Case studies, five projects bringing 3D printing into industry
Five real projects in maintenance, product development and education. Spare parts in 24 to 48 hours instead of 4 to 6 weeks, iterations in one day instead of 2 to 3 weeks.
Topics
Design for AM
Analysis by Svetozar Kolesar
Generative design in practice, and why it is now the same as topology optimization
In practice, generative design and topology optimization now describe the same thing. I explain how the software arrives at a shape, why the result looks...
How to choose the right material without guessing
A material is chosen by what the part has to withstand, not by its name. Environment, load, technology, certifications, and why datasheets often cannot be compared.
Part consolidation, when combining parts makes sense
When it makes sense to make several bolted, welded or bonded parts as one, what you gain, when it is a bad idea and how to decide, with examples from BMW,...
Reverse engineering and 3D scanning, from a part without a drawing to a new part
When no drawing exists for a part, reverse engineering is the way to a CAD model. What the process from scan to new part looks like, which scanning method to use when, what is legally allowed, and how 3D scanning checks a printed part.
Shape optimization for 3D printing: five industrial examples
A bracket 71 percent lighter, a manifold of one part instead of three, a gripper finger 82 percent lighter and two molds with a 22 percent shorter cycle....
The human factor in additive manufacturing, why AM needs a knowledge owner
Additive manufacturing rarely fails because of the machine today. It fails because nobody in the company understands design, materials, process, quality and...
The third way of manufacturing and DfAM (Design for Additive Manufacturing)
Additive manufacturing is the third way of making parts, alongside removing and forming material. It does not replace them, but it demands a different way...
Latest news
Diffusion model drafts bone scaffold designs in 12 seconds, in simulation only
Researchers describe ScaffoldForge, a generative AI model that turns target bone-structure values into a full scaffold geometry in about 12 seconds, against roughly 8,400 seconds for topology optimization. All results are simulated: no scaffold has been printed or tested in a lab, and the authors name physical testing as the next step.
Bielefeld students print a bicycle helmet with a bone-inspired Voronoi liner
Mechanical engineering students at Hochschule Bielefeld (HSBI), Minden campus, built a bicycle helmet prototype with a bio-inspired cushioning structure. They studied how natural geometries such as bone and turtle shells absorb mechanical loads, starting from honeycomb, tree and Voronoi patterns. The helmet was produced with 3D printing as part of a practical project course.
EOS trains Brazilian rocket startup BIZU Space in design for metal AM
EOS and the Brazilian space startup BIZU Space have agreed to cooperate on metal additive manufacturing. BIZU Space engineers will receive Design for Additive Manufacturing training through the Additive Minds Academy, plus support from EOS application experts. The startup works on propulsion for a Brazilian privately developed orbital launcher.
UCC Holding nears completion of 3D printed school in Qatar
UCC Holding reports that a 3D printed school in Qatar is close to completion, with the roof now being installed. The project was launched in 2025. The report describes the building as the largest 3D printed building ever constructed and cites about 30,000 square metres of printed walls. The source is a short teaser, so no further details on printing system, materials, print duration or opening date are available. For the construction sector, the project shows that large-scale printed walls are moving from demonstrators toward finished public buildings.
CoreTechnologie adds build preparation automation and distortion simulation to 4D_Additive
CoreTechnologie has presented version 1.8 SP1 of its 3D printing software 4D_Additive at Formnext 2026. The update targets the preparation of additive build jobs, with the aim of reducing recurring steps before printing. It adds a connection to manufacturing execution systems (MES) through a new 4dam file format, a distortion simulation for metal components, and tools for geometry editing. The report is a short teaser, so further technical details such as availability or pricing are not covered here.
PTC and Formlabs show cloud CAD link to resin printing at Formnext
PTC is presenting at Formnext 2026 how printed parts can be derived from a CAD model that several people edit at once in the cloud. The demonstration at the booth in hall 12.0 combines the cloud platform Onshape with a Formlabs Form 4 resin printer. The focus is the link between design, version control and additive manufacturing rather than a new printing process. Onshape combines parametric CAD with cloud collaboration, which lets design teams share one current model and track its versions. For engineers, the show offers a view of how a shared design source could feed directly into a resin printing workflow. The report is a teaser, so details beyond the booth setup and the product pairing are not available.
MIT CSAIL unveils X-Hinges software for touch-sensing 3D printed objects
Engineers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed X-Hinges, a design software tool for creating 3D printed objects with interactive functions. The objects use built-in sensors to detect human touch. The report is only a short teaser, so further details on the sensing method, the printing process and the materials are not available. The work is at research stage and shows how printed parts can be designed to respond to user input without separate electronic assemblies being added afterwards. Engineers working on functional printed parts and product integration may follow the project for its design approach.
Cell geometry alone lifts resin printed auxetic lattice load capacity fourfold
Researchers at Vellore Institute of Technology compared two auxetic lattice geometries printed in the same photopolymer resin, on the same printer and under the same compression test. The star-triangular cell carried far more load than the re-entrant hexagon, with peak forces of about 2,700 N against 660 N and roughly threefold higher energy absorption. The team used an ASTM D695 based procedure and a finite element model in Abaqus, which matched a published ABS simulation within about 3 percent. The authors suggest the hexagon for cushioning uses such as implants, footwear and padding, and the star design for strength and impact resistance. The study used only four specimens per design, so the authors call for larger test batches before drawing statistical conclusions. The work isolates cell shape as the variable, a question that resin printed lattice research has rarely addressed directly.
Printed guide template helps surgeons mark breast tumours more precisely
Cairn Surgical has published results from an international clinical study of its Breast Cancer Locator. The system combines MRI data with a patient-specific 3D-printed template for breast-conserving surgery. Its aim is to define the extent of non-palpable tumours in the operating theatre more accurately than the conventional wire marking. The report describes the breast being positioned supine for the procedure, but the source text is cut off there, so further technical details are not available. The study results are the key point for medical device developers and clinical buyers following patient-specific additive manufacturing.
Lemki Robotix shows a 3D printed bionic motorhome with iSCALE3D
Lemki Robotix, a German-Ukrainian startup working on large-format 3D printing with composite materials, has presented a 3D printed motorhome with a bionic design. The project is shown together with iSCALE3D and is meant to demonstrate what additive manufacturing can do in vehicle construction. The available report is only a short teaser, so technical details, materials and timelines are not yet known.
Virginia Tech prints liquid metal silicone that conducts heat 40 times better
A Virginia Tech lab prints a silicone filled with droplets of liquid gallium-indium alloy, then stretches the droplets during printing so heat flows along them. A 2025 paper reports 9.9 W/mK along the droplet direction, about 40 times unfilled silicone. The work is early research aimed at custom heat sinks and stretchable wearables.
Guide collects ways to stop print corners lifting off the bed
A guide covered by Hackaday explains why corners of large FDM prints lift and how to prevent it. Deposited plastic shrinks as it cools, and wide flat shapes with sharp corners suffer most.
OpenCAL publishes a 1,400 dollar open-source build of a volumetric resin printer
A UC Berkeley team has released OpenCAL, an open-source design for building a computed axial lithography printer, which forms a whole part in a rotating resin vial within minutes. The kit costs about 1,400 dollars and can be assembled in an afternoon. It moves a process that has mostly stayed in academic labs into makerspaces and small workshops.
UltiMaker publishes guide on choosing carbon fiber 3D printing uses
UltiMaker has published a post on its blog about how to find a suitable application for carbon fiber 3D printing. The source gives only the headline, so details such as the materials, printers or example parts covered are not known. The post appears aimed at users deciding where carbon fiber materials make sense in their own work.