Industry
Business, funding, and market news
From the wireA new silicone lets 3D printers turn out custom-fit contact lenses
A team at the University of Waterloo has built a digital manufacturing system that prints custom contact lenses in roughly 20 minutes, raising the prospect that a patient could be measured, have a lens designed, and walk out wearing it after one clinic visit. The approach pairs a purpose-built silicone material with additive manufacturing, and…
From the wireMIT optimizes concrete 3D printing for manufacturability
Researchers at MIT have developed a design framework that optimizes concrete structures while accounting for the physical limits of 3D printers. The research also reveals that printer hardware, not concrete, is the key bottleneck to achieving lighter structures. Concrete is the world’s most-used construction material and one of the single largest sourc
From the wireSWISSto12 Raises $70M to keep pace with multi-orbit demand
Swiss satellite and payload maker SWISSto12 has closed a $70 million (€61 million) Series C, funding it says will expand manufacturing as orders climb across commercial and government customers.  The Series C lands after a stretch of steep revenue gains. SWISSto12 reported $140 million (€121 million) in 2025 revenue, and its cumulative contract value ha
From the wireConcordia researchers use 4D printing of composites to produce wind turbine blades on flat molds
Researchers at Concordia University have developed an inverse 4D printing of composites method for producing curved vertical-axis wind turbine blades from carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy. The process forms the blades on a flat mold, removing the need for tooling that matches the final curved geometry. The method, detailed in Polymer Composites by Emad Fakhimi
From the wireSolukon launches SPR-Pathfinder PRO for complex LPBF depowdering simulation
Solukon, a German manufacturer of automated depowdering systems, has launched SPR-Pathfinder PRO, an upgraded software package for planning and simulating powder removal from complex laser powder bed fusion parts. The software is intended particularly for components with fine internal channels and densely packed surfaces. The PRO edition removes the previous
From the wireEPFL’s 3D Printed Elastomer Resists Both Fracture and Fatigue
A new study in Science Advances finds that a rubbery material first engineered for 3D printing may resolve a problem that has long dogged materials science: producing printable elastomers that are simultaneously tough and durable.  Researchers at EPFL’s Soft Materials Laboratory (SMaL) report that the same architecture giving their double network
From the wireSkyDefense Unveils CobraJet, a 3D Printed VTOL Interceptor
Colorado-based defense company SkyDefense has introduced CobraJet, an AI-controlled vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft designed to detect, identify, track, and destroy hostile drones at speed. The autonomous multirole jet targets the growing threat that unmanned systems pose to critical infrastructure, borders, airports, military bases, and public
From the wirePrint Your Own Gear: Inside the Insta360 × Bambu Lab Luna Ultra Challenge
Insta360 and Bambu Lab’s MakerWorld have teamed up on the Luna Ultra Design Challenge, a global call for makers, designers, and creators to dream up fresh accessories, mods, and concepts for the Luna Ultra, Insta360’s flagship dual-lens 8K gimbal camera. The competition puts more than US$11,000 in prizes on the table, giving entrants a chanceR
From the wireUSS Essex Prints Its Own Parts at Sea: RIMPAC 2026
At sea, a broken component can’t simply be reordered and delivered the next morning. Some items take weeks to reach a deployed ship, and others are no longer produced at all. To ease that strain, the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), working alongside Combat Logistics Battalion 13 of the 13th Marine Expeditionary…
From the wireDesigntech, Caracol, and LAMÁQUINA Open Robotic AM Hub in Milan
Designtech, Caracol, and LAMÁQUINA have partnered to open Milan’s first permanent hub dedicated to large-format robotic additive manufacturing (LFAM) for the design sector. According to the announcement, the space gives designers, studios, and brands ongoing access to large-scale robotic fabrication and engineering support, rather than a project-by-pro
From the wireUrsa Major Wraps Up Solid Rocket Motor Pathfinder Effort with Navy and OSC
Rocket engine manufacturer Ursa Major has finished its Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) Manufacturing Pathfinder Program, a joint undertaking with the U.S. Navy and the Office of Strategic Capital (OSC). The cost-share effort wrapped up on time in February 2026 and reflects a combined $25 million commitment from the three partners. The program’s conclusio
From the wireCRP Group rolls out UniqTrust to authenticate its 3D printed parts
The Modena-based firm CRP Group has introduced CRP UniqTrust, a digital identity platform built to tighten traceability and verification for parts made from its Windform additive manufacturing composites. The system was created together with Contatto Divino, a division of Pengo Idee Onlife that focuses on physical systems connecting high-value physical goods
From the wireAustralian-Made Titanium Powder Heads to the Test Bench for Advanced Manufacturing
A newly launched research collaboration aims to bolster Australia’s advanced manufacturing base by putting a domestically produced titanium powder through its paces for high-value industrial use. The material in question, TiRO powder, is a titanium feedstock made via a process the developers describe as highly efficient and low in emissions. The A$677,
From the wire3DCeram Sinto and Avignon Ceramic Partner on Ceramic 3D Printing for Aerospace Cores
Ceramics 3D printing supplier 3DCeram Sinto and French ceramic specialist Avignon Ceramic have released a video detailing their ceramic 3D printing partnership for producing cores used in aerospace investment casting. The video walks through how the two companies developed a joint process to produce ceramic cores with geometries that conventional injection m
From the wireCreality opens pre-orders for Falcon A1C enclosed desktop laser engraver
Creality Falcon, the laser engraving and cutting product line from desktop fabrication company Creality, has opened pre-orders for the Falcon A1C. The compact, enclosed laser engraver is aimed at first-time makers and home users, with prices starting at $199. The Falcon A1C combines a Class 1 fully enclosed design, interchangeable laser modules and automatic
From the wireiGM Resins launches Photomer SC91 for migration-sensitive UV formulations
iGM Resins, a Netherlands-based supplier of UV-curing materials, has launched Photomer SC91, a photoactive acrylate resin designed to reduce or eliminate separately added photoinitiators in UV mercury-lamp and UV LED curing systems. The company is positioning the new material for migration-sensitive UV formulations, including indirect food-contact packaging.
From the wireAdidas Prints BB.01, Becomes the World’s First 3D Basketball Shoe
Adidas Basketball has revealed the BB.01, the opening product of Project: Radical Athlete Perception (R.A.P.) and the brand’s first performance basketball shoe built on the platform. Positioned as a new approach to making athletic footwear, Project: R.A.P. relies on additive manufacturing to tailor products to individual athletes and to the specific de
From the wireZenith Tecnica Changes Hands and Sets Out to Grow Its Titanium 3D Printing Capacity
Zenith Tecnica, a contract manufacturer that builds titanium parts using Electron Beam Melting (EBM), has confirmed a change of ownership and, in the same breath, kicked off a plan to enlarge its production capacity. The company serves the space and medical fields along with other technically demanding industrial customers. Its buyers are an ownership group&
From the wireFrom Chip-Making to 3D: Utah’s Single-Exposure Printing Method
Engineers at the University of Utah have shown off a 3D printing approach that sidesteps one of the format’s persistent weaknesses: the leaky seams left behind when an object is built up slice by slice. Rather than stacking layers, the technique relies on a nanoscale “mask” that bends laser light into a holographic version of…
From the wireProtolabs expands CNC machining and MJF 3D printing for drone manufacturing
Protolabs, a US-based digital manufacturing service provider, has expanded its CNC machining and Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) 3D printing capabilities for commercial and defense drone manufacturers. The company is targeting applications requiring rapid design changes, customized hardware, lightweight components, and low-volume production. The expanded offering com
From the wireFrom Laser Control to Microstructure Design in Metal AM
By Michele Pavan, Research Engineering Manager, Materialise A KU Leuven research team has demonstrated something the metal AM industry has been pursuing for years: the ability to locally influence microstructure within a single printed part during the build itself, without relying on post-build heat treatment. The results suggest a broader role for multi-las
From the wireLiqcreate’s Bio-Med Flex Now Enables Flexible and Sterilizable 3D Printed Parts
Netherlands-based independent 3D printing resin manufacturer Liqcreate has launched Bio-Med Flex, a clear flexible photopolymer resin designed for sterilizable, biocompatible medical and biomedical applications. This matters because being able to meet this set of requirements in clinical prototyping labs has been quite difficult. Rigid biocompatible resins h
From the wireNew SUNLU AMS Lite Heater Keeps Filament Dry for Better Print Quality
A twelve-hour overnight print can turn out fine, or it can come back stringy and inconsistent with no change to the slicer settings that would explain why. The usual cause is moisture. A spool left in an open holder for a few humid days absorbs enough water to compromise a print without giving any warning…
From the wireNigeria Bets on Hands-On 3D Printing Skills with New Czech-Backed STEAM Centre
Innov8 Hub has formed a strategic partnership with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Nigeria to set up a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics (STEAM) and 3D Printing Technology Centre in Abuja. The facility is intended to reinforce Nigeria’s technical infrastructure and widen access to applied, practice-based learning in emerging
From the wireProtolabs Adds New Resin to Its Hi-Speed SLA Lineup on Axtra3D’s Lumia X1
Digital manufacturing provider Protolabs has begun offering Medical White (MED-WHT 10), a biocompatible photopolymer, through its on-demand production services. The resin runs on Axtra3D‘s Lumia X1, a Hi-Speed SLA system built around the company’s Hybrid PhotoSynthesis (HPS) process, making it the fifth production-ready material in Protolabs̵
From the wireBambu Lab Turns Filament Sales into Earthquake Relief for Venezuela
Chinese 3D printer manufacturer Bambu Lab is launching a 48-hour community fundraising drive for Venezuela’s earthquake recovery, running from July 13 at 8:00 a.m. through July 15, 2026. During the window, customers on the company’s US and EU online stores can buy PLA Basic Refill spools in the colors of the Venezuelan flag, yellow (10400), blue&
From the wireBeehive Industries Bets Big on Ultra-Large-Format Metal AM with Multi-Unit NXG 600E Order
Denver-based Beehive Industries has placed a multi-unit order for NXG 600E metal 3D printers from Nikon SLM Solutions, part of Nikon Advanced Manufacturing. The purchase is entirely self-funded and gives the company a capability that remains scarce in the United States: ultra-large-format laser powder bed fusion capacity. The NXG 600E is the biggest machine
From the wireVenus Aerospace Closes $91M to Scale Detonation Engine Production
Venus Aerospace has secured $91 million in Series B funding led by Houston-based venture capital firm Mercury Fund, with additional backing from Lockheed Martin Ventures, MESH, PEAK6, Starboard Star Venture Capital, Green Sands Equity, and other investors. The raise follows the company’s May 2025 milestone: the first successful flight test of a high-th
From the wireTripo AI raises $150M in Series A3 round
3D foundation model developer Tripo AI has closed a $150 million Series A3 funding round, drawing investment from companies across the automotive, gaming, internet, and technology sectors. Geely Capital was among the automotive-side backers, joined by other strategic investors from that sector. Gaming companies 4399 Network, Tanwan, and Giant Network also jo
IndustryMarkforged Acquires Desktop Metal in $300M Deal
Two of the biggest names in desktop industrial printing join forces, creating a powerhouse in metal and composite additive manufacturing.
Industry3D Printing Market to Hit $44 Billion by 2028, Report Finds
A new Wohlers report projects explosive growth in additive manufacturing, driven by production-grade applications and new materials.
IndustryFormlabs Introduces Biocompatible Resin for Dental 3D Printing
Formlabs' new dental resin is FDA-cleared for direct patient contact, opening new possibilities for same-day dental restorations.