3D Printing

Caltech engineers have turned focused ultrasound into a noninvasive “printhead,” raising tissue temperature by only a few degrees to solidify injectable bio-inks several centimeters beneath the skin. The deep-tissue in-vivo sound-printing (DISP) technique shaped drug-loaded hydrogels next to mouse bladder tumors—killing more cancer cells than a direct doxorubicin shot—and built conductive gels inside rabbit muscle…

Binders and viscosity hurdles have plagued micro-scale 3D printing in the past, often limiting results to “2D patterns or required diverse additives to produce 3D architectures,” as noted by researchers. But now, a team in South Korea has pioneered an additive-free method using the 2D nanomaterial MXene, achieving a 1.3-micrometer resolution—reportedly 270 times higher than…

Talk of revitalizing U.S. manufacturing is colliding with reality. Reshoring ambitions face aging infrastructure and a worsening skilled worker shortage. Decades of decline, an aging workforce, and lack of youth interest created a skills gap threatening the industrial base. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce noted over 622,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs in early 2024. It’s a…

Why care about F1 tech? Not only does the engineering behind these roughly 1,000-horsepower machines find its way into everyday cars, but the rapid-paced R&D in Formula 1 often drives cross-industry breakthroughs in materials science and high-efficiency manufacturing methods. R&D professionals can observe how F1 teams iterate prototypes in days rather than months. The field…

Think about how a plastic lid on a take-out coffee cup can be molded into different shapes to fit snugly. Researchers at Pusan National University used a similar idea on a very tiny scale to make better “neural interfaces,” which are small devices that help doctors connect with nerves or parts of the brain. Their…

Each year, over 5 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with heart valve disease, a condition that lacks long-term treatment options. When a heart valve is damaged due to a congenital defect, lifestyle choices, or aging, blood flow can become disrupted, potentially leading to life-threatening complications. Valve replacement and repair are the only treatments…

Batteries have recently come in various configurations: stretchable, as discussed in R&D World’s article “Stretchable batteries and body-conformable electronics poised to advance in 2025,” and batteries using alternative chemistries, including lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) and sodium-ion (SIBs), among others. One battery material that might not have been on your bingo card is fungi. Researchers at Empa have…

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory have documented the successful fabrication of a shape-morphing antenna using additive manufacturing of modified nitinol, demonstrating temperature-controlled transformation between flat spiral and conical configurations. The researchers describe the work, published in ACS Applied Engineering Materials, as an empirical validation of shape memory alloy (SMA) application in reconfigurable RF…

Researchers at the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM) say they have developed a magnetic 3D printing system for motor fabrication that eliminates the need for traditional molds. While the team claims successful performance validation, the results to date are only shared in a press release, which notes the development of an “all-encompassing technological…

Sandia National Laboratories’ Electro3D was created to enable a new electrochemical metal 3D printing method. It reduces barriers to using water and nonaqueous electrolyte feedstocks and opens the door to a wide range of possibilities from novel material combinations. Previously, metals needed to be printed in extreme environments and often required costly and time-consuming post-processing.…

Energy Inks, 3D-printing feedstock inks developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and introduced to the market in three formulations by partner and co-developer MilliporeSigma, offer functional properties, enabling next-generation, high-performance, 3D-printed devices for energy storage, catalysis, filtration, sensors and more. Further, these devices can be 3D-printed faster, at a lower cost, and exhibit higher…

Developer: BICO Group Co-developer: Nanoscribe Quantum X bio is the first-of-its-kind bioprinter enabling submicron 3D printing resolution. The bioprinter offers essential features such as precise temperature control, a sterile environment, and functionalized biomaterials that unlock a new level of bioprinting and effectively accelerate innovation in key applications such as tissue engineering, cell biology, and the…

By Andrei Vakulenko, CBDO, Artec 3D  Cultural heritage is an invaluable resource and a cultural legacy of a nation, community, and country. However, increasingly, many historical landmarks and artifacts are at risk of being lost from natural disasters, human activity, and conflict. Those trying to protect and preserve sites and artifacts often work in dangerous…

The term “hypersonics” is getting renewed attention these days, with the release of a U.S. government report about unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) with “impossible” flight behavior — at speeds exceeding the critical Mach 5 level that defines the word. Whether you believe it’s extraterrestrials, competitor nations or domestic R&D (or maybe all of the above?)…

From Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers demonstrated that cooling cost savings could be achieved with a 3D printed concrete smart wall following a three-month field test. The team used data from the 5 x 8-ft wall installed in an ORNL conference room and predictive modeling to estimate performance in the Southeastern…

By Jeremy Thomas, LLNL To take advantage of the growing abundance and cheaper costs of renewable energy, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and engineers are 3D printing flow-through electrodes (FTEs), core components of electrochemical reactors used for converting CO2 and other molecules to useful products. As described in a paper published by the Proceedings…

From Lawrence National Livermore Laboratory Inspired by the way plants absorb and distribute water and nutrients, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers have developed a groundbreaking method for transporting liquids and gases using 3D-printed lattice design and capillary action phenomena. In a paper published today in Nature and featured on the publication’s cover, LLNL researchers describe…

By Steve Martin, Purdue Surgeons may soon be able to localize critical regions in tissues and organs during a surgical operation thanks to a new, patent-pending Purdue University biosensor that can be printed in 3D using an automated printing system. Chi Hwan Lee created the biosensor, which allows for simultaneous recording and imaging of tissues…

By Dave Bukey The future of clean energy is hot. Temperatures hit 800° C in parts of solar energy plants and advanced nuclear reactors. Finding materials that can stand that type of heat is tough. So experts look to Mark Messner for answers. A principal mechanical engineer at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne…

U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory is presenting “Materials for Printed Hybrid Electronics.” a free webinar in the “Frontiers in Materials Manufacturing” webinar series, Wednesday, May 19, 2021 • 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. CT (2 – 4 p.m. E.T.) Advancements in material and device fabrication technologies have enabled the proliferation of low-cost, low-power, printed…

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists have developed a new method for 3D printing living microbes in controlled patterns, expanding the potential for using engineered bacteria to recover rare-earth metals, clean wastewater, detect uranium and more. Through a novel technique that uses light and bacteria-infused resin to produce 3D-patterned microbes, the research team successfully printed artificial…

3D printing has been around for decades, with a lot of hype around its potential but has remained mainly in the prototyping space. The HP Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D Printing Solution, from HP 3D Printing, brings 3D printing quality and productivity to a level that rivals or can be easily combined with traditional manufacturing.…

LLNL researchers have used multi-material 3D printing to create tailored gradient refractive index glass optics that could make for better military specialized eyewear and virtual reality goggles. The new technique could achieve a variety of conventional and unconventional optical functions in a flat glass component (with no surface curvature), offering new optical design versatility in…

Brain aneurysms affect about one in every 50 Americans and can lead to serious medical emergencies, including stroke, brain damage and death if they burst. Existing treatment options are limited, and often invasive, and surgical outcomes can vary widely from person to person. But medical practitioners may be able to improve existing treatment methods and…

By Chris Adam A $1 million SBIR Phase II grant from the U.S. Air Force will help fast-track the development of a new innovative runway mat. Pablo Zavattieri, the Jerry M. and Lynda T. Engelhardt Professor in civil engineering at Purdue University, is working with Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Companies (ITAMCO) to develop the new…