The BMW Group is turning additive manufacturing from a prototyping tool into a standing pillar of its industrial production, with the first vehicle components made by Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) scheduled to enter series production in 2027. The push is being run out of the company’s Additive Manufacturing Campus (AMC) in Oberschleissheim, north of…
Precision machining additive manufacturing (AM) Mears Machine Corporation has ordered a fifth Sapphire XC metal 3D printer from metal AM company Velo3D, along with options to purchase two additional units. The Indianapolis-based company said the expanded fleet will support production programs across aviation, defense, energy, and space sectors where it has built a customer base…
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…
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 sources of carbon emissions.…
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 has…
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 and Suong…
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 voxel limit, increases the particle-simulation…
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 granular elastomers (DNGEs) exceptional…
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 venues. Inside the CobraJet Lineup The aircraft comes…
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 chance…
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…
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-project service arrangement. The venture, announced July 8, 2026,…
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 conclusion marks the end…
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 to digital ecosystems. The…
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$677,000 program is headed…
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 molding cannot achieve. Avignon…
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 focusing…
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. Photomer SC91 integrates photoinitiating groups directly into its…
A newly patented pump from Sciperio, the R&D arm of nScrypt, is built to let additive manufacturing (AM) systems dispense materials with viscosities above 1 million centipoise, a range Sciperio says has been difficult for conventional dispensing systems to handle without defects. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued Patent No. 12,654,396 B2 for…
FARO CREAFORM, a business unit of AMETEK, has introduced four new handheld 3D scanners to its HandySCAN 3D portfolio. The announcement, made July 8, 2026, covers two additions to the MAX Series and two new EVO Series models, spanning inspection tasks from small components to parts up to 15 meters long. The new MAX Series…
