Manufacturing & Prototyping

3 D Printing & Additive Manufacturing

Explore the fast-paced developments in 3D printing and additive manufacturing. Access the essential technical briefs and resources for design engineers working in manufacturing and medical industries.

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
How the Scalable 'Coventor' Stacks Up to a Traditional Ventilator
Briefs: Materials
Liquid Metal Lattice
Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping
What Does Resolution Mean in 3D Printing?
Articles: Software
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Getting Specific About Where 3D Printing Hits the Mark
Briefs: Aerospace
Overhang Support Designs for Powder-Based Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM)
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Top Stories

Blog: Software

How to Bring Digital Twins to 'Any System'

INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

Infrared Imaging by Ultrathin Nanocrystal Layers

Blog: Transportation

Self-Driving Model Navigates a Tough Traffic Problem: Narrow Streets

Videos: Automotive

Structural Battery for Lighter Aircraft and Electric Cars

Blog: Test & Measurement

How to Contain Thermal Runaway

Videos: Lighting

Bendy Ice Uncurls Without Breaking

Latest Briefs & News

Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Product of the Month: July 2021 Tech Briefs
Stratasys introduced three 3D printers for additive manufacturing of end-use parts.
Special Reports: Imaging
Smart Factory/IIoT - June 2021

Factories are getting "smarter" and more automated by the day, thanks to advances in AI, connectivity, controls, and sensors. In this compendium of recent articles from the editors of Tech Briefs and Sensor...

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Linear Bearings: What You Need to Know
Learn the distinct forms that linear bearings take, and where the bearings are being used today.
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Swimming Living Robots Can Self-Train
Biobots based on muscle cells can swim at unprecedented velocities.
Briefs: Materials
Large Integrated Circuits Produced in a Printing Press
Complete integrated circuits with more than 1,000 organic electrochemical transistors can be screen-printed.
Briefs: Software
Software Improves Accuracy of 3D-Printed Parts
The software could help reduce cost and waste for companies using additive manufacturing to mass-produce parts in factories.
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
A 'Living Material' of Microalgae Offers New Ideas, From Energy to Fashion
An international team used 3D printers and a novel bioprinting technique to print algae into living, photosynthetic materials that are tough and resilient.
Briefs: Materials
Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Medium Entropy Alloy
This additively manufactured alloy is tailored for high-temperature applications.
Briefs: Nanotechnology
3D-Printed Nanosatellite Thruster Emits Pure Ions
The thruster provides a low-cost, extremely efficient propulsion source for miniature satellites.
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Tiny 3D-Printed Bricks Enable Bone and Soft Tissue Repair
Flea-sized, hollow blocks can be filled with materials that improve healing.
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
3D Printing of Gels and Soft Materials
A new method could jump-start the creation of tiny medical devices for the body.
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Cord Tension Measurement Device
Potential applications include parachutes, hot air balloons, weather balloons, blimps, sails, and parasails.
Briefs: Materials
Rapid 3D Printing of Biomedical Parts
The structures’ small size and porosity make them well-suited for building components such as replacement joints.
Briefs: Materials
2D Materials Capable of Forming Complex 3D Shapes
Synthetic materials can mimic how living organisms expand and contract soft tissues, achieving complex 3D movements and functions.
Special Reports: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Advanced Materials & Coatings - May 2021

New diamond super-material enhances military aircraft survivability…a gold film gives robots “chameleon skin”…shape-shifting nanomaterial offers exciting biotech...

Question of the Week: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Can Moving Pins Cut 3D-Printing Costs?

An INSIDER story last week highlighted a 3D printer that uses a platform of movable pins to provide support for the created part. The invention eliminates the need for printed supports.

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
A Sustainable Support for 3D Printing: Moving Metal Pins
A new, sustainable take on the 3D printer reduces waste by eliminating the need for printed supports.
Products: Materials
New on the Market: April 2021
Displacement sensors, metal 3D printers, shielding materials, and more.
Facility Focus: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Facility Focus: Cornell University College of Engineering
See the advanced materials, complex systems, and bioengineering technologies being created at Cornell.
Special Reports: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Medical Manufacturing & Outsourcing - April 2021

How 3D printing is transforming the medical industry...adapting to the manufacturing challenges of COVID-19...improving quality and reliability in PCB production. These are just a few of the...

Podcasts: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Here's an Idea: Wearables
In this episode of our Here's an Idea podcast, we speak to engineers who are building a variety of wearables. And some sensors blend in more than others.
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
3D-Printed Working Heart Pump with Real Human Cells
The functioning human heart pump provides a model to track and trace what happens at the cell and molecular levels in the pump structure.
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
3D-Printed Smart Gel Changes Shape When Exposed to Light
The invention can become color-changing “artificial muscle.”
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
High-Color-Purity 3D Printing
This method obtains high-color-purity 3D objects using a new class of nanoparticles.
Articles: Photonics/Optics
Perseverance on Mars: The Journey Begins
Perseverance is the first leg of a round trip to Mars.
Q&A: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Q&A: Printable Flexible Batteries
Professor Shirley Meng explains why there's a demand for stretchable batteries.
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
3D-Printing of Sensors Directly on Expanding Organs
The technique could have applications in diagnosing and monitoring the lungs of patients with COVID-19.
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
3D Printing with Wood-Based Ink
By emulating the natural cellular architecture of wood, green products such as clothes, packaging, and furniture can be manufactured with unique properties.
Briefs: Energy
Metamaterial Morphs into New Shapes and Takes on New Properties
A newly developed architected metamaterial has the ability to change shape in a tunable fashion.

Webcasts

On-Demand Webinars: Automotive

Making Cost an Attribute in Electric Vehicle Development

Upcoming Webinars: Electronics & Computers

Maximizing Power in High-Reliability Applications – Applying...

Upcoming Webinars: Medical

The Pathway to Successful Device Development

Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement

How to Protect Your Projects from Moisture and Pressure: 5 Common...

Upcoming Webinars: Motion Control

Crucial Considerations When Choosing the Right Enclosure for Your...

Upcoming Webinars: Photonics/Optics

Advanced Components to Enhance Laser System Performance

Trending Stories

Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

A Guide to Collaborative Robot Safety

NASA Spinoff: Aerospace

Nanotechnology Repairs Engine Damage in Cars

INSIDER: Physical Sciences

This Advance May Enable 2D Transistors for Tinier Microchip Components

INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

Infrared Imaging by Ultrathin Nanocrystal Layers

Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Comparison Between Wave Soldering and Reflow Soldering

Briefs: Medical

Specialized Dye Enables Medical Information to be Stored Below the Skin

Videos