advanced materials

Stratasys, PADT, Lockheed Martin 3D Printing 100+ Final Parts for NASA Orion Spacecraft

The future of human exploration in outer space depends on our ability to successfully manufacture necessary items in zero gravity conditions, which is why scientists and engineers have been calling…

Researchers 3D Print Acoustic Metamaterials That Can Block Sound Waves and Vibrations

Metamaterials, which can morph according to their environment, make up a new class of 3D printable, engineered surfaces which can perform nature-defying tasks, like making holograms and shaping sound. Recently, a…

New 3D Printing Method Lets Northwestern Researchers Quickly 3D Print Low-Cost, Customized Lenses

Two years ago, researchers from Northwestern University in Illinois called on 3D printing technology to create a novel lens capable of working with frequencies on the terahertz scale. Now, a…

All-Liquid 3D Printing Has Potential for Liquid Electronics Applications

Usually when we hear about liquids being 3D printed, we’re talking about liquid metal. But aside from 3D printed innovations only visible in water and using a 3D printer to…

Studying How Disease Metastasizes Using a Lifelike Cancer Environment Created with 3D Jet Writing

It’s probably safe to say that most people have been affected by cancer in one way or another, whether in being diagnosed themselves or watching a loved one battle the…

Harvard Researchers Develop Novel 3D Printing Method to Give Soft Robotic Gripper the Ability to Sense Its Surroundings

Soft robotics has turned the idea of robots only being made of hard, rigid parts on its tail, and pairing the technology with 3D printing has led to some remarkable…

Researchers Turn to 3D Printing to Turn Mathematical Theory into Strong, Lightweight Materials

We’ve seen math and 3D printing technology combined before, whether it’s designing and 3D printing a math-inspired dress or high-tech sculpture, helping young students understand fundamental and complex mathematics, creating three-dimensional…

Making Stronger Protective Gear: Researchers Replicate Biological Structure of Lobster Claws Using Electric-Assisted 3D Printing Process

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last month found that chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which results from repeated blows to the head, was found in 99% of the…

3D Printed Photoresponsive Sunflower Could Have Applications in Soft Robotics and Biomedical Devices

It’s no secret that receiving flowers from someone can brighten your day – it’s nice to know that the other person is thinking of you, most flowers have a lovely…

Arkema and Its Sartomer Subsidiary Invest in Increased Production Capacities for Advanced 3D Printing Materials

In late 2015, Arkema, one of the largest specialty chemical and advanced materials developers, announced that it would be increasing its focus on 3D printing materials research. The company, which…

NC State Researchers Look to the Structural Stability of Sand Castles to Develop New 3D Printing Method for Silicone Paste

The other day I was walking through a local outdoor mall, and noticed that several wooden platforms had been set up. The platforms weren’t empty: each one contained a rather…

UC Santa Barbara Scientist Receives Prestigious $3M DoD Fellowship to Fund Research in Developing 3D Printing Platform for Extreme-Use Materials

Scientist Tresa Pollock, the chair of the Materials Department at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), doesn’t work in the extreme conditions of outer space herself, but rather works…

3D Printing for Aerospace & Industry: OPM Commercially Launches New Nickel-Plated OXFAB-Ni

Additive manufacturing company Oxford Performance Materials (OPM), based in Connecticut, is a leader in both high performance additive manufacturing (HPAM) and advanced materials science. Back in 2014, the company used…

Researchers Develop Technique to 3D Print Flexible, Electronic Sensory Devices, Bringing Us One Step Closer to Printing on Human Skin

Researchers have been working hard to create 3D printed robotic prosthetic hands that look, and feel like, a real human hand; a team at the University of Wollongong developed a…

3D Printing News Briefs: May 5, 2017

In this week’s second helping of 3D Printing News Briefs, we’re talking about challenges and awards, 3D printer distribution, and a little business. Airwolf 3D is sponsoring the fourth annual…

Nanodrip 3D Printing Technology May Soon Enable Lightning Fast Touchscreen Devices

I was having a lot of trouble with my smartphone the other night. I just got the thing about six months ago, and it’s already acting up. It keeps freezing,…

Optical Transient Liquid Molding: UCLA Bioengineers are 3D Printing on the Microscale

Versatile is a term we hear bandied about as a necessary feature for many items and processes, but often we aren’t quite sure how it applies specifically–to anything, anymore. With…

Researchers Use SLA Technology for Shape Memory Polymers for the First Time

While 3D printing is currently poised at the forefront of technology, 4D printing is nipping right at its heels. This next dimension in fabrication is really just 3D printing accentuated with the use…

Polymaker Introduces Four New PolyMax Filament Colors — PolySupport Now Available for Order

As the focus of the 3D printing industry shifts from the hobby and maker market to the industrial design and office market there has been a shift in 3D printer…

South Korean Researchers 3D Print Structures Thinner Than a Red Blood Cell

Researchers at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, led by Jang-Ung Park, a Professor of Material Science and Engineering, have developed a fine-resolution printing technology they call “electrohydrodynamic…

Researchers 3D Print Tiny Gold & Copper Structures Using a Laser-Induced Forward Transfer Process

In a perfect world, at least from a manufacturer’s standpoint, metal 3D printing would be as cheap, easy, and efficient as printing with thermoplastics on a desktop machine. We are still…

Purdue Researchers Print Using Liquid Metal — Are Terminator-Style T-1000 Robots on Their Way?

If you were a child of the ’80s then you likely recall watching Terminator 2 in awe at the special effects of the time. I probably watched the movie about…

Virginia Tech Professors Provide Incredible Insight into the Future of 3D Printable Materials via Reddit AMA

There is little doubt that the single most important area within the 3D printing space is that of materials. Material science could potentially lead the way to thousands of new…

Adding Quasicrystals to Complex Metal Alloys Provides New Material for 3D Printing

Advances in 3D printing aren’t only occurring in the technology of the machines or in the materials that can be used for printing, but also in the very creation of…