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

A group of international engineers has developed a way to 3D print metal without using STL (stereolithography) files. These traditional structures of 3D printing have proven to be clumsy, burdensome, and limited in size. Instead the team is proposing an STL-free hybrid method for laser-based powder bed fusion. Their technique feeds the printer a mathematical description of geometry, essentially eliminating the middle man of mesh-based STL conversions. The new process produces lattice walls roughly the width of a human hair, with smooth surfaces. It uses 90% less memory and stabilizes heat input, reduces structural defects, and improves uniformity in crystal which is essential for strength and toughness.

A RAD Lab, meaning robotics, automation, and dance, in Philadelphia describes its facility as part museum, part classroom, part studio, and part incubator. Entering the facility, you will see 3D printers, robotic limbs moving, musicians and dancers trying to perfect the timing of human performers with robots.

A modular 3D printed installation called Anti-Ruin was composed of marble dust and recently shown at the 19th Venice Biennale of Architecture. The structure was made of 12 large blocks sourced from a quarry in South Tyrol, Italy. The process involved binder jetting technology. Initially the dust was turned into printable modules. These were then put together into a 10-foot-high gate-like object. The project represented energy and transformation, capable of change and re-use. It was deliberately asymmetrical and free-standing.

Continuing the fascination of 3D printing designers with shoes, Fitasy is featuring a scan-to-print method to create custom-fit shoes tailored to individual foot sizes and shapes. 4 institutions were involved in the development - MIT, Caltech, the University of Wisconsin, and Imperial College London. Consumer availability is expected to start in early 2026. The goal is to provide precise foot dimensions. The method uses spatial AI, imaging technology, and digital light projection 3D printing. The shoes use a triple-layer lattice structure created to distribute impact forces. The article also refers to other 3D printed custom shoes.

A team of doctors and engineers working in Gaza in a group called Glia has produced the world's first orthopedic device to treat complex fractures. The break-through device was made from locally-available materials, recycled plastic, and solar power. It has already prevented amputations or other permanent disabilities for 3 people. It takes almost 12 hours to fabricate a single component, with 12 more patients on the waiting list. The device is open-source.

An effort is being made in Italy to create nutrient-rich snacks using plant cell cultures and fruit-processing by-products. The goal is to make one bite snack bars and spheres called honey pearls. The snacks would also be available to astronauts and people in need.

Columbia researchers have 3D printed a 3 course meal composed of a quiche-like tart, a cauliflower dough pizza, and a key-lime pie. The dinner was produced using an adjustable new laser-cooking method which gave a hyper-realistic texture to the food. All of the ingredients were bought at Whole Foods Market, Appletree Supermarket, and Morton Williams. The meal was cooked on site.

At the Cincinnati Art Museum low and sightless visitors are treated to detailed braille descriptions of an oil painting from the 1600's. A group called the Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired arranges the tours using Clovernook's braille printing system. Each member of the tour is given an embossed tactile graphic of the art, made on paper with capsules of alcohol that expand when heated. The raised parts are done in code: dotted lines and patterns offer "keys" to translate the visual into touch.

Designer Danit Peleg, founder of 3D printed Fashion Lab, is dedicated to producing customized on-demand clothes that are wearable and environmentally safe. At this site you will see some of her unusual outfits, including a 3D printed dress for the Paralympic Rio 2016 Opening ceremony.

A team at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, is experimenting with using earth-based 3D printing to construct affordable housing. They plan to base the process on soil reinforced with natural fibers. It is estimated that by 2036, Australia will have a housing shortfall of over 600,000 affordable homes. The plant-based fibers include rice and hemp husks. The process is expected to reduce costs and time needed by as much as 60%. The researchers were inspired by the Japanese firm Lib Work. One of Lib Work's innovations is to use cellulose fiber, which employs reused newspapers as an insulating material.

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