According to the latest data from Additive Manufacturing Research (AM Research or AMR), the 3D printing markets totaled $4.35 billion in the first quarter of 2026. The leading industry analyst firm, which has been providing market reports for the 3D printing/AM sector since 2013, just recently published its “Q1 2026 3DP/AM Market Data and Forecast” reports for the polymer AM and metal AM markets.
Additionally, AM Research also published its “3DP/AM Market Insights: Q1 2026” report, which distills and analyzes the data found in the Q1 2026 market data and forecast reports, and features exclusive AM Research insight, data cuts, and commentary. The firm’s quarterly product about the 3D printing/AM market data tracks the markets by geography, machine class, print technology, vendor, and application.
Scott Dunham during the AMS 2026 Market Data Outlook presentation. Image courtesy of 3DPrint.com.
“Q1 2026 mostly continued the growth trend for AM, continuing to ride the train of global supply chain reorganization and government-backed defense and national security initiatives where the traditional means of production may not be able to provide fast enough solutions,” said Scott Dunham, AM Research Executive Vice President. “Growth is not even across the industry, but it certainly is a growth period, and the first quarter of the year continued on the momentum from the second half of last year.”
Speaking of additive in defense initiatives, AM Research and 3DPrint.com recently hosted the UAS Additive Strategies online event, which focused on manufacturing drones at scale with 3D printing. According to another recent AM Research report, the market for additive manufacturing in drones reached approximately $140 million in 2025, and could approach $900 million by 2034. So it’s no surprise that defense is driving growth in the industry.
The markets continue to move in an upwards trajectory, as you can see in the chart below, which shows the AM primary market in various segments from Q1 2025 through Q1 2026.
The data, which covers ceramic, metal, and polymer 3D printers, as well as materials and services, shows year over year total market growth of 13.1%. The sequential total market size increased from $4.29 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025 to $4.35 billion in Q1 2026.
During this same quarter last year, the metal AM market was $1.52 billion, and the polymer AM market was $2.33 billion. Now, metal AM has reached $1.76 billion, and polymer AM is $2.59 billion. In Q1 of 2025, the combined AM Services market totaled $2.07 billion, and it’s up to $2.42 billion now.
AM Research looked at many AM industry companies in its “Core Metals” and “Core Polymers” tracking data, as well as its “3DP/AM Market Insights” report. These include 3D Systems, Stratasys, Velo3D, ATLIX, EOS, Nikon SLM Solutions, HP, Nano Dimension (Markforged and Desktop Metal), Formlabs, Carbon, Creality, Bambu Lab, Prodways, Renishaw, Optomec, Colibrium Additive, Farsoon Technologies, Eplus3D, BeAM, Bright Laser Technologies (BLT), and more.
Both the “Core Metals” and “Core Polymers” market data offerings are built on, and include, almost ten years of historical quarterly data. In addition, they also provide ten-year forward forecasts. If you’re interested in our quarterly reports on the metal and polymer AM markets, visit the AM Research website. These Excel-based products are available as a one-time purchase, or as a subscription (quarterly updates, one-year term). You can also request a sample report if you’re not quite sure yet. AM Research also offers custom data projects, so just contact us if you’re interested.
The companion to these reports, the quarterly “3DP/AM Market Insights,” is also available to purchase as either a standalone product or as a subscription. Pairing proprietary charting and graphs with a written analysis, this offers the “Core Metals” and “Core Polymers” with context, insight, direction, and a little color.
Modena-based CRP, a CNC and 3D printing service to some exacting customers as well as a material vendor, has been an incredible innovator for many years. Whether it is creating 3D printed parts for the bridge manufacturing of sports cars, developing cutting-edge powder materials, or delivering on innovative parts, the firm has always looked ahead. Now it wants to assign a unique market to 3D printed parts with the launch of CRP UniqTrust, a new digital traceability system.
Franco Cevolini, CEO of CRP Group, says,
“For over fifty-five years, we have been manufacturing components for those who cannot afford margins of error. CRP UniqTrust is the natural evolution of this culture: it is no longer enough for a part to be expertly made — it must be able to prove its own identity and conformity at any point in its life cycle.”
For parts made with CRP’s Windform SLS 3D print service, you can verify authenticity, check when and out of what material a part has been made, and more through scanning it. The idea is that “digital identity gathers, in a single record, the information that accompanies the component throughout the supply chain — certificate of authenticity, order references, part code, material used — which can be enriched on request with customized technical documentation.” The “digital identity relies on a non-clonable element, placed in the packaging and associated with the part during the manufacturing process at CRP Technology.” Now that’s all rather mysterious, and the company says that “for verification, an authorized operator simply holds the enabled device close to the packaging, and confirmation is immediate.”
The firm hopes that CRP UniqTrust could help replace a lot of the labels and physical papers that travel along with parts. I really like the idea that you can always tell where a part came from, what material it is, and more. CRP also says that it “flags read requests that are inconsistent with the intended recipient company, safeguarding the integrity of the supply chain.”
CRP says that it is doing this in advance of the Digital Product Passport, mandated by the European Union. The EU’s Digital Product Passport directive is meant to give all the products in the EU a unique identifier so that, for sustainability and authenticity, everything can be chased. So once that directive gets implemented, this could be a great product.
The company worked on CRP UniqTrust with Pengo Idee Onlife, a tool to collect products to apps, and with product identification tool Contatto Divino from the same firm. Contatto uses NFC tags and QR codes to connect products to digital registries. I think that this is a great initiative. For things like aerospace parts, we know that there are counterfeits, and that could be a huge problem at some point. We know that people are going to be using 3D printing to counterfeit things generally as well. And we know that there is a burgeoning MRO opportunity in lots of spare parts that may be authentic, but will be made differently from the original one. There is a lot of room for abuse. And if you developed a secure way of identifying one unique part, it could really help combat counterfeiting.
I can’t be sure here if CRP is printing QR codes on the item or putting an NFC tag into it. But, you could also scan each item and locate some unique surface features, layers, or pores to uniquely identify that item. More firms should think about adopting technology like this to ensure compliance and authenticity. It can also be super handy for users to understand what material they’re dealing with, how to dispose of something or recycle it, how to order spare parts, and more. I really think that in digital custodianship and lifecycle management, a lot of value will be created. So to future proof your products and to extend the functionality of your prints while also ensuring authenticity, have a look at what CRP is up to.
IperionX has raised about $50 million through a public offering to speed up the commercial rollout of its U.S. titanium manufacturing business. The company sold 2.275 million shares at $21.98 each. It plans to use the funding to expand production in Virginia, continue developing its titanium project in Tennessee, and support research into its low-carbon titanium technologies.
Rather than using the proceeds for acquisitions or debt repayment, IperionX said it will invest directly in expanding its manufacturing business. The company plans to increase production capacity at its Titanium Manufacturing Campus in Virginia, while also continuing development of the Camden Titanium Project in Tennessee.
IperionX is trying to build a domestic titanium supply chain at a time when the United States is placing greater emphasis on producing critical materials at home. Instead of relying on traditional titanium production methods, the company has developed technologies to recycle titanium scrap and manufacture new titanium products at lower cost and with lower emissions. Its titanium can be used in industries including aerospace, defense, automotive, and additive manufacturing.
Titanium has long been considered one of the most important materials for high-performance manufacturing. It is as strong as many types of steel while weighing much less, making it attractive for industries where reducing weight can improve performance or lower fuel consumption. Those qualities have made titanium a key material for aircraft, spacecraft, defense systems, medical implants, and other demanding applications.
The company has been steadily moving from research into commercial production over the past two years. It has secured funding and support from the U.S. Department of Defense, expanded manufacturing in Virginia, and continued developing the large titanium mineral resource at its Tennessee project. Those efforts reflect the growing demand for domestically produced titanium as manufacturers seek more secure supply chains.
That demand has become even more important as governments and manufacturers look to reduce their dependence on overseas suppliers for critical materials. In recent years, the United States has increased its focus on strengthening domestic supply chains for metals used in aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing. Companies such as IperionX hope to benefit from that shift by producing titanium closer to the customers that use it.
IperionX is currently producing 100% recycled titanium metal powder from titanium scrap feedstock in Utah. Image courtesy of IperionX.
The announcement is also important for the additive manufacturing industry as a whole. Titanium is one of the most widely used metals in industrial 3D printing because it combines high strength with low weight. It is commonly used to produce aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial components, making a larger domestic supply of titanium an important step for manufacturers that rely on metal additive manufacturing.
Titanium is already one of the most common metals used in industrial 3D printing, especially for aerospace, defense, and medical parts. As more companies bring metal additive manufacturing into production, demand for a steady supply of titanium continues to grow. Expanding production in the United States could give manufacturers another domestic source for the material.
For IperionX, the financing is another step in its transition from developing new titanium technologies to producing them at commercial scale. The company’s long-term goal is to build an integrated U.S. titanium business, covering everything from raw materials and recycled titanium feedstock to finished titanium products for advanced manufacturing markets. If successful, the expansion would strengthen domestic titanium production while supporting industries that rely on lightweight, high-performance materials.
ugee has released the Funbox, a 3D printer for kids. The company is a part of Hanvon Ugee Technology Group, a manufacturer and distributor of drawing tablets under the ugee, Xence Labs, and XPpen brands. ugee now promises a “first kid-only desktop 3D printer built on three core pillars: home-grade safety, one-tap easy operation, AI-powered creative play.”
AI-powered play is something that fills me with dread, but safety is good. The central idea is to help kids turn their 2D sketches into 3D prints. This could make 3D printing very accessible indeed. The company says that they have a “kid-tailored OS and original AI design generation” and is aiming the printer at “4-12 year olds.”
Amy Yuan, Global Brand Director at ugee, said,
“As 3D printing matures, we see strong demand for kid- and beginner-friendly printers with better safety and usability. We deliver reliable safety backed by dual purification systemsand UL certification to ease parents’ worries about children’s respiratory health. We aim to make 3D printing accessible to all, not just tech experts. We iterated products around safety, ease and fun: full one-tap operation from unboxing, streamlined workflows and kid-focused interfaces. AI fuels easy creation, making home toy printing simple and delightful. Most importantly, children build creative thinking and problem-solving skills through play, fully aligned with STEAM education,”
The Funbox has 12V power and meets IEC norms. It comes with a dual HEPA and activated carbon filter and an exhaust fan, and is made to adhere to international standards, such as ASTM F963-23 toy safety certifications.
With quite the fighting words, the company says that the printer is:
“Different from open-structured rivals like Bambu Lab A1 Mini with exposed high-temperature nozzles and unfiltered exhaust, Funbox supports stable overnight printing inside closed carpeted rooms, eliminating parents’ core worries over indoor air pollution and accidental scalding.”
The printer, made for “preschool beginners to teen hobbyists,” comes with its own UFun mobile application and reportedly prints at 500mm/s. It has different levels of slicing and uses a 2MP HD for remote monitoring and time lapses. There’s also a filament run out, spaghetti detection, and resume features. The idea here is to “let kids operate independently.”
The company has made AI ShapeGen tools where kids can use voice, text, or sketches as input for AI-generated files. Additionally, there’s a library of files available. The company will also offer STEM courses to “guide children to learn structural design and engineering logic during hands-on making.” Interestingly, the printer is open, and can take regular 1.75mm PLA, which should keep costs low. The Funbox will be available starting July 15th on the ugee website. The price is supposed to be $329, but it is currently being offered for $269. If you buy now, you also get seven rolls of filament.
So first off, it’s totally Kawaii, it’s super cute. Plus, the filtration seems like a very good idea, and the app and file sharing tool seems like a very sensible thing to do. And if the AI creation tool lets you reliably make files well, then it could really be used a lot. I hope that they also have some CAD-like parametric tools as well. Kids love putting their name on things and marking things, so this would be a good thing to have. I’m not sure about the build volume. Also, this is this firm’s first printer, so I’m always wary about this. I don’t like the fact that there’s no dry box to keep the PLA from getting too much moisture. Not having this makes me worry a bit about how knowledgeable these guys are. I also don’t know how a nozzle clog will be cleared, so that’s something I’m curious about.
I like the safety focus generally and it all seems very sensible. Going after all the relevant certifications is surely a good sign as well. I’m a little less sure about toddlers, preschoolers, and four-year-olds. I’m all for 3D printing and really think that kids can learn a lot about maths, engineering, making, crafting, failing, software, CAD, and solving problems with 3D printing. I’ve seen kids make incredible things with 3D printers, but four seems very young. What do you think? Would you give your four-year-old a printer? What is the right age to give kids a printer?
I really think that a software-driven approach could make 3D printing much more accessible. And I do think that strategically coming in with a kids made system is one niche that may let a firm take on the major 3D printer vendors. The fact that ugee is even trying this at all is interesting, and could point to more Chinese consumer electronics firms launching similar propositions. Could a xiaomi printer be a possibility? Having said this, the established players look formidable right now. If this works and they are willing to risk the safety issues, then surely they will follow. Or could ugee build up experience and a market for children and then grow to be a real threat to our current market?
EOS is adding Constellium Aheadd CP1 to its materials offering. In EOS-land, the material will be called EOS Aluminium Constellium CP1. In addition to the new CP1, Constellium’s Al5X1 material will also stay in the portfolio, renamed to the snazzy EOS Aluminium Constellium Al5X1. The company also hopes that newer aluminium materials will enter into service on the back of this development. The two firms have made validated process parameters for the materials. What’s more, you can now get help from EOS’s Additive Minds team to scale up production in these powders quickly.
Ludovic Piquier, Senior Vice President, Manufacturing Excellence and Chief Technical Officer at Constellium, stated,
“This partnership represents a unique opportunity to bring next-generation aluminium alloys into industrial additive manufacturing at scale. By combining Constellium’s alloy development expertise with EOS’ leadership in AM, we aim to accelerate innovation and unlock new high-performance applications for customers worldwide.”
EOS CTO Joachim Zettler said,
“With EOS Aluminium Constellium CP1, EOS Aluminium Constellium Al5X1, and our partnership with Constellium, we are setting a new benchmark for aluminium in additive manufacturing. Together, we are enabling higher performance, greater productivity, and faster industrial adoption for our customers.”
This is great news for $8 billion revenue aluminium giant Constellium. It’s also yet another sign of the rise of what we call “designer aluminiums.” In a deep dark past, we had something called AlSi10Mg. I called this “stupid aluminium” because someone would ask me if we had something called the 6000 series, which by the way is not some BMW from the future or a graphics card, but a material. I would then feel kind of stupid when I told them that all we had is something called AlSi10Mg, which they would have invariably never heard of and not understand. They would ask about things like “six oh six one,” and I’d then kind of take the conversation back to titanium. Subsequently, people figured out that rather than being some niche thing, it could be super useful because we could do magical things with it. Beyond wrapping sandwiches, you see aluminium can be made to run super fast on LPBF machines, which makes it cheap. You can also have some that will let you anodize it or make post-processing easy and cheap. Slowly we’ve been coming around to this fantastic stuff with proprietary, unique flavors of it, like the Equispheres version.
EOS Aluminium Constellium CP1 – Demo Hydraulic Manifold
EOS says that it likes EOS Aluminium Constellium CP1 because of its elongation, better strength, and thermal stability. The material’s lack of Mg and Zn help for “stable processing at high laser power and increased productivity,” and it also has good corrosion resistance and thermal conductivity. It’s also easy to anodize and polish electrochemically with easier heat treatment without quenching. These last few factors mean that it’s cheaper to process, taking out some process steps and making part failure less likely.
The company thinks that people will use it to make semiconductor heat sinks and wafer carriers, lightweight parts, and parts for corrosive places like plants. It also mentions heat exchangers, and this is likely where a lot of the excitement is centered on. Heat exchangers are great for 3D printing because they need different geometry throughout the changer, since the material will behave differently at different moments and stages. Thin walls are also important, as is thermal conductivity. You want to make them conformal, as small and efficient as possible, and improve flow with 3D printing. And if you can reduce processing steps and print them quickly, they’ll be nice and cheap too.
Heat exchangers are everywhere, and they can really affect the performance of an engine, a rocket, a really big machine made in Eindhoven, a complex system, anything really. In a lot of industries, heat exchangers are important. And if you’re already working with 3D printing for your wings and seeker, then the heat exchanger could also benefit from 3D printing. In critical applications and applications where mass matters, heat exchange performance separately also often matters. And of course you can get mass and other benefits from making your heat exchanger lighter and smaller. This is the most valuable when the craft is expensive or its performance is critical. So these advantages compound one another. And there are literally millions of heat exchangers in use in quite high end applications. This is a significant opportunity for us.
EOS is nice enough to say that “many existing AlSi10Mg applications can benefit from EOS Aluminium Constellium CP1’s improved processing characteristics and performance advantages, offering manufacturers an affordable, high-performance solution.” So let’s totally re-qualify all the stupid aluminum stuff! Meanwhile, “Al5X1 provides a high-strength, high-elongation, and anodizable solution for demanding aerospace, transportation, and motorsport applications.” That too has one-step, non-quenching heat treatment, and a “400 MPa and an elongation exceeding 13% after heat treatment.” It’s kind of better in shocks or with repeated stress maybe? Perhaps it’s like a space or satellite material? Or is it just some F1 hydraulics or intercooler thing? Maybe since you can now make 3D printed suspension uprights, it’s for that? The FIA has allowed CP1 previously, but seems to be more open to different alloys now, its long term hate campaign against beryllium notwithstanding. And of course, with the proviso that they’re not used in heat exchanger bodies.
I love this. EOS is opening up to software, adjustments, and materials. Many more people are going to be able to do more with their magic boxes. And CP1 to me just sounds like a perfectly sensible material for the future of additive in mature production applications.
Despite years of increasing public focus on the issue of affordable housing, it wasn’t until the end of last year that US federal policymakers introduced a comprehensive bill to address the problem. The bill — called the “21st Century Road to Housing Act” — has now passed through both houses of the US Congress, providing a national framework that should facilitate new solutions for builders aiming to lower costs and pass the savings on to homebuyers.
Meanwhile, the private sector has already been busy making its own breakthroughs towards putting a dent in persistently rising housing prices, and additive construction (AC) is a key part of that story. Most recently, RIC Robotics, an AC service provider headquartered in Denver, announced that it’s working on one of the largest single 3D printed housing builds, on 55 acres in central Colorado.
The overall community, called Cleora, will comprise 106 homes, with around two-thirds of those homes planned to be built using RIC’s AC robots. Uniquely, Cleora is being planned as its own metro district, integrating provisions of infrastructure including utilities and recreational facilities into the blueprint.
Additionally, the project managers for Cleora will partner with Colorado Mountain College, a local community college, to train students for careers in automated construction. According to RIC Robotics, seven homes have been completed thus far, and multiple units have already been sold.
In a press release about the Cleora planned community being built in Colorado with RIC Robotics’ hardware, Dr. Ryan Cox, the CEO of RIC Robotics, said, “Much of the conversation around 3D-printed construction has centered on individual homes and demonstration projects. Cleora represents a significant step forward because it demonstrates how robotics can be integrated into a real community at meaningful scale. The project is helping answer important questions about how technology can support the future of housing delivery, from construction efficiency and workforce development to long-term community growth.”
Greg Kenny, the Managing Partner of Cleora, said, “From day one, our vision wasn’t simply to build 3D-printed homes, it was to prove that robotics could transform how entire communities are designed and delivered. Cleora is demonstrating that this technology is ready to move beyond prototypes and become a practical, scalable solution for real neighborhoods. RIC Robotics has been an outstanding technology partner in helping bring that vision to life.”
There’s at least one major provision in the affordable housing bill which should benefit this sort of project in the future, which is a grant program that will fast-track construction projects working from “a collection of pre-approved housing designs.” More broadly, the very fact that DC is now prioritizing affordable housing solutions on a bipartisan level, and is embracing a certain amount of creativity in approaching the issue, bodes well for the AC market.
Construction is unique insofar as you need some sufficient baseline of public policy cooperation to accomplish things like Cleora, which are required at this point in order to make the cost economics of AC work. But it’s still noteworthy that 3D printed construction enterprises have managed to figure out various formulas for systematizing public-private construction partnerships in a relatively short period of time.
That’s something that the AM industry as a whole could learn from, and it also signals that, now that it is catching on, 3D printed housing could grow more quickly than has been anticipated. Personally, I don’t love the idea of private entities managing communities the way that the public sector is supposed to have been doing, but the public sector has dropped the ball on a massive scale in this and so many other areas, so it’s perhaps to be expected.
On the other hand, maybe the new support that politicians are demonstrating for a social equity issue like housing points to a future where the public sector starts to once again assume more of the responsibilities that were previously solely within the purview of government, but this time with the help of emerging technology industries. It’s a very strange world that’s in the process of forming! Let’s hope that at the very least it’s one where the goal of home ownership no longer seems impossible.
UV printing has been around for ages, of course. But, since a few years ago, desktop UV printers have made their way into households, small businesses, and enterprises. These machines can often print textures and print on things like mugs. They’ve become money makers for solopreneurs and helped small businesses make souvenirs, mementos, and products.
We can all remember Rize, which combined color inkjet with Material Extrusion to make tough but colorful parts. It’s easy to see how inkjet on top of Material Extrusion or Vat Polymerization parts would solve a lot of our problems. At the same time, by separating the printing and coloring steps into two different machines, or two processes in one machine, it could be more efficient.
To me it’s clear: we’re on a collision course with the UV printer industry. I don’t know how realistic it is to take any 3D printed part and somehow spin it around so an inkjet can color all of it. This is an obvious idea, but I’m not sure how hard it would be to make it real, it looks complex. But, people are working on making different versions of this process real. I do know that it would be totally doable to do this for some parts, designed in a particular way to be colored easily through inkjet printing. Imagine that as long as you had flat surfaces, round surfaces of certain angles, and planes of a certain size, the machine could color those areas. That alone would be huge for us.
At the same time we can see that UV printers are very successful. And some companies such as Anker, Mimaki, Roland DG, and Snapmaker are active in both 3D printing and UV printing. So I know that given their capabilities, eventually we will get an Advanced 3D printing and UV printing capability whereby advanced UV 3D printers will be able to color some surfaces through inkjet. It seems completely obvious (although not easy!) to me, so I thought I’d share what is going on.
Eufymake
The most obvious success point in this arena is EufyMake. You may not have heard of desktop UV printers, but you may have heard about their whopping $46,762,258 Kickstarter. The Eufymake E1 is a full-color desktop texture UV printer, selling for around $2500. The same firm raised $8 million for the AnkerMake 3D printer. And yes, that means they are backed by Anker. This firm has shown incredible marketing prowess in 3D printing and UV. Anker is a $4.24 billion revenue firm, but more than this, the company makes its money from power banks, headphones, security cameras, and plugs. Making money from power banks is really the coal face of capitalism. I can not imagine how difficult it would be to launch and maintain a headphone company now. Do you fear Bambu? Well, Anker is what keeps the panda up at night. UV on 3D is already a point of interest for the firm and I just feel that they’re working on it.
Snapmaker
Snapmaker is well known in 3D printing. Their U1 is an interesting multi tool head system. It also has the Artisan 3-in-1 system, which has a laser and CNC as well as 3D printing. It’s easy to see this company going deeper into integrating UV into their experience and making a 4-in-1.
Mimaki
Japanese firm Mimaki already makes a 3D printing machine that is full color. It also makes a lot of other flatbed machines in small to large models. Here, Mimaki will probably stick to its inkjet-based 3D printing. But, the company has done a lot of the hard work in color mapping and the like, so its print heads or technology could be a basis for a combined solution.
Roland DG
Japanese firm Roland makes a lot of CNC and other tools generally. The firm is also a leader on UV and inkjet on a lot of different surfaces. In its VersaStudio BD series, it already has a desktop UV flatbed, but it’s priced at around $6000. Roland typically makes good machines though, and is pioneering effective printing on things like golfballs and other non-traditional surfaces.
It also has a bunch of desktop CNC and milling machines so it could also master getting things in the right position. The firm also has a binder jet 3D printer, and in yet a different division, has a desktop SLA printer for dental. Roland is the company that could totally do this and has all the relevant experience in-house, including printing on many different substrates. As we so far have learned from Japanese corporations, this is the most logical company to do this, but because it is straightforward, they will probably not do it.
Epson
A case in point is Epson of course, which has a series of UV flatbed printers. As you can see, the company is actually developing direct to object printing. The high-end system pairs robots and print heads using its Direct to Shape Printing System. The system uses a “6-axis robot and lifting mechanisms that independently raise and lower the printheads are used in combination to allow Direct to Shape Printing System to flexibly accommodate printing on objects from different angles with outstanding quality and accuracy.” I didn’t know about this when I started the article, so it’s nice that they’re working on making this real. They have everything in-house and I think that it would be interesting for them to commercialize a system to work in combination with 3D printing to finish parts. I’m not sure how real it would be, but this would be incredible for our industry if we could get one.
HeyGears
HeyGears has been making waves as of late with vat polymerization systems. Now. the company wants to make the G1 Series, which combines UV printing with 3D printing.
The HeyGears setup claims to offer 10 million colors with eight channel ink and automated calibration. They showcase a desktop system that can 3D print and UV print. It’s still a bit hazy what they’re doing, but this seems like it will be a combination between vat polymerization and inkjet or UV LED. Maybe it just prints on some cross sections to get color? One crazy thing is that they seem to have nine different ink tanks with a liter capacity each. I’m most excited about HeyGears in the short term because this looks like it’s very interesting indeed.
Procolored
Procolored already has direct-to-garment and other UV systems. Its new X One system costs $3800 and combines laser cutting with UV printing. This could be a really inexpensive way to make colored items, but adding a third dimension to it will probably be hard for the firm.
Inew3D (Simba3D, Tuoyuan)
Inew3D wants to combine 3D printing with AI, so it can take your selfie and turn it into a 3D print. From what I can tell, this could just be a complete copy of Stratasys PolyJet. The company says it has water soluble supports and wants to do a Kickstarter. Its new machine is firmly aimed at consumers, but under the Simba3D and Tuoyuan names, the company previously commercialized the QC2A. Its Kickstarter for the inew3D has raised over a million.
Stratasys
Stratasys of course could do either a PolyJet version for the desktop, or a combination of inkjet and FDM, but there are no signs of this.
3D Systems
3D Systems used to do desktop Material Extrusion, and now has MJP. Conceivably, the company could also mix and match a few technologies to do something similar.
xTool has made a bunch of devices, such as a laser welder and CNC cutter, a heat press, several laser cutters, a screen printer, and a garment printer. Its new Omni can print on fabric, rigid objects, decals, and more. In doing rolls and objects, they’ve managed to make a really complex system that sells for around $2700. I would never fully sleep well if I was competing with a company that makes a digital screen print machine and a handheld laser welder and cutter with a 1200W fiber laser. This is completely insane. You do not know what these guys will do next. And so far they’re making excellent tools, printers, and laser cutters.
Glowforge
Glowforge is making desktop laser cutters and engravers. They really have owned the category for a lot of customers and make accessible products. Nothing they do is complex, it’s just made specific to the user and inexpensive. I have no inclination of them doing something like this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re thinking about it.
Omtech
Omtech makes desktop engravers, UV printers, fabric printers, and embroidery machines. The company mainly caters to services who sell to consumers, so I’m not sure that the firm would make a desktop machine. But, they could make some kind of hybrid system for a more industrial user.
Ricoh
Ricoh has a medical 3D printing service, provides inkjet heads to 3D printing firms, a ceramics binder jet machine, and a full color inkjet solution. This could mean that they’re most likely to focus on the industrial side of things, but they could of course make a full color 3D printer for the desktop.
Morpho
Morpho uses an Epson i3200 print head to make objects up to 60mm. The 8-channel printhead has 400 nozzles for CMYK and 400 for white, and the company claims its system is significantly faster than others.
HP
HP is very active in 3D printing on the industrial side, and also has a lot of different inkjet printers. It does not seem to be in the company’s strategy to make a more desktop-sized, full color unit.
Conclusion
We can see a lot of movement in the desktop UV printer space. Millions are being raised, while new companies are emerging that dominate the space. At the same time, people are integrating lots of different types of devices. One of these days someone will find a way to combine inkjet and desktop 3D printing.
We don’t know it this will be through inkjet and material extrusion, inkjet and vat polymerization, combining two machines in one machine, two separate machines, a combo with robot arms or positioning tools, for many objects, or just some of a particular series. But, I think that 3D printing and UV desktop printing are two worlds that are set to collide.
If these firms compete with us, then we will have to deal with more scrappy, more agile, and much bigger firms than we have been accustomed to. I think that the collision of 3D printing with UV inkjet could be one of the more fundamentally interesting things ever to happen to our market.
High-temperature nickel-based superalloys like MAR-M 247LC (M247LC), the low-carbon version of MAR-M 247, are used for casting in some of the most demanding applications in the world, including gas turbines, energy, aerospace propulsion, and industrial systems. In addition to its high-temperature performance, M247LC also offers cracking resistance, improved ductility, and manufacturability, all of which enable components to work reliably in extreme environments.
But, there are more challenges than ever with traditional investment casting supply chains, from high tooling costs and long lead times to a smaller supplier base. This has led many engineering and manufacturing organizations to investigate alternative production methods, like metal binder jetting (MBJ).
The webinar, moderated by 3DPrint.com, features experts from Texas companies Continuum Powders and AmPd Labs. They will draw on the latest mechanical testing results and qualification progress to show how binder-jetted M247LC has been able to achieve mechanical performance equivalent to conventionally casting, as well as improved ductility and process repeatability.
Tim Neal, CEO, AmPd Labs
There will be three speakers, and the first is Tim Neal, the CEO of AmPd Labs. The Houston-based company helps its customers take advanced metal and polymer parts from concept to production, focusing particularly on speeding up qualification and adoption of high-performance alloys, like M247LC, for aerospace and defense, industrial, and energy applications. During the webinar, Neal will provide a high-level overview of M247LC and why engineers use it, the material’s typical applications, traditional casting workflow limitations, and why many organizations keep using less optimal materials.
Sean Harkins, Co-Founder and COO, AmPd Labs
Sean Harkins, the Co-Founder and COO of AmPd Labs, will focus on MBJ as an alternative production method to casting. He’ll explain why binder jetting is well-suited for MAR-M 247LC, such as faster iteration cycles and reduced lead times, complex geometry advantages, tooling-free manufacturing, and more.
Harkins will then be joined by Sunil Badwe, PhD, the Vice President of R&D at Continuum Powders, which delivers high-quality metal powder solutions for additive manufacturing (AM) and advanced industrial applications. Together, Harkins and Dr. Badwe will review the findings from an AmPd whitepaper about the mechanical properties of binder-jetted MAR-M 247LC.
Sunil Badwe, PhD, VP of R&D, Continuum Powders
Finally, Dr. Badwe will share his materials science perspective on the high-temperature superalloy, including grain structure advantages, the relationship between powder quality and final properties, why ductility improvements are important, and continuing qualification and optimization work.
The webinar will focus on the materials science behind successfully processing M247LC with MBJ, such as microstructure and powder quality, as well as qualification progress. Other discussion points will include the role of reclaimed metal feedstocks in producing high-performance superalloy powders; increasing supply chain resilience and reducing lead times; and opportunities across marine turbine, aerospace and defense, power generation, and oil & gas applications.
The webinar will end with a panel discussion between all of the speakers, and a live Q&A session with whatever time remains.
“Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of where M247LC fits within modern manufacturing strategies, where binder jetting can serve as a viable alternative to investment casting, and how this technology is opening new possibilities for high-temperature production.”
From February 23-25, 2027, Additive Manufacturing Strategies will be back for its 10th iteration. The important AM industry business conference will once again return to New York City, though hopefully without the blizzard this time around. But, while we may not be able to predict the weather, we can tell you what’s on the agenda for AMS X.
Co-produced by Additive Manufacturing Research and 3DPrint.com, AMS has grown from a small summit focused solely on additive healthcare into an event centered on business, investment, and manufacturing economics. It started in Washington DC, moved to Boston, and went virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic, before settling in the Big Apple. AMS X will once again be held at the Museum of Jewish Heritage at 36 Battery Place, overlooking Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
View from the AMS venue.
So, what’s on the agenda? AMS is well-known for its business focus, with many high-ranking executives and decision-makers from some of the industry’s biggest names in attendance over the years. You can see this thread throughout the 2027 event, with presentations on industry data and forecasts, AM workforce development, globalization, and more. Printing Money Live will be back at the end of Day 1, with panels on Capital Strategies for US Reindustrialization and M&A and Capital Markets. A session on AM Investment Strategies will close out Day 2.
Once again, the popular CEO Roundtable will be held at the end of the final day of AMS X. But what’s different this time around is that we’re splitting it into two panels! The first will feature VulcanForms CEO Kevin Kassekert; Sam O’Leary, CEO of Nikon SLM Solutions AG; and Joe Calmese, President and CEO of ADDMAN. The second will welcome Yoav Zeif, CEO of Stratasys; Marie Langer, CEO of EOS; and Materialise CEO Brigitte de Vet-Veithen.
Stratasys CEO Yoav Zeif at AMS 2026.
At AMS X, Zeif will once again give the main conference keynote, just as in several years past. Langer and Glynn Fletcher, Chief Customer Advocate (CCA) for the EOS Group and President of EOS North America, will present a keynote to open Day 2; later in the day, HP‘s SVP & GM of Additive Manufacturing Solutions Alex Monino will present a keynote. Arno Held, AM Ventures Managing Partner, will give a keynote to open the AM Investment Strategies session.
Speaking of AM Ventures, the German investment company is in charge of the opening networking reception, like it has been for the past few years. But just like with the CEO Roundtable, this reception is also being split into two, with one part at the end of Day 1 and a second part at the end of Day II. There will also be an evening mixer (location TBA) after the second part of the AM Ventures networking reception is over, and a farewell happy hour once the conference ends midday on Day 3.
For a long time, Beehive Industries was very mysterious. The secretive firm was burning a lot of cash working on something super secret with a tribe of very experienced Additive people. Led by Mohammad Ehteshami, who spent over 32 years at GE working on the GE90 and other engine programs, the company only fairly recently revealed what it is doing. The company got at least a $29 million SOSSEC consortium contract to make lots of 200- and 125-lpf pound engines, the Frenzy 8 and Frenzy 6.
Beehive is developing a family of engines to power drones, missiles, and other craft. Made with 3D printing, these compact, relatively affordable engines can become a key element in the surge underway as the US scales up 3D printing to produce drones and missiles. War in Iran has shown just how quickly the US can deplete its precision arsenal. And now the US wants to make much more of the things that matter. Hundreds of thousands of craft rather than 2500 of the best airplanes in the world.
And Beehive is filling this gap. Only a few weeks ago, the film announced the biggest public EOS order, for $50 million. This order was already huge, giving the company 30 M4 ONYX 3D printers. That order alone in one fell swoop makes them one of the largest capacity companies in North America. The company said that the order “more than doubles Beehive’s metal additive manufacturing capacity.” That would mean it has around 10 to 20 machines now, and with the order it will have over 50. But now the firm wants to do one better and order two NXG 600E as well. In addition to EOS’s evolution of the 400, it now wants one of the largest production systems also. This is significant. I, for one, will do my darnedest to obtain a Beehive Industries T-shirt or hat of some sort to get unlimited free snacks at trade shows. Beehive has said that it wants to make 8000 engines a year at one point. And of course, if we look at the public order, we can see that, in reality, the order is probably much larger than just the initial $29 million. Publicly, the company has raised over $3 million in funding, so there must be more money coming in somewhere.
Beehive Industries’ Frenzy engine. Image courtesy of Beehive Industries.
Additionally, the company has bought two local machine shops, Planet Products and Able Tool, to help them finish parts and perform CNC work. This, coupled with the Nikon order, means the Ohio-based company is scaling across the board. And being in Ohio is a great asset. There will be real political help there for the firm in Washington if it brings in orders and creates more jobs for the state. Manufacturing is important to Ohio, and the state has been a locus of lots of America Makes attention and love. Including rent, the cost of living in Ohio could be as much as 28% lower than in Los Angeles, and rent could be half as much. This could be an advantage in paying people more or having them live better for the same money. Sure, LA is cooler, but how many taco truck tacos equal an extra bedroom?
Beehive states that the NXG purchase is set to fund and calls it a “significant investment in NXG 600E systems.” The 600x600x1500mm systems are to be used for Ti6Al4V and Constellium’s Aheadd CP1. This is yet another very public win for CP1, the powder of champions. It’s insane how quickly everyone is becoming a total fan of this material. And how great, of course, that America Makes and Nikon were working on the materials dataset for this a year ago. This should get even more people to look at CP1 and how it is being used at scale.
The two printers will be used for “whole vehicle bodies, large substructures for satellites, and other large, 3D-printed components for space and A&D customers.” Does that mean that they want to make a hypersonic cruiser body out of CP1? Or are we talking spars and bodies made of Ti?
Darius Ehteshami, Chief Operations and Finance Officer at Beehive Industries, said,
“There is a heavy overlap between the customers who rely on Beehive’s propulsion solutions and those who require advanced aerospace printed solutions. By investing proactively in these machines, Beehive is uniquely positioned to provide aerostructures and parts that enable our customers to fly higher and fly faster. This is Beehive doubling down on our history of large format additive manufacturing, supporting our customers in both the A&D area and in space.”
Hamid Zarringhalam, CEO and General Manager of Nikon Advanced Manufacturing, said,
“Manufacturers supporting today’s defense programs require production technology that can scale quickly and reliably. Beehive Industries has built an impressive business around advanced propulsion and aerospace manufacturing, and we’re proud to support their continued growth with the NXG 600E platform.” He further commented, “Our companies are deeply committed to enabling and scaling the defense industrial base, and this represents a key step in delivering the advanced manufacturing capabilities that are crucial to the United States and our allied partners.”
Jonaaron Jones, President of Additive Parts Sales at Beehive Industries, stated,
“This investment marks the natural evolution of our company, seamlessly carrying our legacy of large-format expertise forward into the next generation of manufacturing for our external parts customers across the space, defense, and aerostructures sectors,”
It seems that Beehive is becoming more Sintavia-like once again and opening up more to orders from the industry as a whole. This, in addition to its engine programs, could help it scale more. I really like how Beehive seems to be scaling sensibly. Rocket engines are hard enough, and the firm is relying on multiple vendors to underpin its growth. By focusing on process control, design, and production, the company can scale in line with expectations and capabilities to capture a burgeoning defense market hungry for additive goods.
