Editorials / Opinions

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Will Nikon’s SLM Solutions Deal Go through?

When Japanese multinational Nikon (TYO: 7731) announced its intention to acquire SLM Solutions (ETR: AM3D) in September 2022, it seemed like a reasonable part of its digital manufacturing strategy, and there is…

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The Coming Commoditization of Metal 3D Printing

In our article on predictions for the serial production of metal parts Autodesk’s Director of Additive Manufacturing, Alexander Oster, suggested that, “the metal AM space is currently splitting in high-end…

Engineers Ask: Where Do I Source Complex Metal Parts in 2022?

It’s 2022, yet some seemingly basic questions remain unanswered at our doorstep. For engineers, one of those concerns is sourcing custom, intricately-featured metal parts. With an ever-widening array of new…

What’s the Deal with Metal Binder Jet 3D Printing?

90 to 95 percent of the part files I received as a Regional Technical Manager for Desktop Metal were designed and proved out for another manufacturing process. Companies all over…

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Why Did HP Kill off its Full-Color 3D Printer?

The full-color HP Jet Fusion 580 3D printer was a fantastic machine; however, HP’s decision to cease production of the system is shrouded in mystery. Nonetheless, there are fascinating takeaways…

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ICAM 2022: 3D Printing Engineers Need More ($$$)!

The engineers and technicians have gotten the additive manufacturing (AM) sector to where it is now. It’s up to investors and policymakers to take the next step in bringing the…

Ye Debuts 3D Printed Boot Powered by Zellerfeld for Paris Fashion Week

Amidst outrage at his decision to wear a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt at Paris Fashion Week while debuting the YEEZY Season 9 collection, other aspects of the show naturally flew…

The Desire Engine: Machine Learning and 3D Printing

Machine learning will impossibly transform our world. I say “impossibly” because we can not foresee the implications and changes that artificial general intelligence will bring to bear on society. The…

3D Printing Everything that Matters

Bits flow through our lives. The modern world is permeated by information being broadcast continuously. If we walk today, we are accompanied by accelerometers, gyroscopes, motion and light sensors taking…

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IMTS 2022: 3D Printing is a Manufacturing Technology. Now What?

About a decade ago, 3D printing began to transition into an actual production technology. This saw makers of industrial additive manufacturing (AM) systems engaged in a variety of endeavors to…

Looking to Dominate Medical 3D Printing, Formlabs Appoints President of Healthcare

From Kickstarter to a president of Healthcare, it has been a heady journey for professional desktop 3D printing company Formlabs. The company announced that Guillaume Bailliard is to be its…

Digital Textures Can Hasten the Adoption of 3D Printed Products

Recently, I’ve been conducting more research via touch. I slide my fingertips over a new MYKITA Studio pair of sunglasses. The sensation is like Arkema’s Rilsan material with an AMT…

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Markforged Buys Digital Metal: What Does it Mean for the 3D Printing Industry?

This PRO article was originally published in July 2022 and is being re-shared here as Markforged has completed its acquisition of Digital Metal.  It’s been a few months since the additive…

Wang Laboratories: The PC and the Future of 3D Printing

A friend of mine pointed out the incredible degree of strategic replication in the 3D printing market. Due to this, I try to second guess all of my own opinions…

Unseen Opportunity: What Is the Ideal In-Hospital 3D Printer

Just a few years ago, 3D printers were rare inside hospitals. Now, over the past five years, we’ve seen a huge growth in 3D printing adoption inside hospitals. This includes…

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What a Market Dip Means for 3D Printing Consolidation

So far, startups in 3D printing have mainly consisted of bootstrapped firms aiming for profitability, control over their own futures, and long-term growth. We have comparatively few turbocharged, venture capital…

3D Printing Beyond the Nanoscale Could Yield Completely New Machines

“After all this, you have just got one little baby lathe four thousand times smaller than usual.¨ – Richard Feynman For decades, humanity has searched for ways in which we…

Can 3D Printing Make Your Organization Innovative?

No, 3D Printing Alone Cannot Make an Organization Innovative Can additive manufacturing (AM) simply make an organization innovative by throwing a few 3D printers at it? Is it able to…

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Cadillac’s 3D Printed CELESTIQ: Is $300,000 Too Expensive for a Custom Car?

German car firms have been working on 3D printing for decades. Many have extensive labs and have been doing research and product development at scale for many years now. Their…

3D Printing the Metaverse: Where Are the Additive Opportunities?

As a concept, the metaverse is gaining ground. After being popularized by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, countless articles have been written about it. A cynic may very well think that,…

Can 3D Printing Make You Antifragile? 3D Print Your Way to Antifragility

Previously, we’ve looked at antifragility as a concept in itself, as well as if 3D printing can make a business antifragile and whether additive manufacturing (AM) as an industry could…

The Importance of the Bambu Lab X1 3D Printer

I was incredulous when I first saw the Bambu Lab X1 3D printer. A printer with a core XY architecture, it has a material enclosure for four spools of filament….

Can 3D Printing Make You Antifragile? Surviving Current Economic Shocks

In this, series we’ve looked at what being antifragile means and whether or not 3D printing can make a business antifragile. However, can 3D printing be antifragile as a good…

Biden’s AM Forward Signals that 3D Printing Is Ready for Prime Time

Before the Biden administration announced AM Forward, the last time the president of the United States mentioned additive manufacturing was back in 2013. At the time, President Barack Obama said…