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3D Printing News
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Variloom tells us that its on-demand on-site 3D print-to-shape method allows brands to design and produce custom recyclable fabrics in days rather than months. Based in Palo Alto, CA., the comapsny offers a proprietary soft fabric made of bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane and natural textile waste that provide odor control.

The FDA has given Provect AI clearance for its software which converts standard XRays into intraoperative 3D images. The system lets orthopedic and spine surgeons generate CT-like imaging without a CT scanner. The software, called 3D-Anywhere, is designed to work with existing systems so that there is no need for new hardware.

Funded by the EU, a 5-year project at the University of Glasgow aims to grow complex living tissues in the lab. The goal includes growing living bone, fat, and muscle tissue through 3D bioprinting without killing them or losing control of how they develop. The biological units can sense when stem cells begin to transform and release chemical signals that direct them toward the desired type of tissue. The process is quick, but followed by a development period that can take 3 weeks. 2 specific challenges are being studied: the interface between bone and fatty tissue; and muscle-fat structures.

A new project at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has come up with a 3D printed thermal cloaking device that hides objects from thermal imaging from any direction. The device makes it appear to infra-red cameras as if nothing is there. It also protects the hidden objects from extreme temperatures. The device is made from a special aluminum lattice with mould casting.

Researchers in Spain have made a device that extends the lifespan of eyes afrer death. Called ECaBox, the device sends a solution rich in oxygen through an eye's main artery. Temperature and pressure are controlled from a sealed chamber with a viewing window so that scientists can observe the process in real time. 15 of 36 pig eyes continued to give electrical responses for as much as 10 hours after death. Successful whole eye transplant is still quite far off, since the final difficulty is how to reconnect the optic nerve to the brain.

A process called VAM (Volumetric Additive Manufacturing) allows for the 3D printing of whole objects in only seconds or minutes. Instead of printing layer by layer, the engineers used patterns of light to print an entire object inside of a liquid resin. This method eliminates the delamination that can take place between layers with traditional 3D printing. An additional technique prevents any heat spikes so that the entire process stays stable and predictable.

A California-based company called Auxillium Biotechnologies says it has bioprinted liver and kidney tissues in space aboard the International Space Station. The tissues were brought back to earth in June of this year and are being studied at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

BIQUs BIGTREETECH has developed a device to measure air quality around 3D printers. The machine identifies toxic substances that usually remain hidden in the surrounding workplace. The device also stores historical data so that longer patterns can be traced.

This article helps you to calculate the cost of 3D printing beyond the filament price. It discusses material usage, machine time, failure costs, electricity, maintenance, post-processing, labor, and the long-term cost of the printer itself.

Moving from AI design to practical 3D printing is not easy or simple. Hi3D claims to have developed a "print-ready manufacturing workflow" which is said to reduce design-time and manual layout time by 90%, while it reduces filament waste by up to 50%.

We review many hundreds of articles each month, culling the most significant for you. We also welcome suggestions from our viewers for products and processes that we may have missed.

c. Corinne Whitaker 2026