3 D Printing & Additive Manufacturing

Product of the Month

See the product of the month, 3D Systems' SLS 300 smaller-footprint 3D printer designed for use in settings other than a manufacturing floor.

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including Keystone Technologies' THM Test Points, Nikon IMBU's CT systems for non-destructive inspection, Renesas' SoCs and MCUs, Rad Source NDT's X-ray Inspection System, the Precision Specimen Loader from Instron, and more.

Videos of the Month

See the videos of the month, including one on FibeRobo, a novel body-temperature shape-changing fiber based on liquid crystal elastomers; one on 3D printing extremely viscous plastic solids; one on using digital twins in EV battery design and testing; and one on flexible sensors screen-printed onto a stamp-like flexible surface.

Dynamic Hydrogel Makes Soft Robot Components and Building Blocks

Using a new type of dual-polymer material capable of responding dynamically to its environment, researchers have developed a set of modular hydrogel components that could be useful in a variety of soft robotic and biomedical applications.

5 Most-Watched Videos of 2023

Which videos were the most popular this year? Find out, as we’ve curated the top 5 Tech Briefs videos from 2023. Relive their greatness here.

Contact-Free 3D Hybrid Printing with New High-Performance Materials

Javier Ramos, CTO, and his team from Inkbit Corporation, Medford, MA, along with researchers from MIT and ETH Zurich, have developed a 3D inkjet printer that uses contact-free computer vision feedback to print hybrid objects with a broad range of new functional chemistries.

10 Tech-Savvy Holiday Gifts for Engineers

Choosing a present for an engineer is almost as daunting as performing the tasks of an engineer. With that in mind, we here at Tech Briefs aim to make your life easier with regards to the former.

A Combustion-Powered Quadrupedal Robot

Cornell researchers have combined soft microactuators with high-energy-density chemical fuel to create an insect-scale quadrupedal robot that is powered by combustion and can outrace, outlift, outflex, and outleap its electric-driven competitors.

3D Printing a Robotic Hand with Bones, Ligaments, and Tendons

For the first time, researchers have succeeded in printing a robotic hand with bones, ligaments, and tendons made of different polymers using a new laser scanning technique.

Videos of the Month

See the videos of the month, including one on a 3D-printed heart, one on a gripper that grasps by reflex, one on an intelligent soft robot that can self-escape from challenging mazes, and one on microfliers.

2023 Create the Future Design Contest: Manufacturing & Materials Finalist

Learn about the 2023 Create the Future Design Contest's Manufacturing & Materials Finalist: TenseFlatables, 3D-printed tensegrity-assisted inflatable structures.

Manufacturing Rotational Mechanisms with Integrated Sensors

Integrating sensors into rotational mechanisms could make it possible for engineers to build smart hinges that know when a door has been opened, or gears inside a motor that tell a mechanic how fast they are rotating. Engineers have now developed a way to easily integrate sensors into these types of mechanisms.

Combustion-Powered, Bug-Sized Robots can Leap, Lift, and Race

Researchers combined soft microactuators with high-energy-density chemical fuel to create an insect-scale quadrupedal robot that is powered by combustion.

New Lightweight Energy-Dissipating Material for Industry

Professor Pablo Zavattieri and his team from Purdue University have developed an architected material that can dissipate energy caused by bending, compression, torque, and tensile stresses, avoiding permanent plastic deformation or damage.

Using Coffee to Reduce Waste from 3D Printing

Researchers have already experimented with using coffee grounds to 3D print jewelry, pots for plants, and even, fittingly, espresso cups. The technique is also simple enough that it will work on most low-cost, consumer-grade 3D printers.

3D-Printed Ceramics Can Increase Gas Turbine Efficiency

Professor Stephen Lynch, of Penn State’s College of Engineering, along with colleagues at Michigan State University and the University of Wyoming, have developed a process for 3D printing a high-temperature ceramic gas turbine part.

Revolutionizing Flight Simulation with 3D Printing

Addressing the challenge of designing and developing a first-of-its-kind handheld controller for flight simulations.

Detecting Porosity Defects in 3D-Printed Metal Parts

A research team has made new discoveries that can expand additive manufacturing in industries that rely on strong metal parts, including aerospace.

3D Printing Stronger Carbon Nanotubes

Researchers in the Lyding Group at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have discovered an efficient, sustainable method for 3D-printing single-walled carbon nanotube films, a versatile, durable material that can transform how we explore space, engineer aircraft, and wear electronic technology.

Assembling Matter in 3D Using Sound Waves for 3D Printing

Researchers have created a new technology to assemble matter in 3D. Their concept uses multiple acoustic holograms to generate pressure fields with which solid particles, gel beads, and even biological cells can be printed.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow, including microscale robots, LOTUS coating, and a wearable e-tattoo.

AI and AM: A Powerful Synergy

In the digital-design-engineering world, at the foundation of innovation in advanced manufacturing, AI’s “deep learning” has the potential to transform how the world makes products — in highly positive ways.

Print 3D Metal Objects at Room Temperature Using a Conductive Metallic Gel

Professor Michael Dickey, of North Carolina State University, and his team have developed a unique process that allows you to print 3D metal objects that have good electric and thermal conductivity as well as good structural properties.

New on the Market

See the new products on the market, including Clean-in-Place Utilities and Automated Reporting Analytics software, radar-level sensors, power ultrasonic transducers, and more.

Videos of the Month

See the videos of the month, including one on the VersaBlade wire-to-wire connectors from Molex, one on 3D-printed food technology, and more.