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.
See the products of tomorrow, including a drone with flapping wings that can locate and hover around a moving light like a moth to a flame; a new multi-layered metalens design that could revolutionize portable optics in devices like phones, drones, and satellites; and more.
On this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast we examine the technical and strategic foundations behind Guam’s new advanced manufacturing hub. Neal Orringer of ASTRO America and Alex Benham of GAMMA are the guests to discuss the facility’s additive manufacturing capabilities, supply-chain objectives, and workforce development plans. Listen now!
A new prototype of a knitting machine creates solid, knitted shapes, adding stitches in any direction — forward, backward, and diagonal — so users can construct a wide variety of shapes and add...
Charles Wade, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Matter Assembly Computation Lab (MACLab) at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Professor Rob MacCurdy, who leads the MACLab, have created a design package that uses functions and code to map not just shapes but where different materials belong in a 3D object.
MIT engineers have developed a printable aluminum alloy that can withstand high temperatures and is five times stronger than traditionally manufactured aluminum.
Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed additively manufactured thermal protection system (AMTPS) comprised of two printable heat shield material formulations. This technology could significantly decrease heat shield or thermal protection system (TPS) fabrication cost and time. Read on to learn more.
Finding the next groundbreaking polymer is always a challenge, but now Georgia Tech researchers are using artificial intelligence (AI) to shape and transform the future of the field. Read on to learn more.
Lasers vs. drones: military demonstrates new tech…high-‐flying uncrewed solar aircraft aces key test…the next frontier for autonomous UAVs. Read about these and other developments in this...
EPFL researchers have pioneered a 3D printing method that grows metals and ceramics inside a water-based gel, resulting in constructions for next-gen energy, biomedical, and sensing technologies.
3D printing is transforming the design and production of medical devices. Benefits include creating custom implants, prosthetics, and surgical tools tailored to individual patients, as well as the ability to quickly prototype new devices for testing and development.
See the products of tomorrow, including a new type of 3D-printed titanium that’s about a third cheaper than commonly used titanium alloys; specially designed metasurfaces — flat devices etched with nanoscale light-manipulating patterns — to act as ultra-thin upgrades for quantum-optical chips and setups; and a handheld slide staining system designed to support medical, research, or environmental monitoring.
Blue Ghost, an historic lunar mission, is paving the way for future crewed endeavors and long‐term surface operations under NASA's Artemis campaign. Read about this and other recent advances in a compendium...
Dronelike robot has the “brains” to morph from fly to drive mode midair…new cobot cuts construction time in half…AI system empowers robots with human‐like perception. Read about these...
See the future of aerospace and defense manufacturing in this compendium of articles from the editors of Tech Briefs and Aerospace & Defense Technology magazines.
The future of robotics and automation in medical manufacturing...how micro molding is shaping the next generation of medical devices...special preview of the upcoming MD&M Midwest...
NASA researchers are eliminating complex joints by manufacturing a 1-piece TCA utilizing 3D printing and large-scale additive manufacturing technologies to directly deposit the nozzle onto the combustion chamber. And, by replacing a traditional solid metal jacket with a composite overwrap for support, the overall weight is reduced by over 40 percent. Read on to learn more.
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are using advanced manufacturing techniques to revitalize the domestic production of very large metal parts that weigh at least 10,000 pounds each and are necessary for a variety of industries, including clean energy. Read on to learn more.
MIT researchers have used 3D printing to produce self-heating microfluidic devices, demonstrating a technique which could someday be used to rapidly create cheap, yet accurate, tools to detect a host of diseases. Read on to learn more.
AI automates drone defense with high‐energy lasers…3D printing a game‐changer for ship and submarine part production…how TSN Ethernet will change the future of mil/aero...
How can a horde of active robots be automatically brought to a standstill? By arresting their dynamics in a self-sustained way. This phenomenon was discovered by physicists at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU)...
Marine scientists have long marveled at how animals like fish and seals swim so efficiently despite having different shapes. Their bodies are optimized for efficient, hydrodynamic aquatic...
Professor Ashif Iquebal together with Professor Aviral Shrivastava and their team at Arizona State University are developing methods for improving the quality of highly critical metal parts manufactured using 3D printing.
See the new products, including Bosch Rexroth’s space-optimized SMS screw-driven small modules; the updated capabilities of PI's PICMA® piezo stack actuator series via the introduction of the new PICMA® Plus actuators; Beckhoff's expanded MX-System control cabinet-free automation platform; and more.
Imagine a robot that can walk, without electronics, and only with the addition of a cartridge of compressed gas, right off the 3D printer. It can also be printed in one go, from one material. That is exactly what roboticists have achieved in robots developed by the Bioinspired Robotics Laboratory at the University of California San Diego. Read on to learn more.
Unlike human manufacturing, the grand designs of bees, ants, and termites emerge simply from their collective action with no central planning required. Now, researchers at Penn’s School of...
The promise of additive manufacturing has always been clear – to rapidly create intricate geometries, structures, and implants. But its real power lies in the ability to rethink how medical...
