Research

Structures of representative polysaccharides used in microneedle systems. Image via Zhang et al.
Research
Polysaccharide microneedles and 3D printing explored for cancer immunotherapy applications

Researchers have reviewed the use of polysaccharide-based microneedles (PMNs) for cancer immunotherapy, examining how additive manufacturing methods, including 3D printing, can support the development of transdermal drug delivery systems. The study, published in Glycoscience & Therapy, focuses on the role…

Research
A New Aluminum Alloy Is Pushing the Limits of 3D Metal Printing

Researchers at University College London (UCL) and Brunel University London have developed a custom aluminum alloy that outperforms industry-standard materials in metal additive manufacturing. The researchers also used a novel combination of real-time imaging techniques to watch exactly how it…

Schematic of the CRAFT method. Image via Science.
Research
CRAFT Method Gives 3D Printed Thermoplastics Spatial Control over Crystallinity

Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories, The University of Texas at Austin, Oregon State University, Arizona State University, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Savannah River National Laboratory have reported a lithographic 3D printing method that controls crystallinity inside a single thermoplastic…

Research
KRICT Researchers Develop 4D Printed Polymers Redefining Soft Robotics

Soft robotics has a longstanding problem: the materials that make robots flexible and lifelike are notoriously difficult to manufacture into precise, useful shapes. A team of researchers from the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) may have found a…

Representative application cases in consumer and industrial sectors. Image via Yun Ji et al., International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology.
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Additive manufacturing benchmarked against injection molding in mass customization study

Additive manufacturing can compete economically with injection molding in low-volume, high-mix production, according to a peer-reviewed study published in the International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology by researchers at Sungkyunkwan University’s School of Mechanical Engineering. The research evaluates…

Comparison of the dominant environmental processes responsible for regolith formation on the Moon and Mars and their influence on particle morphology, size, and surface characteristics relevant to additive manufacturing. Image via Michael P. Sealy et al., npj advanced manufacturing.
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Scientists Outline a Path to 3D Printing in Space Using Moon Dust and Orbital Debris

Researchers at Purdue University have published a comprehensive review in the npj advanced manufacturing journal identifying powder-based additive manufacturing as a viable strategy for building tools, habitats, and infrastructure directly in space, drawing on materials already present in orbit and…

Printability evaluation of 3D-printed white chlorella (WC) inks at different concentrations. Image via Jin-Kyu Rhee et al., LWT.
Research
Microalgae-based 3D Printing Ink Replicates Fish Texture

Researchers from Ewha Womans University’s Department of Food Science and Biotechnology and SuFAB Inc., a company based in South Korea, have developed a 3D printing food ink using Auxenochlorella protothecoides to simulate selected fish texture properties. Rheological measurements, printability tests,…

Examples of objects in ThingiPrint. Image via arXiv.
Research
Researchers propose CAD-based method to identify new 3D printed parts without retraining

Researchers from KU Leuven, Materialise, a 3D printing software and services company, and Iristick, which develops industrial smart glasses, have proposed a method for classifying new 3D printed objects without retraining a vision model each time a new part enters…

SEM image of cemented carbide molded with the rod‑leading method. Image via ScienceDirect.
Research
Hot-wire Laser Additive Manufacturing Produces Defect-free WC–Co Cemented Carbide 

Researchers led by Keita Marumoto at Hiroshima University together with collaborators from Mitsubishi Materials Hardmetal Corporation, a manufacturer of cemented carbide tooling materials, investigated how laser irradiation strategies influence the microstructure and hardness of additively manufactured WC–Co cemented carbide. The…

Research
Texas A&M and U.S. Army Develop Foam That Absorbs Ten Times More Energy

Researchers at Texas A&M University and the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory have engineered a composite that absorbs up to ten times more energy than conventional padding, threading a 3D printed elastomeric skeleton through ordinary open-cell foam to deliver a material…