Research

Research
From Iceland to Six Continents: How a Drone Device for Whale Research Grew Into a Global Tool

A few months ago, a lightweight sensor system lifted off above a pod of humpback whales off the Icelandic coast, attached to a drone and designed around one straightforward premise: make marine mammal measurement faster, safer, and accessible without the…

Research
Leiden’s Sensor-Free Microrobots Move Like Living Organisms

At Leiden University, Professor Daniela Kraft and researcher Mengshi Wei have built microscopic robots that move, navigate obstacles, and adapt to their surroundings, without sensors, software, or external control. This research opens up entirely new possibilities for biomedical applications. The concept…

Research
MX3D Completes PIONEER Project, Proving Hybrid WAAM Ready for Civil Engineering at Scale

MX3D, a Dutch company specializing in robotic Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), has announced the conclusion of the PIONEER project, an EU Horizon-funded initiative in which the company served as a pilot line leader within a broader European consortium. The…

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.
Research
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.
Research
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,…