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  • NASA Funds Phase3D Research Project to Advance In-Situ Monitoring for Metal AM

    Garbage in, garbage out: that cliche is currently associated most often with AI, but it really refers to the universal principle whereby a final outcome is only as useful as the quality of the data that led to it. The principle is highly relevant to any emerging technological field, with the potential for future progress being disproportionately dependent on the validity of the relatively scant existing information that’s available.

    The ‘new space’ industry is a perfect example of a context in which stakeholders have to remain particularly cognizant of the rule of ‘garbage in, garbage out,’ and so is metal additive manufacturing (AM). Phase3D, the Chicago-based provider of both hardware and software solutions for metal AM in-situ monitoring (ISM), will be addressing the need for quality data in both new space and powder bed fusion (PBF) thanks to its latest contract award from NASA.

    Via the grant, Phase3D will partner with an unnamed aerospace and propulsion prime to deploy the Phase3D Fringe Inspection (hardware) and Fringe Qualification (software) systems on the EOS M300-4, a quad laser machine. Phase3D and its private industry partner will use structural brackets made from Invar 36 (Iron-Nickel alloy) as a test case. They’re aiming to reduce the qualification timeline 2-3x compared to the standard qualification time for space components produced with metal AM, which Phase3D notes can currently take more than eighteen months.

    Moreover, according to Phase3D, metal AM for space is currently challenged not only by a lengthy qualification process, but also by a rejection rate as high as 30 percent. If Phase3D can improve on both of those metrics, it would signal major potential for cost savings for new adopters of metal AM.

    In a press release about Phase3D’s latest contract award from NASA, Phase3D’s founder and CEO, Dr. Niall O’Dowd, said, “For decades, qualifying a 3D-printed part for spaceflight has meant months of destructive testing and CT scanning, an approach that does not scale. With Fringe Inspection, the part is qualified as it is built. Every powder layer, every weld, every anomaly is captured in calibrated, defensible data. That is the foundation the industry needs to unlock [AM] at scale, not only for NASA, but for every aerospace, defense, and energy program building flight-critical hardware.

    “Real-time inspection is the missing piece in the [AM] ecosystem. Powders, lasers, machines, and process parameters have all matured. What has been missing is a way to prove, in real time, that the part you built is the part you designed, on every layer, every time. That is what Fringe Inspection delivers, and that is what makes large-scale, mission-critical [AM] possible.”

    This type of contract demonstrates why Phase3D’s latest funding round, which I wrote about last month, was oversubscribed. Partnering with a propulsion prime for a NASA research project that qualifies parts on an EOS machine represents a formula that simultaneously responds to three of the most urgent demand catalysts currently pushing contract manufacturers to increase metal AM adoption. Phase3D is meeting the needs of a manufacturing giant that’s serving a national security strategic imperative, and doing so on one of the most relevant metal 3D printing systems globally.

    As I pointed out in my post about the funding round, Phase3D’s ecosystem may very well end up being integral to the scale-up of metal AM, not just in the US, but in any nation prioritizing the exclusion of Chinese 3D printing equipment from its industrial base. There aren’t many companies even attempting to do what Phase3D has been developing over the course of years, and it’s the sort of application where it would seem very difficult for a latecomer to make significant headway.

    Along these lines, the next couple of years could be pivotal in terms of determining the long-term winners and losers in metal AM, precisely because of the need for qualified parts, and the relatively small number of OEMs and manufacturers that can deliver them. It seems likely that the US government and its most indispensable contractors are about to drive an unprecedented surge in new metal AM business, and if you aren’t already part of the government qualification ecosystem, then it might be too late.

    It’s not that the government and defense contractors will be the only ones buying metal 3D printing equipment and services, but that it will be easier for all the other metal AM customers to simply adopt the technologies and offerings of the companies that have already been qualified for the most heavily regulated industries. Look up any longstanding corporation at random and there’s a good chance that its first boom phase was the result of some major war or crisis. Qualified parts and processes explain how short-term events transform into long-term viability.

    Images courtesy of Phase3D

  • AM’s Measured Growth Signals a More Mature Industry

    The AM market is projected to reach $20.3 billion by 2030, but growth is shifting toward proven applications, production value, and disciplined investment.

    In 2025, the additive manufacturing market’s growth appeared increasingly tied to applications with clear production value, especially across aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial use cases. This shift reflects a broader trend across the industry as investment and adoption become more focused on proven applications and measurable outcomes.

    Aires Tide will be one of the featured exhibits in the AMT Emerging Technology Center (IMTS booth #236700). From Sandia National Laboratories as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission, Aires Tide demonstrates how AI, advanced engineering, and additive manufacturing can dramatically accelerate the development and testing of next-generation aerospace systems.

    Venture capital funding, mergers and acquisitions, and public market investments throughout the year suggest the AM industry is continuing to move from broad R&D experimentation toward niche commercialization opportunities.

    AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology estimates the global AM market at approximately $12.5 billion in 2025, with projections reaching $20.3 billion by 2030. This represents a more measured growth trajectory than some previous industry projections anticipated. This slower pace is not necessarily a negative sign. As AM matures, growth is increasingly shaped by factors such as qualification requirements, cost-per-part, material performance and availability, machine utilization, and integration into existing manufacturing workflows. AM’s shift from experimental technology to a more established manufacturing tool may indicate broader acceptance and adoption across industrial markets.

    Subsector performance also points to a market becoming more utilization-focused. Service providers remained the largest portion of the AM market, with revenue increasing by approximately $630 million from 2024. Materials revenue also rose by over $600 million from 2024, while industrial systems revenue remained relatively flat compared with the prior year. This pattern may indicate that manufacturers and service providers are utilizing existing installed capacity rather than expanding through new system acquisitions. Higher material consumption and stronger service provider activity could be signs that AM assets are being used more consistently for production.

    For investors, this marks a more disciplined phase for AM markets. Earlier investment cycles focused on platform development, broad technology adoption, or long-term disruption. In 2025, investment activity appeared more closely tied to proven use cases. Funding was focused on companies with clear applications, demonstrated ROI, and production scalability. Simultaneously, consolidation and restructuring across the industry suggest that companies are seeking stronger business models, more efficient operations, and greater vertical integration capabilities.

    Regional growth rates from 2021 to 2025 were 11.7% in AMER, 13.1% in APAC, and 1.8% in EMEA. APAC’s growth could be attributed to increasing momentum within Asian manufacturing ecosystems, while AMER’s growth continues to benefit from demand in aerospace, defense, medical, and advanced manufacturing applications. EMEA’s slower growth may reflect a combination of broader industrial softness, cautious capital investment, and selective AM adoption across automotive and industrial machinery markets. It may also reflect a more mature installed base in parts of Europe, shifting from new system purchases toward utilization, qualification, and productivity improvements.

    Despite these signs of maturation, challenges such as qualification timelines, material availability, workforce skills, and post-processing requirements continue to impact how quickly AM is able to scale. For many manufacturers, the decision to adopt AM depends on whether the technology can meet existing production standards while delivering a measurable advantage over traditional processes.

    As additive manufacturing continues its transition from an emerging technology to an established production tool, success will increasingly depend on measurable business outcomes rather than technical capability alone. The companies best positioned for growth will be those that can demonstrate qualified applications, scalable economics, and seamless integration into broader manufacturing operations.

    To explore the trends shaping the industry, download the latest AMT Additive Manufacturing Report. Manufacturers, investors, and industry stakeholders can also access AMT Research Services for deeper market intelligence, forecasting, and analysis.

    For those seeking these technologies in action, IMTS 2026 – The International Manufacturing Technology Show will showcase the latest advancements in additive manufacturing alongside the broader manufacturing technologies driving the future of production. From metal and polymer AM systems to hybrid manufacturing platforms and post-processing solutions, IMTS offers a firsthand look at how additive manufacturing is creating value on today’s shop floors.

    FormAlloy (IMTS booth #338474) is one of dozens of exhibitors in the Additive Manufacturing sector at IMTS 2026, September 14-19, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois.

    Visitors to IMTS 2026 will see how additive manufacturing is strengthening America’s ability to rapidly scale production through two featured exhibits in the AMT Emerging Technology Center (IMTS booth #236700). The Aires Tide exhibit, from Sandia National Laboratories as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission, demonstrates how AI, advanced engineering, and additive manufacturing can dramatically accelerate the development and testing of next-generation aerospace systems. Nearby, a live end-to-end production system will manufacture drone airframes throughout all six days of IMTS using hybrid manufacturing, robotics, automation, and digital twins, illustrating how connected manufacturing technologies support industrial surge capability through flexible, scalable production. This drone production system is a collaboration among AMT, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, FANUC (IMTS booth #338900), Haimer (IMTS booth #431510), Kennametal (IMTS booth #431800), Mazak (IMTS booth #338300), and Schunk (IMTS booth #432010).

    IMTS 2026 takes place September 14-19 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Visit IMTS.com.

    Author: Matthew Foulk, Senior Analyst at AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which owns and produces IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show

  • 3D Printing News Briefs, July 16, 2026: Russell Indexes, Car Customization, & More

    We’ve got a lot to cover in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, from business and additive manufacturing (AM) in Europe to automotive 3D printing, and generative design. Read on for all the details!

    Velo3D Added as Member to Russell 3000 Index & Russell Microcap Index

    Metal AM firm Velo3D announced that it’s been added to the membership of the broad-market Russell 3000® Index and the Russell Microcap® Index. This was effective when the U.S. market opened on June 29th, as part of the first 2026 Russell indexes reconstitution. These indexes are designed to reflect the shifting U.S. equity market, often used by investment bankers and institutional investors as benchmarks for active investment strategies. The reconstitution process is important to maintaining accurate representation. The June reconstitution captures up to the 4,000 largest U.S. stocks as of April 30th, 2026, and ranks them by total market capitalization. Companies are re-evaluated to determine where they stand along the investment styles spectrum, and the breakpoints between large, mid, and small cap are redefined, in order to make sure that any market changes that happened in the preceding period are captured. Membership is mainly decided by market-capitalization rankings and style attributes, and as a member, Velo3D is automatically included in the large-cap Russell 1000® Index or small-cap Russell 2000® Index, in addition to the appropriate growth and value style indexes.

    “Being added to the Russell 3000 and Russell Microcap indexes is an important milestone for Velo3D. We have made meaningful strides in transforming the company, advancing our technology leadership, and creating value for shareholders. Inclusion in these widely followed indexes broadens our exposure to the investment community,” said Arun Jeldi, CEO of Velo3D.

    CECIMO Formally Spins Out AM-Europe Into Dedicated Platform

    For decades, CECIMO, the European Association of Manufacturing Technologies, has been working with policymakers, industry, and key stakeholders to promote additive as a strategic technology for the European industrial base. Last year, CECIMO and nine national associations formed AM-Europe, an initiative representing over 700 companies across Europe to give the AM sector a single, strong voice at the EU level. Now, AM-Europe has been formally launched as a dedicated European platform for AM, representing the evolution of CECIMO’s additive activities into a broader, more inclusive, more visible European initiative. The platform will work to continue advancing the vision it set out in last year’s Manifesto for a Competitive European Additive Manufacturing Sector: setting up the continent as a global AM powerhouse, and building an ecosystem that can develop and deploy AM over industrial sectors. AM-Europe operates within CECIMO’s governance framework, and is now opening participation to a wider range of AM stakeholders, including research organizations, competence centers, and national associations. It will be a common platform for representation and coordination, ensuring that the voice of AM in Europe is reflected in policy discussions.

    “From an industrial perspective, additive manufacturing has become a strategic technology for Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and capacity to innovate. Through AM-Europe, we want to create a stronger and more coordinated European platform that brings together the AM ecosystem, supports closer dialogue with policymakers, and helps ensure that companies have the right framework conditions to develop, invest and scale,” said Virgilio García, Chairman of AM-Europe. “Europe has the expertise and industrial base to lead in additive manufacturing, let’s work together within AM-Europe to make this happen.”

    Ferrita Achieves 50% Time & Cost Savings for Custom Mercedes-Benz with Meltio

    Ferrita Sweden AB develops and manufactures advanced technical solutions, working on things like vibration, thermal insulation, and exhaust gas purification. Swedish car culture values unique project cars, so Ferrita can be super creative with exhaust design. A great example is the 2003 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren a customer brought in, which Ferrita customized using Meltio’s wire laser metal deposition (wire-LMD) technology. There were plenty of engineering constraints that led Ferrita to AM. Aftermarket fabrication shops operate under strict deadlines, so they only had the car for a week. It’s expensive to produce specialized automotive components using traditional methods, and they needed four symmetrical tailpipes with a specific shape that matched the existing lines of the vehicle. Ferrita didn’t have the time, nor the money, to achieve this kind of symmetry without special tooling. It’s also very hard to achieve optimal flow with conventional manufacturing, and Ferrita also needed to replace the car’s 20 kg muffler to save weight and get rid of excess heat.

    Meltio helped Ferrita repair the pieces, which helped “automate the welding and repair process.” First, Ferrita scanned the bottom plate and created a digital concept model to get a better idea of the space with which they had to work. Then, they printed a rapid plastic prototype to ensure that the design matched the lines of the supercharged V8 car. To print the final parts, a Meltio Robot Cell was used; this features an ABB robot and a laser head with nine beams to melt MIG wire. They used 316 stainless steel to print the tailpipes, and the system was programmed to run at 10 millimeters a second, with a gas flow of 15 liters per minute, to achieve fine detail resolution. By using the efficient wire-LMD process, Ferrita achieved 50% time and cost reduction, noting that it only took 4-5 hours to print the tailpipes and €2000 as opposed to €4000. Finally, the new 3D printed exhaust system replaced the heavy original muffler, which saved about 20 kg of weight.

    Researchers Use Topology Optimization to Generate More Buildable Structures

    On top left is the Lockport truss bridge passing over the Erie Canal near Buffalo, New York. Researchers mimicked this structure, highlighted in teal blue, and created multiple timber-only designs (top right), steel-only designs (bottom left), and timber-steel designs (bottom right). Image: Courtesy of the researchers

    Global production of construction materials accounted for over 7% of total carbon emissions in 2022, but were they all necessary? A team of researchers from MIT developed a framework to make topology optimization designs more buildable, with less material. Topology optimization is mostly used by researchers to reduce the amount of material used in a given space, but in real-life engineering scenarios, the resulting structures can’t be easily built on time or within the budget. The team’s framework enables users to limit the complexity of algorithmically generated structures by applying constraints, like how many components meet at each point in the design. The key: a class of equations called mixed integer algorithms, which help make binary decisions about things like materials and connections. To test their approach, the team designed wood, steel, and multimaterial truss structures that support loads in bridges and buildings, and compared them to structures designed with conventional topology optimization. They found that the carbon emissions associated with the materials majorly changed when they applied different constraints. They concede that their approach is “more computationally intensive,” but believe most civil engineering firms could handle it.

    “It’s computationally a little tougher to solve, but there’s a lot of tools coming out nowadays that make these problems a lot more feasible. This approach has been avoided by industry in the past, but now we think it’s a practical way to solve problems dealing with variable constraints,” said first author and civil and environmental engineering PhD student Zane Schemmer.

    “As a structural engineer by training, I was never taught how to design for low-carbon. To tackle a problem as big as climate change, addressing the built environment is a great place to start. One of the most tangible things we can do is work at the layer of construction, at the design stage, because that’s a fundamental step that we can control. There’s a lot of decisions we make early on that lead us to use extra material we don’t need.”

  • SWISSto12 Closes $70 Million Series C Round

    Swiss satellite manufacturer SWISSto12 has closed a $70 million Series C round. This follows $84.8 million that the company received from ESA and ESA member states, and previous rounds that were around $22 and $30 million. SWISSto12 seems to have spent the money they have gotten wisely, saying that revenue grew to $140 million and that they have $500 million in back orders, with the company aiming to go profitable this year.

    I’ve been more than a little bit obsessed with SWISSto12, which has parlayed 3D printing prowess in RF components into a role as a satellite builder. Then the firm grew into providing sovereign communications solutions for nations wishing to have their own capabilities. In a more fractious world where the US is withdrawing from allies, this seems like an excellent approach.

    There are few things that make more sense for 3D printing than RF components, with the advantage in mass, part reduction, assembly, and performance being compounded by backlogs in production and little actual expertise in 3D printed RF being available in the market. RF is already the perfect business case for AM, I would have happily churned out antenna for everyone forever. But, SWISSto12 is more ambitious than that.

    Global horn and bracket.

    SWISSto12 CFO Fredrik Gustavsson said,

    “The financial picture at SWISSto12 is robust and primed for global growth. $140 million in revenue for 2025, more than $500 million in customer contracts, and a 110% compound annual growth rate since 2022. These are the signals of an agile business, deploying capital efficiently, and operating at scale in a fast-growing industry. This Series C accelerates us further to meet strong demand from a space, satellite and telecommunications market that’s evolving and growing at pace.”

    The company has had CAGR growth of 110% since 2022, on the back of RF component sales and seven orders of its HummingSat geostationary (GEO) satellite. It now also sells antenna to LEO constellation makers helping supply a land grab for space in the sky above and leads in data and intelligence services. The company says that there are now 2,000 Humming-SOTP (Satcom-On-The-Pause) units in the market.

    We tracked how the firm expanded into Spain, bought four Additive Industries units, sold a satellite in Japan, bought Phasor’s IP, and made satellites for SES’s constellation. I’m a huge fan of this company; to me, they really show how advanced engineering can let you own an application and then leverage it to broader business success. The company now wants to further scale production to build more satellites and RF components.

    Emile de Rijk, SWISSto12 CEO, stated,

    “Space is increasingly recognized as essential infrastructure for the global economy. In this expanding market, our solutions across payload and satellite lines are creating significant new opportunities for customers. Our products are supporting exciting new customer missions—from direct-to-device connectivity to media broadcasting, intersatellite data relays or sovereign communications infrastructure—many of which span multiple orbits. This Series C funding round accelerates our ability to execute on this growing demand across any payload, any platform and any orbit.”

    ARAMIS flexible payload.

    It seems that SWISSto12 is more ambitious still. It will be difficult for the firm to continue to its major lines in payload solutions, ground stations, integration, and building satellites at the same time. Geopolitically, it’s still a darling and one of the few options to affordable communications satellites. Meanwhile, its RF solutions still seem to be a leading choice for many. The firm is also working with CAES (Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions) and Lockheed to deliver parts to them. There are a lot of balls in the air. Whether they will translate to a lot of satellites in the air remains to be seen. But, given the company’s blistering pace and excellent positioning, the signs point to SWISSto12 continuing its upward trajectory.

    Images courtesy of SWISSto12

  • 3D Printing Markets Totaled $4.35 Billion in Q1 2026, AM Research Report Shows

    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.

  • CRP UniqTrust System Helps to Identify Authentic 3D Printed Parts

    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.

    Images: CRP

  • IperionX Raises $50 Million to Expand U.S. Titanium Production

    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.

    Cantor Fitzgerald served as the lead manager for the offering, with Roth Capital Partners and B. Riley Securities acting as co-managers. The firm has recently been involved in several advanced manufacturing financings, including Velo3D’s $50 million public offering earlier this year and Elmet Group’s initial public offering.

    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 Releases AI-Powered Funbox 3D Printer for Kids

    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 systems and 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 Loves it Too, Yeah! Aluminium CP1 For All

    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

    Now CP1 is surging ahead as the most desired one. SLM’s Behrang Poorganji loved the material and predicted that it would get into more production applications at the beginning of the year, STELIA and Constellium wanted to use it for fuselages, America Makes paid SLM to make a dataset for it, and REM developed a specific finishing process to get it from out of deep pockets in complex channels.

    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.

  • RIC Robotics Begins Work on Colorado Community, Including Dozens of 3D Printed Homes

    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.

    Images courtesy of RIC Robotics