My Printer

  • First Containerized System from AML3D Now Operational at US Navy AM CoE

    Shipbuilding giant Austal USA recently announced the launch of the Digital SEA (Secure Exchange for Additive) platform, which should play a major role in expanding accessibility to the sorts of capabilities that Austal USA and the US Navy are developing at the Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) in Danville, Virginia. Chief among those capabilities is the Wire AM process from AML3D, which, like Austal USA (albeit on a much smaller scale) is an Australian company benefitting from its outsized role in the US defense sector.

    The Virginia CoE, meanwhile, just expanded its own capabilities with the installation of AML3D’s first portable ARCEMY system, a AU$1.2 million (~$864,000) machine mounted in a 20-foot shipping container. This is now the third AML3D system in service at the AM CoE, with two custom, large-format AML3D systems already installed at the Virginia site.

    Image courtesy of Austal USA

    The advantage of portability means that as the AM CoE continues to expand, Austal USA and the US Navy will have a much easier time reorganizing their production space as the need arises. According to AML3D, the containerized system takes as little as 1-2 days to reinstall, compared to 2-3 weeks for its fixed counterparts.

    Additionally, access to a containerized model will give the US Navy and its partners the opportunity to test the possibility for using AML3D’s technology under expeditionary manufacturing conditions. As the US military demonstrated most recently at the Balikatan joint exercises in the Philippines, manufacturing at the edge is an increasingly vital component of the Pentagon’s long-term advanced manufacturing objectives.

    In a press release about the installation of the first portable AML3D ARCEMY system at the US Navy AM CoE in Danville, VA, Sean Ebert, the CEO of AML3D, said, “It is exciting to continue to build our relationship with Austal USA. The success of this first portable, containerized system demonstrates how AML3D can flex its technology to meet multiple US military and industrial use cases. …[W]e are still only beginning to access the huge opportunity…outlined in the Letter of Intent we received from the US Navy that indicated a need for up to 100 [AM] systems and 3,400 additively manufactured parts by 2030.”

    While Digital SEA and the containerized ARCEMY system are each notable in their own right, there’s also an undeniable synergy between the two releases in terms of how they meet the same fundamental demand: lowering the adoption barrier for large-format metal AM. This has implications far beyond the maritime defense market, although the US Navy will of course be the most immediate beneficiary of the software/hardware combo.

    In fact, if Austal USA and the Navy can indeed bear out the viability of using containerized wire-arc AM (WAAM) under forward operating conditions, there will be no shortage of work for the Navy, itself, in areas outside of maritime. Aside from defense, AML3D also has a growing footprint in the utilities market. In a world where the US military is permitted to reassume some semblance of willingness to cooperate with its allies, I can envision scenarios in which the US Navy and its allies collaborate on a sort of ’emergency grid repair fleet’ to underwrite Western energy security.

    And, even aside from using containerized welding robots in contexts of forward deployment, the agility implied — especially insofar as those portable systems are backed by distributed manufacturing software platforms — makes the tech a far more compelling sell to new users. This isn’t just about the ability to train new users more quickly, but the sheer ability for less cumbersome resale in the secondary market.

    I’ve long been a fan of WAM, but portability was obviously never one of the reasons why. If that’s a promise that Austal USA et al. can truly validate, then AML3D will have transformed into an even more intriguing prospect than was already the case.

    Images courtesy of AML3D unless otherwise noted

  • Tectonic 3D Takes Over Solvay 3D Printing Materials Portfolio

    High-performance 3D printing materials company Tectonic 3D has bought the 3D printing materials portfolio of Solvay. The Syensqo portfolio, including PEEK AM Filament MS NT1, PEEK CF10 LS1, PPSU, NT1 HC, and CF10 HC materials, will now be offered by Tectonic. This marks another exit of a big materials company from additive manufacturing. 

    Solvay AM-ready filament. Image courtesy of Solvay.

    Tectonic 3D CEO Kenneth Kempinski said,

    “We are extremely excited to take this next step, This portfolio represents a benchmark in high – performance additive manufacturing materials. Bringing these products into Tectonic 3D allows us to accelerate innovation, deepen our application expertise, and deliver even greater value to customers operating in the most demanding environments.”

    Meanwhile, Syensqo’s Brian Alexander pointed out that,

    “We are confident that this filament portfolio is in very good hands with Tectonic 3D. Their technical depth, focus on advanced materials, and strong commitment to additive manufacturing make them the ideal partner to continue developing and supporting these products on a global scale.”

    Moreover, the company indicated it will “ensure full continuity in production, supply, and technical support, while investing in further development of these materials to unlock new applications and performance capabilities.” This is good news for Solvay customers and for people who had qualified parts made from these materials. Solvay entered the market when 3D printing fever was at its frothiest. But the company did offer a direct portfolio of materials optimized for production. The company, therefore, had much more market intelligence and knowledge than other players who sold indirectly. Solvay specializes in PEEK and other very high-performance materials, going for the top of the market. The company listened to customers, read the direction the market was heading, and developed a strong portfolio for industrial and aerospace applications. The company also had some medical-specific grades that seem not to have been included in the transfer.

    I guess that at Solvay, just like at Dow, DSM, BASF, Covestro, and others, there was just too much of a bridge between the imagined riches and actual performance of these companies. Yes, 3D writing grew, but it never reached volumes that were truly exciting to these materials firms. Yes, the materials were sold at high margins, but there was never any significant impact on the bottom line of the large, multi-billion-dollar revenue firm that owned the unit. And of course, by keeping materials costs high, these firms did not build or grow the market but rather helped keep it small. Yes, printer toner and ink are expensive, but paper is cheap, so the cost per page is still manageable while being a gold mine for inkjet companies. But in 3D printing, the material is both the ink and the paper, so high costs prevent things from being made. All of these huge materials firms had different plans, strategies, and dreams. In the end, none of them really wanted to lower prices or make functional materials available at low cost to grow the market. That was a mistake.

    Now, Henkel is still involved in making resins and building its market. SABIC still has an Ultem-focused portfolio that is a mainstay for many firms. Naturworks still does well in PLA, although it’s under siege from Chinese producers. Specialists and early participants, Arkema and Evonik, are still involved with strong portfolios in their respective areas. These firms continue to bring innovation and R&D experience that help our entire industry move forward. Generally, we can now see that many Chinese raw materials firms provide feedstock for 3D printing materials. Other global firms still provide materials but are not interested in our market.

    This leaves space and opportunities for companies like Tectonic 3D. Chock full of very experienced 3D printing professionals, Tectonic develops high-performance materials for large-format, high-temperature, and desktop material extrusion. The company offers some of the highest-temperature, continuous-service materials for 3D printing. They also have materials optimized for rail components, lightweight drone assemblies, and more. I liked the application-focused materials when Clariant pioneered them, and loved the deep application expertise that DSM had. Tectonic is combining those two approaches into a hybrid, with a deep focus on defense and high-tech industrial applications. That focus, coupled with making more possible on desktop 3D printers as they move into more manufacturing, is paying off for them. Let’s hope more materials firms are as innovative and nimble as they are.

  • 3D Printing Financials: Stratasys Bets on Defense and Drones as Printer Sales Slow

    Stratasys (Nasdaq: SSYS) started 2026 with lower revenue and a larger loss as customers continued to slow down spending on new 3D printers. Still, the company pointed to stable recurring revenue from materials and customer support, along with continued growth at Stratasys Direct, its parts manufacturing business. During the quarter, Stratasys also focused more on aerospace, defense, dental, and production-focused applications, while keeping its full-year 2026 guidance unchanged.

    First-quarter revenue totaled $132.7 million, down from $136 million a year earlier. Product revenue dropped to $88.8 million from $93.8 million, while system revenue fell to $28.8 million from $31.2 million. Consumables revenue was also lower at $60 million, compared with $62.6 million last year. Service revenue, which includes Stratasys Direct, moved in the opposite direction, rising to $43.9 million from $42.2 million. Customer support revenue was nearly unchanged at $29.7 million, versus $30 million a year ago.

    The company’s margins also came under pressure during the quarter. Gross margin fell to 41.7%, down from 44.3% a year ago, while adjusted gross margin declined to 46.3% from 48.3%. CFO Eitan Zamir told investors during the earnings call that the decline was mainly tied to lower revenue during the quarter and a $2.4 million year-over-year increase in tariff costs. He also said tariffs and foreign exchange rates reduced profitability by roughly $5.3 million during the quarter.

    All of that also affected the company’s bottom-line results. Stratasys reported a net loss of $23.8 million, or 28 cents per share, compared with a net loss of $13.1 million, or 18 cents per share, in the first quarter of 2025. The company also reported an adjusted net loss of $1.3 million, or one cent per share, compared with adjusted net income of $2.9 million, or four cents per share, a year ago. Adjusted EBITDA totaled $2 million during the quarter, down from $8.2 million a year ago.

    Stratasys booth at RAPID+TCT 2026. Image courtesy of Sarah Saunders/3DPrint.com.

    Despite the lower earnings, Stratasys generated $2.4 million in operating cash flow and ended the quarter with $237.8 million in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term deposits. The company also said it remains debt-free. 

    One of the clearest growth signal during the quarter came from Stratasys Direct, the company’s parts manufacturing business.

    CEO Yoav Zeif told investors that “Stratasys Direct delivered over 10% sequential growth and 23% organically after divestments when compared to the first quarter of 2025,” adding that “the top three parts customers were again all U.S.-based drone-related companies.” 

    According to Zeif, drones are becoming one of the fastest-growing areas for additive manufacturing (AM) because they require lightweight parts, faster production, and more flexible supply chains. During the call, he said Stratasys is already producing parts for both large and small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), particularly using its industrial FDM systems and ULTEM materials. He also linked the growing drone business to broader increases in military spending around drones, missiles, munitions, and sustainment programs. Zeif argued that AM fits these applications well because it can produce parts quickly, reduce supply chain dependence, and create geometries that are difficult to manufacture traditionally.

    A soldier UAV operator launches an army drone with a bomb to drop into enemy fortifications and trenches. Concept using military robots in modern warfare. Image courtesy of Stratasys

    Executives described Stratasys Direct as more than just a service business. According to management, many customers first order printed parts from Stratasys Direct before later buying their own printers, making the business an early sign of future hardware demand. Zeif also said much of the defense work is no longer centered on prototyping. Instead, the company is seeing growing demand for production parts tied to drones, missiles, munitions, military sustainment and repair programs, tooling, and shipbuilding applications.

    Defense and aerospace became the central focus of the earnings call. Zeif described aerospace and defense as Stratasys’ “leading vertical today with a very promising pipeline” tied to military and industrial production. He pointed to Stratasys’ ongoing work with organizations such as the U.S. Air Force and NAVAIR, as well as its large installed base across aerospace and defense environments. He also noted that Stratasys Direct ships more than 100,000 parts annually to the defense industry and operates under certifications including AS9100, ISO 9001, CMMC compliance, and ITAR requirements. 

    During the quarter, Stratasys Direct was also selected for the U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Additive Manufacturing Acceptability IV Pilot Parts program, known as JAMA IV. The company described the initiative as a multi-million-dollar program aimed at accelerating the qualification and deployment of 3D printed parts across military platforms.

    Stratasys CEO at AMS 2026. Image courtesy of 3DPrint.com.

    Stratasys also pointed to progress in space and aerospace applications. Zeif said, “We are seeing continued momentum in high-reliability aerospace applications with thousands of parts in orbit, leveraging our materials. In fact, on the recent Artemis II moon mission, hundreds of components produced with Stratasys Antero materials on our FDM system were flown, highlighting the maturity and scalability of additive manufacturing in space systems. This is a strong validation of the high-performance applications of our materials and our position in mission-critical environments, reinforcing the growing role of additives in next-generation space and defense platforms.” 

    Stratasys’ latest 3D printer for the dental market maximizes productivity in a small footprint. Image courtesy of Stratasys.

    Dental was another important area. Stratasys said its TrueDent resins received CE Class IIa medical device certification in Europe, expanding the product’s use for long-term intraoral removables, crowns, and bridges. Zeif said this removes an adoption barrier in Europe and gives Stratasys a first-mover position for polychromatic 3D printed dentures in that market. 

    Stratasys also rolled out several updates tied to materials and software. ULTEM 1010 is now available as filament for the company’s F3300 system, opening the platform to more aerospace and high-temperature tooling applications. The company also expanded the availability of its ToughONE material to additional PolyJet systems, including the J3 and J5. On the software side, Stratasys said it is adding measurement-based warp correction features to GrabCAD Print Pro for Origin One P3 users, with the goal of reducing trial-and-error adjustments on complex parts.

    Stratasys did not change its full-year 2026 outlook. The company still expects revenue between $565 million and $575 million and said results will improve as the year goes on. It also maintained its forecast for adjusted gross margins of 46.7% to 47.1%, adjusted EBITDA of $25 million to $30 million, and positive operating cash flow. Executives, however, said tariffs and foreign exchange rates continue to pressure the business.

    Overall, the quarter showed that Stratasys is still dealing with slow printer sales and cautious customer spending. At the same time, the company continued to focus on production applications, especially in defense, aerospace, dental, and industrial manufacturing, where it sees 3D printing becoming part of regular manufacturing operations instead of being used mainly for prototyping.

    The growing connection between drones and additive manufacturing is also expected to be a major topic at the upcoming Additive Manufacturing Strategies UAS: The Present and Future of Drone Manufacturing event on June 30, 2026, which will focus on how 3D printing is being used across UAV production and defense applications.

  • 3D People Case Study Details Development of 3D Printed POV Camera Rig

    A POV, or Point of View, camera rig, is a wearable support system that helps filmographers capture first-person footage, making the images more immersive. Some good examples of movies shot with POV cameras include horror films The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, and Cloverfield. Unfortunately, these rigs aren’t foolproof. The camera setup itself either gets in the way of the shot, or the footage captured isn’t an exact match for what the human eye sees. Cyclops POV, called “the world’s first” professional POV camera system, was designed to fix both of these issues.

    “Having shot many projects in the past that required a point of view solution, I was never satisfied with the on-set experience or the resulting footage,” said James Medcraft, the founder of Cyclops POV.

    This geometrically complex, head-mounted rig was developed by Medcraft, a cinematographer, to capture footage precisely as the operator sees it. And, no surprise, 3D printing was used to make the Cyclops a reality. According to a case study by UK digital inventory platform and additive manufacturing (AM) service 3D People, the technology “became the foundation for how the product was built and produced.”

    Specializing in production-grade parts, 3D People wants to make manufacturing more accessible, while maintaining a high level of quality. All the projects that the company works on are made in its London facility with powder bed fusion technology and high-quality finishing solutions. 3D People is no stranger to very specific requests, and makes parts for clients in a variety of industries, such as automotive, engineering, energy, construction, product design, and film.

    The Cyclops POV rig doesn’t fit into a neat and orderly traditional manufacturing box. It features parts with complex geometries, they’re all fairly low-volume, and the design is still evolving. That’s why AM was so useful for this particular project. You can produce parts directly from CAD without any tooling or minimum order quantities, and, as the case study specifies, “without redesigning around manufacturing limitations.” So instead of devolving into an assembly of simpler parts, Cyclops is an integrated system.

    3D printing technology was also particularly helpful in terms of efficient iteration. If any changes needed to be made to the design of Cyclops during the process, 3D People could make them and test the new design in just days, rather than weeks.

    “The primary challenges were iterative testing at speed, which was where 3D People gave me some great support,” Medcraft said.

    “I worked with 3D People through the prototyping stages of Cyclops and now use them for manufacturing the final parts.”

    Medcraft has a background in 3D design, so he definitely knew what he was doing while working with 3D People on the Cyclops. Due to its “inherent isotropic strengths and design freedom,” PA12 was used to 3D print the POV rig parts, seemingly with HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology.

    The rig is built around the Sony E-Mount, and is compatible with the Venice Rialto or FX3 camera extension systems. It uses custom optics to reflect the operator’s view right into the camera. This captures the natural field of view and depth of field, but because it’s head-mounted, the Cyclops leaves the operator’s hands free for more flexibility while interacting with a scene.

     

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    Because of how specific the rig is, 3D People had to work around unusual geometries and tight packaging, while also consistently balancing strength, weight, and usability. But they were more than up to the task.

    Medcraft said, “The best 3D printing service provider isn’t just a company with lots of machines but a team that understands their customers’ products.”

    While it may not be a major application like submarine components or medical devices, the 3D printed Cyclops POV rig is a perfect example of using the technology when it can truly add value.

  • 3D Printing News Briefs, May 9, 2026: Financials, Large-Format Printer, Steels, & More

    In 3D Printing News Briefs this weekend, 6K Additive has appointed a new COO and released its Q1 financials. Rolls-Royce opened a new AM Development Cell, and MODIX launched its new large-format 3D printer. Finally, Meltio is collaborating on a project to develop sustainable steels for AM.

    6K Additive Announces Q1 26 Activities Report & New COO

    Brandon Davis, 6K Additive’s Newly Appointed Chief Operating Officer

    U.S. company 6K Additive (ASX: 6KA), a manufacturer and supplier of high-performance metal powder for additive manufacturing (AM), recently released its quarterly activities report for the first quarter of 2026, which ended March 31st. The company ended Q1 with a net cash balance of $26 million, with quarterly net sales of $6.2 million, which is an 88% increase from the same period last year. Revenue for the quarter was $4 million: a 100% increase from Q1 2025. As CEO Frank Roberts said in the earnings call, 6K Additive also had a 46% increase in powder order intake. Speaking of its powder products, the company entered into several strategic relationships in Q1, including with Siemens Energy. A lot of exciting things have happened for 6K Additive recently, like receiving a $1.95 million SBIR Phase II award from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), breaking ground on its powder expansion construction in Pennsylvania, and a visit from Congressman Guy Reschenthaler. You can read more about these announcements, and others, in my RAPID interview with 6K Additive.

    Additionally, the company announced the appointment of manufacturing veteran Brandon Davis as its Chief Operating Officer (COO). Davis has over two decades of experience; most recently, he served as Vice President of the Components Division at Dexter Axle Corporation, where he held full P&L responsibility for a $500 million operation and helped increase EBITDA over 20%. Previously, he was President & CEO of EVRAZ Stratcor, and is also a veteran of the United States Army, serving as a Military Police Officer. At 6K Additive, he will oversee global operations, including metal powder production and alloy additions. He will manage all of the company’s facilities, from its Pennsylvania headquarters to sites in West Virginia and California, and his focus, as he said in a press release, “will be on streamlining our manufacturing campuses into high-margin, safety-first organizations while accelerating our automation journey to meet the increasing demands of the aerospace, defense, medical, and energy sectors.”

    Rolls-Royce Opens AM Development Cell in Bristol for Aircraft Engine Parts

    Recently, Rolls-Royce opened a new AM Development Cell at its Defence Assembly and Operations facility in Bristol, UK, thanks to funding from the UK Ministry of Defence. The cell uses metal AM to fabricate complex, critical components for aircraft engines, and is located in a custom-built, carefully controlled 350 m2 space, with optimized air pressure, humidity, and temperature to ensure consistent print quality. To use the cell, engineers must be specially trained, so this will also help create and sustain jobs at the Bristol hub, which is home to the UK’s military combat and transport aerospace power and propulsion sectors. The 3D printed parts will be important in speeding up innovation, knowledge, and skills across the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), as well as any future combat power and propulsion needs across Rolls-Roys and Ministry of Defence applications.

    “This new facility in Bristol is a clear sign of UK industry investing in the skills and technology we need to stay ahead. By using the latest manufacturing techniques to build lighter, more efficient components, Rolls-Royce is helping to keep British engineers at the forefront of innovation – all the while creating and sustaining skilled jobs right here in Bristol,” said Luke Pollard MP, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, who attended the unveiling.

    Modix Announces Launch of New MAMA-1000 Large-Format 3D Printer

    Modix Modular Technologies, which designs and manufactures large-format 3D printers for both filament and pellet extrusion, has announced the latest in its MAMA series. The new MAMA-1000 3D printer joins the MAMA-1700 and XL3000, but as a more compact addition to the line, though it’s not small by any means. The system features a 1,000 x 1,000 x 1,000 mm build volume, expanding access for industrial users to Modix’s advanced 3D printing. Just like the other printers in the line, the MAMA-1000 has interchangeable filament and pellet print heads for extra flexibility. Pellet printing has a higher throughput and lower material cost per kilogram, while filament is better for tight tolerances and finer details. All told, the new MAMA-1000 should work well for functional prototyping, tooling, end-use parts, molds, and large-format production. It also offers a range of optional add-ons and accessories, like pellet drying and mixing, dual-head configuration, and air filtration.

    “The MAMA-1000 is an important expansion of our MAMA family. Not every customer needs the full size of the MAMA-1700, but many still want the unique flexibility of combining pellet and filament extrusion in one professional system. The MAMA-1000 answers that need by offering a more compact format without compromising on versatility,” said Shachar Gafni, CEO of Modix.

    Meltio Helps with SUMMSEED Project to Develop Sustainable Steels for AM

    Companies in the mining and heavy machinery sectors want a more environmentally sustainable steel that meets industrial quality and cost requirements, and offers properties similar to those of current materials. A European project called SUMMSEED (SUstainable Medium Manganese StEEls for cost-efficient applications in heavy inDustries), funded by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS), is focused on developing more sustainable medium-Mn steels (MMns). It’s a collaboration between academic and technological partners with steel sector companies, led by Technical University of Catalonia · BarcelonaTech (UPC). The idea is to create a steel that’s tailored to industrial casting conditions, but can be manufacturing using laser-wire AM, specifically DED. The project’s scientific partners will validate and certify the properties of the new steel, which will be manufactured by SANDVIK with Meltio‘s metal AM technology. Other participants include TU Delft, SIDENOR, CIM UPC, and TU Bergakademie Freiberg.

    “It is expected that this novel material will render an improved service performance than the currently used Hadfield steels enabling a more sustainable production by reducing alloying elements and the reuse of end-of-life parts,” said Pere Barriobero Vila, coordinator of the SUMMSEED project at UPC in Barcelona. “By tailoring alloys for both casting and directed energy deposition (DED) remanufacturing, the project aims to replace traditional Hadfield steels with leaner, more cost-efficient grades that offer high strength, toughness and wear resistance while reducing CO₂ emissions and the use of critical raw material. From casting to DED repair, the project enables a complete circular process that extends component lifespan and minimizes material waste and environmental impact.”

  • 3D Printing Financials: Xometry Surges After Record Quarter and Siemens Deal

    Shares of Xometry (Nasdaq: XMTR) surged on Thursday, May 7, after the company reported record first-quarter 2026 results and announced a major partnership with Siemens. The stock climbed as much as 46% during trading, reaching a high of $81.51, before closing up roughly 39% at $78.50. The focus was still on Xometry on Friday morning’s pre-market trading after the stock posted one of its biggest single-day gains in years following the earnings release.

    The strong market reaction followed better-than-expected Q1 earnings, driven by accelerating marketplace growth, rising profitability, and growing demand for Xometry’s AI-powered manufacturing platform. Revenue climbed 36% year-over-year to $205 million, while marketplace revenue jumped 40%. Earnings per share came in at 12 cents, beating Wall Street expectations, and adjusted EBITDA improved sharply to $10.5 million from just $0.1 million a year earlier.

    While much of the earnings call focused on AI, digital sourcing, and Xometry’s new partnership with Siemens, executives also talked about improvements to the company’s quoting systems, production lead times, and manufacturing capabilities across the platform.

    Although Xometry did not specifically break out additive manufacturing results this quarter, the company remains important to the 3D printing industry because its marketplace includes a range of on-demand manufacturing services, including AM, alongside its more traditional offerings of CNC machining, injection molding, sheet metal fabrication, and urethane casting.

    Xometry’s Gaithersburg, Maryland site. Image courtesy of Xometry.

    The earnings call also gave investors a closer look at Xometry’s upcoming leadership transition, with current CEO Randy Altschuler discussing the results alongside President and incoming CEO Sanjeev Singh Sahni, who will take over in July.

    Altschuler described Xometry several times as an “AI-native marketplace” built around custom manufacturing. During the call, he said the company’s growth reflects “the success of our AI-native marketplace in the massive, complex, and highly fragmented custom manufacturing market.”

    One of the biggest announcements from the quarter was the new strategic partnership with Siemens. The industrial software giant is investing $50 million in Xometry and integrating Xometry’s quoting and sourcing tools directly into Siemens’ design software ecosystem. According to the company, engineers using Siemens software will be able to receive real-time manufacturability feedback, pricing, lead times, and sourcing options without leaving their design workflow.

    That is very important for AM because many engineers already use Siemens tools during product development. Embedding manufacturing quoting directly into CAD and PLM environments could make it easier for users to evaluate whether parts should be CNC machined, injection molded, or 3D printed earlier in the design process.

    Altschuler called the partnership “a continuous digital thread from design decision to delivered part.”

    While Singh Sahni said the goal is to “remove friction from manufacturing procurement and create a simpler user experience for engineers. The engineers, procurement buyers, and supply chain lead roles are now filled with dynamic, digitally native individuals. They expect the same frictionless journey at work that they have in their personal lives.”

    Xometry celebrates IPO at Nasdaq Exchange.

    Xometry celebrates going public at the Nasdaq on June 29, 2021. Image courtesy of Xometry.

    Xometry does not publicly break out revenue by manufacturing technology, so it is not fully clear how much of the company’s quarterly growth came specifically from AM versus services like CNC machining or injection molding. Still, executives discussed continued improvements to Xometry’s instant quoting and manufacturing systems, which are widely used across 3D printing and other custom production workflows. Sahni said the company’s updated lead-time prediction model now relies on a dataset “four times larger than its predecessor” and includes additional materials, certifications, and finishing options.

    Outside the earnings call itself, Xometry’s recent platform updates also suggest that 3D printing continues to play an important role in the company’s broader manufacturing strategy. Over the last several months, many of Xometry’s announced updates have focused specifically on new 3D printing materials and processes. For example, in April, the company expanded its Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) offerings with new materials, including Inconel 625, Inconel 718, maraging steel, and titanium Ti6Al4V Grade 5, targeting aerospace, industrial, and medical applications. Earlier updates added new materials for Carbon DLS, Metal Binder Jetting (MBJ), SLS, SLA, and MJF systems.

    That type of expansion, along with continued investments in quoting automation and lead-time prediction, points to a push toward faster and more production-ready AM workflows. The company also pointed to growing demand for certified manufacturing work.

    The company also pointed to a growing demand for certified manufacturing work. According to Xometry, jobs requiring certifications increased 35% on its platform in 2025. That trend could have implications for aerospace, defense, and medical manufacturing, where qualified AM suppliers continue to become important.

    Xometry’s Gaithersburg, Maryland site. Image courtesy of Xometry.

    During the analyst Q&A session, executives also pointed to strong momentum across aerospace, defense, and industrial markets. When asked about demand trends, Altschuler said growth was “very broad-based” across industries and customer segments, while noting continued demand for more resilient, flexible supply chains.

    Altschuler also said the company continues to benefit from ongoing supply chain disruptions and demand for more flexible manufacturing networks: “I think it just underscores to buyers the need for resilient supply chains, the need for digital supply chain flexibility, and that’s what Xometry is.”

    Overall, the results marked one of Xometry’s strongest quarters yet. Gross profit rose 39% year-over-year to $78.5 million, while marketplace gross profit dollars increased 53%. Marketplace gross margin improved to 34.7%.

    The company also moved closer to profitability. Xometry reported adjusted net income of $6.9 million for the quarter, compared to an adjusted net loss of $2.5 million a year earlier. Under GAAP, however, the company still posted a net loss of $5.3 million for the quarter.

    Xometry expects strong growth to continue through the rest of 2026. The company raised its full-year forecast and now expects revenue growth of 27% to 28%, up from its earlier guidance of 21%. Executives said the company continues to see strong activity across its marketplace business as more customers adopt digital manufacturing and sourcing tools.

  • INDOPACOM Advanced Manufacturing Team Saves Thousands Per Week at Joint Exercise in the Philippines

    In the summer of 2025, the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) opened a new advanced manufacturing facility at Schofield Barracks, the Hawaiian home of the US Army’s 25th Infantry Division. INDOPACOM gave a humble name, ‘The Forge,’ to the site, which is located in a formerly abandoned warehouse that was inhabited by feral pigs before the US military filled it with 3D printers and other advanced manufacturing equipment.

    INDOPACOM appears to now be using that same designation (‘The Forge’) to refer to the team comprised of personnel from both the Army and the Marines, which has been deployed in at least one instance to train US allied forces. At the annual Balikatan exercise, in which the US military and other Western forces participate in joint training operations with the Philippines military, the INDOPACOM unit set up a similar facility to the one at Schofield Barracks, “inside a warehouse at [a] jungle training area.”

    According to the team’s senior enlisted leader, The Forge and its partners achieved rather striking results during Balikatan: over the course of three weeks, they completed 36 different jobs, representing a savings of well over $20,000. Even more importantly, given the urgency of resupply specifically in a military context, the team cut the lead time for delivery of those parts by months.

    The original Forge facility at Schofield Barracks. Image courtesy of Defense One/Jennifer Hlad

    Regarding one use case — a batch of simple bolts for a construction vehicle, which were reverse-engineered and then 3D printed — Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kevin Ton, who commands The Forge unit, noted that ordering the parts from external sources would’ve meant a wait time of 8-10 weeks. In a live combat scenario, that wait time might as well be forever.

    In addition to more routine jobs like that one, involving a situation where the need is just to replenish an item that has run out, the advanced manufacturing specialists also demonstrated the ability to innovate on the fly. For instance, during Balikatan, the standard issue bipods that participants were using for the new Army M250 machine gun failed repeatedly. By designing a 3D printed adapter for an older, more reliable bipod model, The Forge successfully addressed the problem.

    The main limitation for The Forge was a prohibition on arms component manufacturing for foreign militaries. But even in that case, digital manufacturing solutions provide a workaround: by sharing digital files with allied militaries, allowing the latter to make the parts themselves, INDOPACOM’s advanced manufacturing specialists stay on the right side of US military regulations.

    3D printed bipod adapters. Image courtesy of Stars and Stripes 

    The Forge comes from the same Army installation housing the unit that reportedly 3D printed a lethal first-person view (FPV) drone last year for the first time, so it’s not surprising to see that it’s Schofield Barracks which is responsible for executing such a high degree of forward thinking. And it’s encouraging to see that the name ‘The Forge’ is being applied to the team, not exclusively to the facility where the team originated. This puts the emphasis where it most properly belongs: on the human know-how required to enact the strategic vision.

    Similarly, ‘Balikatan’ means ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ in Tagalog, which, in this context, serves as another reminder that however central a role new technologies may play in the equation of expeditionary manufacturing, sufficiently trained human labor remains the key to making the whole system work. As I’ve explained in my coverage of how AM can change the semiconductor supply chain, the combination of ahead-of-the-curve human know-how and the smaller infrastructure footprint implied by advanced manufacturing equipment points to a future where technology integration services are a leading growth catalyst for the manufacturing sector.

    It would seem to not be a coincidence that the US military seems to be most interested in demonstrating this capability in the Pacific region, above all. Along those lines, the US has also been building an INDOPACOM advanced manufacturing hub in Guam. There’s no reason why what’s being done via the public sector with manufacturing for defense can’t translate to similar activity, via the private sector, in collaboration with the US’s highest-priority trading partners across China’s backyard.

    Featured image courtesy of Stars and Stripes

  • The Additive Chicken Coop, Part III: Bananas

    A friend of mine, Ed Davis, once pointed out the level of strategic replication in additive. I wasn’t aware of it before and haven’t been able to unsee it since. We can make most everything. And this is rather overwhelming. We can make implants, hearing aids, aircraft parts, toys, the mind boggles. And this vastness of possibility overwhelms us. I’ve previously called this the Van Gogh’s Blank Canvas Problem in 2013. Overcome by the sheer possibility of a blank canvas with infinite paths and outcomes, we freeze in place. This problem is not sufficiently taken into account, and I think that it is a risk to our industry. I think that the strategic replication follows from the Blank Canvas Problem. Coupled with the Additive Chicken Coop, where we all watch each other while drinking the same Kool Aid, it may be one of the most limiting factors in 3D printing. Maybe it’s not lasers, funding, revenue, or technology holding us back, but this.

    There are perhaps over 300 and maybe a 1000 banana cultivars worldwide and over 1000 wild varieties. Bananas can be red, Blue Java bananas, reportedly taste like ice cream, while others have pink flowers. Most bananas are grown in India, followed by China, Indonesia, Brazil, and Ecuador. Tropical countries around the world grow bananas. The first domestication and first cultivars probably occurred in New Guinea. Somewhere between 8,000 and 5,000 BCE, humans began cultivating bananas.

    According to this source,

    “From New Guinea and the Philippines, bananas dispersed far and wide across the tropics, in all directions. It is probable that bananas arrived in India, Indonesia, Australia, and Malaysia, within the first two millennia after domestication. Plantains may have been grown in eastern Africa as early as 3000 BCE, and in Madagascar by 1000 BCE. The plantain had certainly reached the African continent between 500 BCE and 500 CE. Buddhist literature notes the existence of the banana in 600 BCE, and when Alexander the Great’s expeditions led him to India in 327 BCE, he stumbled across the fruit. Perhaps most surprising, the banana may have arrived in South America well ahead of Europeans, as early as 200 BCE, carried by sailors of Southeast Asian origin. By the 3rd century CE, plantains were being cultivated on plantations in China….By the 1200s, the banana had reached into North Africa and in Moorish-controlled Spain. It is also likely that Islamists carried the banana from eastern to western Africa.”

    This is a completely insane development by the way. The spread, so early and so wide, of the banana, along with humans, has made it an important companion throughout much of human history. Plantains, meanwhile, are in the same genus but have a different taste, are used in cooking rather than raw, and are spread worldwide through different paths. Since the Neanderthals and Denisovans populated the earth together with Homo sapiens, this fruit has been an important food source. Today, from a rich country’s healthy snack to an African and South American staple, it’s intertwined with our lives. Today, the banana is the single best-selling item in the supermarket in many countries. The industry has revenues of over $180 billion.

    But their importance goes deeper than that,

    “The most traded variety is the Cavendish banana, which accounts for just under half of global production and has an estimated annual production volume of 50 million tonnes. Bananas are particularly significant in some of the least-developed, low-income, food-deficit countries, where they can contribute not only to household food security as a staple but also to income generation as a cash crop.”

    Banana production will grow and is expanding across the world, but there are production shortages caused by adverse weather conditions in several other supplying countries. Losses and additional costs stemming from the spread of plant diseases, importantly, the Banana Fusarium Wilt Tropical Race 4. This disease, also known as Panama Disease, may actually wipe out most banana production worldwide.

    How exactly can one disease have so much impact? Especially considering that there are 300 cultivars, 1000 wild species, and the distribution of the banana is so widespread? The immense genetic variation of the banana and its incredible ability to morph and survive in different forms have been negated because over half of the world’s production is in one variant, the Cavendish. The Cavendish is even more important than the 50% statistic suggests because it is the Chiquita banana, the one that is traded worldwide and so provides income for poor people and developing nations. The Cavendish can not reproduce; the banana is a clone.

    This, of course, is handy if you’re a large fruit company looking to control the market, but it is now a threat to millions of livelihoods. The Cavendish is also a banana that works well with the current banana system. The Cavendish holds up well in reefers and container transport and can ripen during the journey. With planning, it can be cultivated in several countries simultaneously, supplying homes worldwide with identical bananas year-round. So this one perfect banana that works well for the market right now is under threat because its genetic diversity is limited.

    This sounds kind of stupid for a $140 to 180 billion industry to do. But it’s even more stupid than you think because this has happened before. In the 1950s, a single clone of a single cultivar, the Gros Michel, almost went extinct due to Panama disease. The Gros Michel was perfect for trading on slower ships at the time and dominated the banana industry worldwide. Across 10 years, the variety was almost wiped out by Panama disease. The banana industry almost collapsed, but big, well-capitalized firms (now in a stronger position due to the malaise affecting undercapitalized small farmers) were able to pivot towards another clone, the Cavendish. For 30 years, the Tr4 variant of Panama disease has spread worldwide to all major growing regions. The industry is doing very little to harness the globally available biodiversity or to develop any solution that may work. In my mind, large companies are waiting for the industry to collapse so they can muscle in more, raise prices against powerful supermarkets, and then introduce their own patented, genetically modified products. A banana crisis, therefore, would in one fell swoop improve the process economics of the large fruit companies forever. This is the only logical explanation for their complacency.

    Now, why did you just read a long article about bananas? Well, because we are essentially in the banana industry. We too have few customers, few markets, are locked into prices, and are stuck. We, too, could look successful before you consider the risks that strategic replication entails.

    Images courtesy of Creative Commons. Attribution: Keepon I, Jeff Warren, and Dan Zen.

  • Harvard’s Jennifer Lewis Lab Is 3D Printing Artificial Muscles That Twist and Bend on Demand

    Researchers at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a new way to 3D print materials that can move on their own, bending, twisting, and contracting without motors or traditional mechanical systems. The work, recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, points to a future where motion is built directly into materials.

    The research comes from the lab of Jennifer Lewis, a pioneer in 3D printing and soft materials. Her team created what are essentially artificial muscles. 3D printed filaments and structures made from two materials that react differently to heat, causing them to change shape in predictable ways. So instead of assembling moving parts, the team prints motion into the material itself, working alongside fellow Harvard professors Joanna Aizenberg, a materials scientist, and L. Mahadevan, professor of applied mathematics.

    Printing motion into matter

    The idea is that each filament is printed using two materials, one that shrinks when heated and one that stays the same. Because they react differently, the structure bends or twists when the temperature changes. A key part of this is that the team rotates the print nozzle during fabrication, creating what are known as composite filaments with a controlled internal structure. This rotational printing step is what enables the twisting and more complex, controlled deformation seen in the final material. In other words, the motion is built into the material during printing, not added afterward. The result is a new type of “active” material that can move in complex ways without motors or external parts.

    What makes this work possible is the type of 3D printing the team uses. Instead of standard plastic extrusion, they rely on a form of direct ink writing, a technique the Lewis Lab has helped develop over the years. And because the materials are soft and responsive, they can be engineered at the filament level, which is exactly where the motion is designed.

    The key is in how the materials are arranged. By placing the “active” and “passive” materials side by side and controlling their orientation as they are printed, the team can decide ahead of time how the structure will behave. If the layers are aligned one way, the filament bends. If they are rotated, it twists. That level of control turns the printing process itself into a way of “programming movement.”

    The team showed a series of demos where the printed structures curl, twist, and even form changing lattice shapes when exposed to heat. Some behave a bit like soft robotic parts, while others feel closer to biological tissue. What stands out is the type of motion. It’s smooth, continuous, and reversible, something that’s hard to pull off with traditional rigid components.

    Active–passive lattices with homogeneous shape morphing. Image courtesy of Harvard SEAS.

    Another important detail is the material system itself. These aren’t rigid plastics, but soft polymers designed to respond to temperature changes. When heated, one side contracts slightly while the other resists, creating internal stress that drives the movement. That’s what allows the structures to move in a controlled and repeatable way.

    Materials like these could be used in soft robotics, medical devices that adapt inside the body, and flexible systems that respond to their surroundings. Because the motion is built directly into the material, there’s no need for motors, hinges, or complex assemblies, which could make them easier to make and more reliable over time.

    A familiar lab with a long history in 3D printing

    Jennifer Lewis’ Lab at Harvard’s SEAS. Image courtesy of 3DPrint.com.

    For those who have followed additive manufacturing for years, the Lewis Lab is not new to this kind of breakthrough. It has been at the forefront of printing functional materials for a long time, including early work in bioprinting.

    I was lucky enough to walk through the Lewis Lab during a recent visit, and you can still see that history in the space. Among the projects and prototypes is one of the first bioprinters the team developed, an early step toward printing living systems, which I covered in more detail in my earlier visit. That same mindset, which is about bringing together materials science and fabrication, still drives the work today.

    What started with printing simple structures and later living materials is now moving into printing materials that actively respond and move. It is less about making objects and more about creating systems that behave in specific ways.

    This latest research builds on that foundation, pushing 3D printing beyond static parts and into dynamic, responsive systems.

    At the back of the lab, next to a multi-axis bioprinter, a custom machine developed in-house by the Lewis Lab, first pioneered by Jennifer Lewis and her then-postdoc Mark Skylar-Scott. Today, it anchors much of the lab’s effort to print complex, living tissues. Image courtesy of 3DPrint.com.

    There is still work to be done before these materials are used in real-world products, especially when it comes to scaling and durability. But the concept is that instead of designing machines with many moving parts, engineers may be able to design materials that move, adapt, and respond on their own. And if the Lewis Lab’s track record is any indication, this is likely just the beginning.

  • 3D Printing Financials: Materialise Improves Margins Despite Flat Revenue

    Materialise (Euronext and NASDAQ: MTLS) started 2026 with stable revenue, stronger margins, and better operating profit, helped by growth in medical and improved profitability in software. The Belgian 3D printing company also continued reshaping parts of its manufacturing business as it puts more focus on medical, software, and other steadier areas of additive manufacturing (AM).

    Shares of Materialise fell roughly 4% following the earnings release, with MTLS trading between $5.34 and $5.45 in morning trading, even after the company reported stronger margins and improved operating profit.

    Printed, molded parts are removed for further processing at the ACTec foundry. Image courtesy of Materialise.

    For the first quarter of 2026, Materialise reported revenue of €66.3 million, nearly unchanged from €66.4 million during the same period last year. While overall revenue stayed flat, Materialise said growth in its medical business was partly offset by continued weakness in manufacturing, particularly in automotive and prototyping demand.

    The company’s medical segment was the strongest performer. Medical revenue rose 6.7% to €33.2 million, compared to €31.1 million a year earlier. The segment remains Materialise’s largest business and one of its most important growth areas, helped by demand for personalized medical devices, surgical planning tools, and hospital-based 3D printing applications.

    Materialise’s new personalized PEEK CMF implant. Image courtesy of Materialise.

    Materialise’s software revenue was weaker, slipping 1.4% to €9.6 million from €9.8 million a year ago, though the company said foreign exchange pressure from the weaker U.S. dollar affected results during the quarter. On a constant-currency basis, Materialise said software revenue would have grown year over year. Profitability in the segment also improved sharply, with adjusted EBITDA rising 87.4% to €1.1 million.

    Manufacturing was the weakest segment. Revenue fell 8.1% to €23.5 million, down from €25.5 million in the first quarter of 2025. Even so, the segment’s adjusted EBITDA improved to €281,000, compared to a loss of €377,000 a year earlier.

    Manufacturing was the weakest segment. Revenue fell 8.1% to €23.5 million, down from €25.5 million in the first quarter of 2025, reflecting continued weakness in automotive and prototyping demand. Still, the business improved sequentially compared to the previous three quarters, helped by growth in aerospace, defense, and semiconductor applications. The segment’s adjusted EBITDA also improved to €281,000, compared to a loss of €377,000 a year earlier.

    In Q1, the firm reported a net profit of €1.8 million, or 3 cents per share, compared to a loss during the same period last year. The company also said stronger margins and tighter cost controls helped improve overall profitability during the quarter.

    Brigitte de Vet-Veithen from Materialise speaks at AMS 2025. Image courtesy of 3DPrint.com

    According to CEO Brigitte de Vet-Veithen, the company continues to see very different conditions across industries and regions. Europe, particularly the automotive sector, remains soft, while aerospace and defense are showing stronger momentum.

    “In our aerospace market, we see further investments in our end markets that also benefit the additive industry, including us. Defense is another industry where budgets are being freed up now and where we see positive dynamics. It’s a very diverse picture where the U.S. markets are showing a more positive trend than the European markets,” noted de Vet-Veithen during an earnings call with investors. 

    Materialise CEO Brigitte de Vet-Veithen at Additive Manufacturing Strategies 2024. Image courtesy of 3DPrint.com/Ashley Alleyne.

    Materialise also announced the spin-offs of both its RapidFit and Eyewear businesses, transferring the operations to their respective management teams as independent companies. RapidFit specializes in 3D printed jigs, fixtures, and quality control tools for the automotive industry. Over the years, the business grew into a specialized manufacturing operation serving automotive customers with custom tooling and inspection solutions. Eyewear, meanwhile, developed into a separate consumer-focused business centered on customized 3D printed eyewear products. 

    According to Materialise, both businesses will continue operating under their existing leadership teams, giving them more flexibility to focus on their own markets while allowing Materialise to concentrate more heavily on its core software, medical, and manufacturing operations. The company said the changes will help the businesses operate “closer to its customers and markets” as they enter “their next phase of growth.”

    Along with the operational changes, Materialise continued its share buyback program during the quarter. It ended the period with a net cash position of €72.8 million, up from €71.3 million at the end of 2025.

    Materialise HQ in Belgium. Image courtesy of Materialise.

    The results come at a time when much of the 3D printing industry is still dealing with slower industrial spending and weaker customer demand. Several publicly traded AM companies have spent the last two years cutting costs, reorganizing parts of their businesses, or focusing more on markets that have remained steadier.

    For Materialise, healthcare continues to play a major role in that strategy. Medical applications remain one of the most commercially established parts of the 3D printing industry, particularly in areas like surgical guides, personalized devices, and hospital-based manufacturing. During the quarter, the company expanded its medical portfolio with new patient-specific PEEK implants and launched OrthoView 3D Hip, a CT-based surgical planning platform for hip procedures.

    In fact, de Vet-Veithen said the company remains focused on integrating new tools into a single workflow for hospitals and surgeons: “Until now, surgeons working with Materialise had titanium as their patient-specific option. With this launch, they have an additional choice. The new offering integrates seamlessly into our existing digital workflow and completes our offering. 

    She then added that “the healthcare market at large globally remains a healthy environment. The exception would be academic markets, where we see primarily in the U.S., the impact of funding cuts that have been issued already last year, and they’re continuing this year.”

    L-R: Dominic Stoerkle, Evonik; Bryan Dow, Cantor Fitzgerald; Brigitte de Vet-Veithen, Materialise; Joe Calmese, ADDMAN; Matteo Rigamonti, Weerg. Image courtesy of 3DPrint.com.

    At the same time, the company appears increasingly focused on improving efficiency across the business. While revenue was mostly flat during the quarter, higher margins and stronger adjusted EBIT showed signs of better operational performance.

    For the full year, Materialise reaffirmed its 2026 guidance. The company expects revenue for the year between €273 million and €283 million, with adjusted EBIT expected to range between €10 million and €12 million.