youth. It was a little, happy chicken-shaped plastic thing made in Europe. When, after 20 years or so, it broke,…
3D Printing Enters the North American Workforce at RAPID + TCT 2023
As North America’s leading trade show dedicated to 3D printing, RAPID + TCT represents a unique glimpse into the development of the additive manufacturing (AM) industry on the continent. This…
How 3D Printing Could Help Alleviate the Leather Crisis in Fashion – My Journey 3D Printing a Purse with Stratasys Direct
Have you ever had an idea met with this response: “Oh this is just one of your big, crazy pipedreams”? Or, “This idea is stupid.” Or, “You’ll never be able…
Additive Manufacturing in Guam – A Path to Economic Diversity for the Island
President Biden released a FY 2024 budget that prioritizes a vision for prosperity, security, and resilience in the Indo-Pacific region. Few understand the impact these values will have on local…
3D Print Flip-Flops, Not Shoes
Many startups, fashion brands, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and large shoe companies are working on 3D printed shoes. I love the optimism and the fact that this could one day…
Bambu 3D Printer Killers: Pandamonium (or the Desktop 3D Printing Revolution After All)
The launch of the P1P 3D printer from Bambu Lab has changed our industry forever. It will shape our industry by bringing about a select group of Pandas, wannabe Bambu…
Bambu Killing 3D Printers: Enter the Killer Pandas
In the previous post in this series, we looked at how Bambu Lab‘s market entry fundamentally altered the 3D printing market. Now, we will look deeper at the effects that…
The State of Open Source 3D Printing: Make Copycats and Freeloaders into Assets
Josef Průša, the founder and CEO of Prusa Research, published an important and thought provoking article titled “The state of open-source in 3D printing in 2023” where he called for…
Open Source 3D Printing: Set up Your Open Hardware Development So Everyone Can Participate
Josef Průša, the founder and CEO of Prusa Research, published an important and thought provoking article titled “The state of open-source in 3D printing in 2023” where he called for…
The Prusa MK4: What Does it Mean for 3D Printing?
The most important 3D printer launch of the year is the launch of the MK4. The MK4 is the upgrade to the MK3, the world´s most popular 3D printer. Developer…
DLP 3D Printing, What’s the Big Deal?
I’d have to say that out of all the additive manufacturing (AM) technologies this industry has to offer—and there are a lot—digital light processing (DLP) has been made particularly exciting…
3D Printing 1990: “The Present State of Accuracy in Stereolithography”
AMUG DiNO Jim Harrison, a Technical Sales Representative at nScrypt, has been in the 3D printing industry since its inception. In this series on the history of additive manufacturing, Jim recounts…
Will 3D Printed Aircraft Soon Become a Reality?
As the aviation industry continues to struggle with rising costs and the question of long-term environmental sustainability, there may be an option that can help with both problems. The 3D…
The Power of Serendipity at NYC’s Premier 3D Printing Event
This year’s Additive Manufacturing Strategies business and networking summit was fantastic. I know I’m biased, but I really loved the event and had an amazing time. First off, it’s always…
Ethical 3D Printing: 9 Ways 3D Printing Could Aid Criminals
3D printed guns have received a lot of attention, since the dawn of the Liberator pistol. Copyright and other IP infringement achieved with 3D printing has also been brought up…
Ethical 3D Printing: The Bomber Will Always Get Through
Supply chain resilience via additive manufacturing (AM) is a wonderful thing, especially if you’re an outside nation, like North Korea. Supply chain resilience has become buzz word, but is also…
What if 3D Printing Mass Customized Everything at the Voxel Level?
When we think of mass customization and 3D printing, we often think of personalizing an object’s shape. Shape alone, however, doesn’t often make a good business case. Frequently, additive manufacturing…
