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3D Printing News
Note: we are now including articles on plant-based foods in the field of vegan nutrition.

Researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder, have developed a new material that can be solid and strong one moment, then seconds later fall apart. They describe their process as tangling together staple-shaped particles, then using vibrations to unravel them. The engineers use office staples as an example: tightly compressed the staples act like a solid object, yet the right vibrations can scramble them back into separate pieces. Entanglement occurs when particles intertwine and make connections.

One holy grail for 3D print users has been the progression from AI models to 3D print files. Hi3D has launched new features that are said to turn an AI generated file into a printable 3D file without additional CAD work. The new system is called Print by Parts, using auto-connectors which eliminate dedicated modeling tools currently needed for the physical assembly of individual parts. The models produced are said to be watertight, clean, and color optimized. A template library is provided for users who have no modeling background. The new system runs in the browser with no local installation necessary.

3D printed neurons can now communicate with living brain cells, according to engineers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. These neurons don't just imitate the brain, they actually talk to it. The new devices are inexpensive and flexible. The brain is the most energy-efficient computer known. The crux of the new device comes from electronic inks made of nanoscale flakes of molybdenum disulphide and graphene. Instead of generating individual pulses, the inks give continuous bursting patterns.

Photocentric has developed a 3D printer that works better in space than on earth. Basically it needs no support structures because the enclosed chamber works with very low forces and keeps the solidifying part supported by surrounding liquid - ie, microgravity printing.

A Chinese company called RapidDirect aims to alleviate the problem caused by complex and difficult traditional CAD modeling being integrated into AI. Their AI Creator Lab is designed as an "indusrial brain" so that ideas can be spoken as prompts to create functional prototyping and available production. Users simply articulate their vision in natural language which the program moves through the various stages of industrial output. To encourage use of the new system, RapidDirect is offering trial credits for free use of the system.

Learn here about the difference between resin and filament printers. Basically, one extrudes thermoplastic strands through a heated nozzle, while the other uses UV light to cure liquid photopolymers through chemical cross-linking. You essentially have a choice of rugged durability or high resolution precision.

Creating a rubber-like 3D printing material has been a road block for many years. You can read about my own experience with a piece called "Bloated Doll" almost a decade ago. A new guide offers an update into what can and cannot be done today.

The largest pediatric care hospital in Europe discusses the achievements and failures of using 3Dprinting to separate conjoined twins. Bambino Gesu, founded in Rome in 1869, now exists as a Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Health Care. In 2020 the Institute published a peer-reviewed paper on the successful surgical separation of 6 month old twins with a shared pericardial sac, fused sternums, and largely fused livers. This recent interview discusses the perils and challenges involved in such surgery.

Some of you have already experienced the dangers of lithium-ion batteries. A scientist at CalTech in Pasadena, California, has developed a way to make them safer and environmentally more friendly. One step included removing cobalt as an ingredient. Another involves changing the standard flat and thin planar design into a 3D architected object. The new design makes a higher power density available, determining how quickly stored energy can be released.

Many companies are using high-tech and confusing language to disguise the fact that plastics are part of their product or their process, especially in the food industry. Buyer beware. Demand an easy-to-understand explanation before you eat or buy.

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