The installation builds on Oerlikon’s existing fleet of ATLIX metal 3D printers and is part of a broader effort to increase production capacity. The company also plans to invest in additional xBUILD 5000 systems beginning in 2027, although it has not disclosed how many machines it intends to purchase.

The xBUILD 5000 is a metal 3D printer with four 1 kW lasers and a build volume of 500 × 500 × 400 mm. It also has an automated system that allows operators to switch between builds in about 15 minutes, reducing downtime and helping the machine produce more parts.

“We are pleased to continue strengthening our partnership with ATLIX and are excited to add these innovative systems to our production fleet,” said Dan Haller, Head of Commercial at Oerlikon AM.

ATLIX xBUILD 5000. Image courtesy of ATLIX.

Oerlikon’s Huntersville facility is one of the company’s main metal 3D printing operations in the U.S. Opened in 2019 following a $55 million investment, the 125,000-square-foot site handles everything from designing and printing metal parts to heat treatment, machining, and inspection. This allows Oerlikon to provide customers with finished components rather than just 3D printed parts.

The facility has also been growing. In September 2025, Oerlikon announced a partnership with TRUMPF’s former additive manufacturing business, which later became ATLIX. At the time, Oerlikon added three TruPrint 5000 printers, bringing its total to six of those machines and 26 metal 3D printers overall. The company said the equipment would support applications such as heat exchangers, cold plates, and suppressors.

Oerlikon has also invested in other large metal 3D printing systems. In March 2025, it announced a partnership with Northrop Grumman to add an AMCM M4K-4 printer at Huntersville. That machine was intended to help meet demand for larger and more complex metal parts, particularly in aerospace, defense, and semiconductor manufacturing.

These investments show how Oerlikon has been adding different types of metal 3D printers to handle a wider range of customer needs. The new xBUILD 5000 continues that expansion, with a larger build area and automation designed to support regular production.

Oerlikon’s Huntersville facility. Image courtesy of Oerlikon.

The installation is also an important step for ATLIX, which became an independent company after TRUMPF sold its metal additive manufacturing business in September 2025. The company introduced the xBUILD name in September 2026, replacing the former TruPrint branding across its four metal 3D printing systems. The machines themselves remained technically unchanged.

Oerlikon already uses several ATLIX metal 3D printers at its Huntersville facility. The new xBUILD 5000 will allow the company to make larger parts and produce more of them. Oerlikon has not said which parts it plans to make with the new machine. For ATLIX, this is an important step as the company builds its business under its new name. It also means more orders could be coming from Oerlikon in 2027.

“Oerlikon is one of the most experienced additive component manufacturers in the world, and its continued investment in ATLIX technology is the strongest validation we could ask for,” said Matthias Himmelsbach, CEO of ATLIX.

The companies have not disclosed the value of the investment or a timeline for the additional installations planned for 2027.

Now, Applied Science and Technology Organization (ASTRO) America, the nonprofit primarily responsible for managing the activities associated with the AM Forward compact, has established a CRADA with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), backed with nearly $9 million in joint investments. Northrop Grumman and Florida State University (FSU) InSPIRE, a key ASTRO America partner, will also participate in the program, which aims to accelerate commercialization of Northrop Grumman’s Gray Wolf missile design.

The CRADA will serve to stand up an initiative ASTRO calls DART: Design for Affordable and Rapid Throughput. The partners will benefit from being able to leverage a new manufacturing R&D site located near Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), in northwest Florida. Eglin AFB is also where the Gray Wolf design has been developed over a period of nearly a decade, as part of an Air Force program specifically aiming to lower the cost of missile production.

In addition to developing solutions that are directly applicable to Gray Wolf, the CRADA may also influence the technical direction of future relevant R&D projects. The DART initiative encompasses multiple different AM processes, as well as the pertinent techniques from other areas of manufacturing, including casting and machining.

I just wrote about how solid rocket motors (SRMs) are the first big scaling challenge for AM in the US defense sector and, while the Gray Wolf doesn’t use SRMs, the DART initiative nonetheless aligns with precisely the same goals involved in scaling SRM production, albeit with a focus on different production techniques. Gray Wolf itself didn’t originate as part of the Family of Affordable Mass Munitions (FAMM) program, but it fits that same mold, one which, in turn, fits within a broader category of commercialization acceleration activities that the various US military branches are pushing for.

Moreover, along with CRADAs and low-cost munitions, the DART initiative reflects yet another theme I’ve been writing more about: the advantages of incorporating research universities into corporate R&D programs. Obviously, given all its work with FSU InSPIRE, as well as the work ASTRO is doing in with various partners in Guam, this is familiar territory for ASTRO.

InSPIRE in particular is fascinating because it originated in large part thanks to a nearly $100 million grant from Triumph Gulf Coast, which manages funds recovered from settlements related to the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010. I don’t know what it was that led to a portion of those funds being used for this purpose, but it’s an idea that seems like it should be implemented more often.

It doesn’t even require a catastrophic event to happen in order for it to work! For instance, there’s lots of talk about tech giants paying some sort of social tax for all the destruction they intend to wreak with AI, with much of that talk revolving around the idea of giving the average taxpayer a share in companies subsidized by the government.

A more sensible idea would be for tech giants, etc. to invest in programs like FSU InSPIRE, which would have the added bonus of creating the jobs required to execute the AI buildout. We also already have evidence that this kind of program can work. Workforce development in the US is an absolute mess, and there appears to be no chance of that changing without outside-the-box thinking. The advantage of expanding what ASTRO is doing with FSU InSPIRE is that it wouldn’t even have to be that “outside-the-box”: just give more money to the organizations already doing the thing that needs to get done.

Images courtesy of ASTRO America

This episode of the 3DPOD is brought to you by ADDMAN, where advanced manufacturing meets mission-critical production. From additive manufacturing and advanced materials to precision machining and finishing, ADDMAN helps aerospace, defense, and space customers turn complex designs into production-ready hardware, built to perform when failure is not an option.

For miniature makers and studios, the work often begins when a resin print finishes. Freshly printed models need washing and drying before final curing, requiring repeated handling of a resin-coated build plate. Described by UniFormation as the world’s first fully automated desktop resin 3D printer, the S10 is designed to automate those transfers and reduce the equipment needed for the workflow. Follow the UniFormation S10 on Kickstarter.

Automating Resin Printing and Post Processing

After printing, the build platform rotates and tilts to drain excess resin back into the vat. As it moves toward the washing compartment, a protective cover slides over the resin vat. The models then enter an integrated 9-liter wash tank, where platform movements remove residual resin during two cleaning cycles using the same solution.

The platform tilts to drain cleaning liquid between stages. After the second wash, it positions the models for controlled warm-air drying at 35–45°C. Users can return to washed and dried prints, then remove the models and supports and complete final UV curing.

Automatic resin feeding and heating reduce routine material management, while an enclosed chamber and internal air purification are designed to help reduce odors during operation. UniFormation also plans adjustable draining, washing, and drying durations to accommodate different model geometries.

16K Imaging and Precision Hardware

The S10 combines its automated workflow with a 16K monochrome LCD offering 15,360 × 6,540 pixels and pixel dimensions of 14.52 × 19.25 μm. Its 223.03 × 125.9 × 200 mm build volume provides space for batches of miniatures, character figures, and engineering prototypes.

A C5-class ball screw provides stated Z-axis repeatability of ±0.005 mm. An assisted release-film system helps reduce layer-separation forces, and pressure-based foreign-object detection is designed to identify potential obstructions.

Automation from Model Selection to Printing

Alongside the hardware, UniFormation is developing UniGalix, a 3D model library, and UniFormation Studio, its slicing software. The planned workflow lets users choose a model, open it directly in the slicer, select a preconfigured resin profile, and send the prepared job to the S10 over a network. The S10 resin printer also supports Lychee Slicer and CHITUBOX for users with established workflows.

S10 Fluid Hub and Curing Module

The optional S10 Fluid Hub serves up to three S10 printers and supports washing for two machines simultaneously. Its two-stage cleaning system separates rough washing from fine rinsing, using different cleaning solutions for each stage. The first wash removes most of the uncured resin, while the second uses cleaner solvent to remove remaining residue. When the fine-rinse solvent becomes too contaminated for the final rinse, it can be reused for the initial rough wash rather than being discarded. Fresh solvent is then introduced for the fine-rinse stage. This cascading reuse of cleaning fluid extends its overall lifespan, reduces solvent waste and replacement frequency, and helps lower IPA consumption and operating costs, particularly for print farms and high-volume users.

For studios and print farms, this setup is intended to reduce repetitive post-processing work across multiple machines.

Kickstarter Pricing and Availability

The S10 has an expected retail price of $1,299. Ahead of the $999 Kickstarter launch, eligible customers can place a refundable $20 VIP reservation deposit on UniFormation’s website. After backing the S10, they receive $100 cashback, bringing the effective printer price to $899; the deposit is refunded separately. Deliveries are currently estimated for March 2027.

Follow the S10 Kickstarter campaign or visit the official S10 page for product details and VIP reservation terms.

About UniFormation

Founded in 2016, UniFormation specializes in UV resin 3D printing technology, developing high-resolution printers and automated workflow solutions for makers and professional users. Guided by its philosophy of “Enjoyable Creation, Better Experience,” the company focuses on making resin 3D printing more accessible, efficient, and user-friendly.

Learn more at uniformation3d.com

3DAR explanation. Image courtesy of UpNano.

Now the company has pushed its technology forward even more by developing 3DAR. Based on Grayscale lithography, the company now has 3D Adaptive Resolution (3DAR), which lets it control each voxel in three dimensions during printing. This voxel-level control means that each voxel can be adapted during printing to a specific shape. The effect is smoother parts. It’s kind of like how meshes with more triangles can better describe geometry, but now made physical. Furthermore, by changing the voxel shape and size as needed, it can focus the laser at a specific resolution. This means it can deliver both speed and precision by keeping thicker layers while still making the right geometry. Rather than switching between different voxel sizes, 3DAR now shapes all voxels on the fly.

New Fusion Target with Lattice Cutout. Image courtesy of UpNano.

Eventually, true voxel-level control over multi-material prints is where we want to end up because then we can mix, match, and combine lots of different materials and properties into one assembly with precision. 3DAR doesn’t do all of that, but they’re closer to this than anyone else, with any technology, so congrats to the UpNano team. The company believes it will find customers for this in photonics and semiconductors, which is good because those guys are drowning in money right now. They also believe in micro optics, which could, with more complex consumer devices, perhaps grow with more VR applications (are we still doing that?), be used more extensively in Lidar for liveness checks and scanning, and be used in growing areas in data centers and robotics. Micro optics is little followed at the moment but could be poised for considerable growth in the coming years.

UpNano CEO Bernhard Küenburg stated,

“3D Adaptive Resolution gives us dynamic control over the voxel in all three spatial dimensions. We can continuously adapt its shape to the geometry we want to create. This allows us to combine printing speed with the surface quality required particularly for optical and photonic applications.”

The familiar staircases of 3D printed parts have been eliminated through the creation of more precise geometries. This will be especially useful in optics where making all manner of lenses has been traditionally difficult with additive. This instantly could make UpNano a takeover target for the likes of Apple or Samsung. Yes, the firm could supply the emerging optics market, but keeping it mostly in-house could give a large firm an edge in Lidar, phone cameras, or 3D scanning using phones. If we continue to see the intersection of the digital world and the physical, these optical components could become a much-needed bridge between them. More accurate face detection, photo illumination, or object recognition could become very valuable to firms like Meta, Google, and Apple.

On the other hand, after Meta spent perhaps $100 billion on AR without anything to show for it, investment interest in phygital bridges between these worlds could have waned. But recent investments by Apple in Q.ai (a silent speech technology) and Sonera Magnets (chip-based biomagnetic sensors) show that some believe in pursuing the space.  With Q the company can let its customers mouth words and take in these inputs while Sonera lets you measure very weak magnetic signals of the brain and muscles. This interest reflects a deep focus on health monitoring and user authentication through more advanced means. Perhaps UpNano may play a part in such a future as well.

Facet Attached Lenses-Waveguide Markers. Image courtesy of UpNano.

Even if it isn’t UpNano, it is positioning itself as a useful tool for some truly high-potential, high-growth industries.  The company now has Sq 3 nm surface roughness and can make a 125 µm spiral part in under ten seconds. Printing in place and on existing assemblies is also a forte. One particular customer is said to be very interested in purchasing more systems after having bought four.

The research, carried out by Daniel Nilsson at the university’s Department of Physics, shows how consumer-grade 3D printers can help scientists design and manufacture equipment for their own experiments. Rather than relying entirely on commercial instruments, laboratories could build tools that meet their specific needs and modify them as their research develops.

Scientific instruments used to study microorganisms often need to be extremely precise. They can also be expensive and take time to manufacture, which can be a problem for smaller labs with limited budgets. This isn’t the first time researchers have turned to 3D printing for a cheaper option. In 2024, 3DPrint.com covered how the Custom Lab Institute was using 3D printing to make more affordable lab equipment. Nilsson’s work takes a similar approach, using desktop 3D printers and open-source electronics to build tools for biological research.

“We have developed a set of instruments that can be manufactured directly in the laboratory by anyone. We hope this will make biological research less expensive and more accessible to a larger number of researchers,” Nilsson noted.

Building Tools for Bacterial Research

One part of the research focuses on making tools to study bacteria. These include devices that use lasers to find and move harmful bacteria, as well as equipment to grow and measure biofilms.

Biofilms form when bacteria stick together on surfaces. They can be difficult to remove and cause problems in places like hospitals and food factories, where keeping things clean is especially important.

Scientists usually need special equipment to study how biofilms grow and behave. Nilsson’s research shows how they can make some of these tools themselves using 3D printers, instead of buying expensive lab equipment.

One of the biggest benefits is that scientists can make tools that fit their needs. They can design equipment for a specific experiment and change it whenever necessary. This is useful because different experiments often require different tools. 3D printing could also help researchers test new ideas faster. Instead of ordering a custom part and waiting for it to arrive, they could print it in their own lab and make changes as needed. Of course, the idea isn’t to replace all traditional lab equipment, but to give scientists a cheaper and more flexible way to get the tools they need, when they need them.

“These methods enable a more collaborative and needs-driven approach to development within the research community,” Nilsson said.

3D-printed research instruments can be tailored to specific laboratory requirements. Image courtesy of Daniel Nilsson.

Making Laboratory Equipment More Accessible

The work is presented in Nilsson’s thesis, Democratizing Biophysical Instrumentation: Development of Open-Source Tools Using Additive Manufacturing. Alongside the research instruments, the thesis includes a practical guide explaining how scientists and other users can design 3D printed tools and combine them with open-source electronics.

Of course, making lab equipment takes more than just printing plastic parts. Many tools also need electronics to run, collect data, or take measurements. By combining 3D printed parts with affordable electronics, researchers can build equipment that actually works in the lab.

Other researchers have taken a similar approach. Back in 2017, scientists developed a low-cost lab system called FlyPi, using 3D printed parts, simple electronics, and a small computer.

Another benefit is that scientists don’t have to start from scratch every time. They can take a design they’ve already made, change a few things, and use it for a different experiment. This saves time and helps them get more out of the tools they already have.

“The same methods can be used both for advanced research instruments and for everyday technological solutions in the laboratory,” Nilsson went on.

For Nilsson, the idea is to make it easier for scientists to build the equipment they need without spending so much money on commercial tools. His research shows that even regular desktop 3D printers can be used to make lab equipment, including tools for studying bacteria.

Scientists can also change their designs to fit different experiments, rather than having to buy new equipment each time. Nilsson hopes this will make research cheaper and give more scientists the chance to develop their own tools.

America Makes Offers Hands-On 3D Printing Drones Experiences

Image courtesy of America Makes via LinkedIn.

Last week was National Manufacturing Day, and America Makes chose to celebrate by launching a series of hands-on “3D Printing for Drones” experiences across five states. Held in collaboration with Innovate Learning, the concept was built on the success of a summer camp hosted at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, and is designed to introduce high school students to the combination of drones, 3D printing, and real-world engineering challenges. Last week’s half-day Design + Build + Fly activities were held in Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas, giving students the chance to participate in build-sprint modules, safety lessons, design thinking exercises, prototyping activities, and drone flight instruction. They had to think like real AM engineers, considering factors like weight, battery management, and manufacturability. The goal was to help the student participants build foundational technical skills and ignite their interest in 3D printing, and the initiative itself reflects the commitment of America Makes to strengthen the future manufacturing workforce.

“Manufacturing Day provides an important opportunity to introduce the next generation to the technologies, skills, and career opportunities shaping the future of American manufacturing. This programming brings together state-of-the-art 3D printing with drone competition in an exciting, kinetic way that engages learners and will keep growing momentum in the advanced manufacturing industry,” said Dr. Ed Herderick, Education and Workforce Development (EWD) Director at America Makes.

You can access the free “3D Printing for Drones” curriculum here. Select the Community Engagement Tools “Get Started” button, and you’ll be prompted to request an access code from America Makes.

VulcanForms Announces Appointment of New Chief Revenue Officer

Jeff Hemenway

Massachusetts-based digital manufacturing company VulcanForms, born out of MIT, developed an industrially scalable metal AM technology to fabricate components used in the aerospace and defense, consumer, medical, and industrial markets. It’s now been announced that, effective immediately, manufacturing and growth veteran Jeff Hemenway has been appointed the Chief Revenue Officer to help accelerate the company’s growth. He has more than 35 years of executive leadership and commercial experience across many of the industries that VulcanForms already serves, and most recently worked as Vice President of Sales at advanced manufacturing company Hadrian, where he helped to build up and scale its commercial organization and develop strategic partnerships. He also worked at Stratasys as Senior Vice President of Global Industry Sales after developing an important customer program to grow partnerships over multiple business segments. As VulcanForms continues to expand its production capacity and scale its digital-first manufacturing platform, Hemenway will lead its commercial strategy and growth.

“What attracted me to VulcanForms is the opportunity to transform the path from optimized design through scaled production. By integrating advanced design and engineering with automated manufacturing technology and scaled production, VulcanForms will help customers optimize part performance, accelerate industrialization, ensure quality and reduce supply chain risk,” Hemenway said. “I’m excited to build the strategic partnerships that bring these capabilities to our customers’ most important programs and create meaningful, long-term value for both our customers and VulcanForms.”

Velo3D Adds to Technology & Operational Leadership Team

Metal AM company Velo3D is also strengthening its leadership to advance production growth, hiring Vic Fryzel as Executive Vice President, Technology, and Robert Purnell as Senior Director, Operations. With their complementary expertise in manufacturing execution and platform performance, the two will work to strengthen Velo3D’s technology and operational leadership, specifically supporting production at the company’s Livermore Production Campus, Forge 1, and for its Rapid Production Solutions offering. Both are more than qualified to help Velo3D grow production at scale. Fryzel has over two decades of experience building and scaling hardware and software systems at massive companies like Google and Meta, and spent the last two years in the additive industry at Carbon, first as VP, Head of Software Engineering, and then Senior VP, Head of Engineering. At Velo3D, his job is to oversee the company’s technology roadmap across everything from data, AI, and materials to hardware, software, automation, and process engineering. Purnell, who served in the U.S. Marine Corp, has worked to scale manufacturing operations across the aerospace and semiconductor markets, with leadership roles at FormFactor, Boeing, and SpaceX’s Starlink. He leads the teams and operating systems as Forge 1 that are responsible for safety, quality, and delivery performance.

“Expanding capacity is only part of our strategy. We also need the technology and operating discipline to turn that capacity into dependable customer delivery. Vic is focused on platform reliability, repeatability and production economics, while Robert is focused on manufacturing readiness, quality and execution. Together, they connect our technology with how we manufacture and deliver for customers,” said Velo3D CEO Arun Jeldi.

Amid Reindustrialization Push, DEEP Manufacturing Reaches 18-Month Mark

DEEP Manufacturing’s Bristol facility. Image courtesy of DEEP Manufacturing.

Since launching 18 months ago, wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) specialist DEEP Manufacturing has been busy, growing from just one site to two facilities in Bristol and Houston for 24/7 certified production on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. It’s the first and only fully DNV-approved WAAM provider for pressure vessels for human occupancy (PVHOs), able to take a large-scale metal AM component, like cylinders, hemispheres, and propeller blades, all the way to a certified, service-ready part on a single site. That site is its Bristol facility, which is able to achieve this type of production with the help of DEEP’s new Rollerbot 2.0, CNC machining, and additional WAAM robots. The company has also expanded its material portfolio by adding carbon steel, stainless steel (ER316LSi), duplex and super duplex (UNS S32750), nickel aluminum bronze (ER CuNiAl), copper alloy (ERCuNi30), and aluminum (ER2319/2219). Most businesses that are able to print large-format metal components don’t have the capability to qualify and sign off themselves, which is what sets DEEP Manufacturing apart from traditional casting and forging routes.

“We’re not seeing a spike in demand for large-format additive manufacturing. We’re seeing the market arrive at where we always believed it was heading,” said Peter Richards, CEO at DEEP Manufacturing.

“The question was never whether this shift was coming, it was who would be ready to meet it. Eighteen months ago, this was a single site and an idea. Today it’s a facility that can take a component from design to raw print to a certified part ready to ship. That’s not just growth for us – it tells you how quickly this market has moved, and we’ve built to meet it.

“The next stage of growth is more systems, more sites, and pushing WAAM further into industrialisation, without ever compromising on the certification our customers depend on.”

XYZO Launches Automated Hybrid Manufacturing Platform

Image courtesy of XYZO.

UK company XYZO has launched its automated hybrid manufacturing technology platform for polymer parts. Instead of using AM as the sole production solution, this new commercial platform is driven by the technology, and combines it with precision machining, finishing, inspection, and process control in one connected workflow. The platform is modular, able to integrate additive processes like DLP, FDM, pellet extrusion, and drop-on-demand deposition, as well as CNC micro-milling, cleaning, curing, and other post-processing methods. It’s not a research demonstrator or experimental concept, but a commercially focused technology platform for applications in which manufacturing needs the flexibility of digital production but is unable to justify typical tooling. The idea behind it was to address a major limitation of AM: just printing the part is only one step on the way to achieving a finished component. XYZO’s new platform is meant to move from a digital design to a completed part through a controlled workflow, while decreasing manual intervention between each stage of manufacturing.

“For years, the AM sector has concentrated enormous effort on improving the printing process itself. But manufacturers do not ultimately need printed parts, they need finished parts that are accurate, repeatable, and economically viable to produce. XYZO grew from asking what happens if we stop treating additive as an isolated process and instead build the production system around it. The result is much closer to an automated production line driven by additive manufacturing than it is to another 3D printer,” said Kegan McColgan-Bannon, CEO at XYZO.

Instruct3D Launches Additive Build Intelligence for Metal AM

Another UK company, Instruct3D, has commercially launched its Additive Build Intelligence solution for high-value metal AM. The work, meant to give manufacturers more confidence in builds, is built on more than 20 years of AM research from the University of Sheffield, and combines physics-based optimization with end-to-end data intelligence and affordable sensor hardware. Explained to the attendees of ICAM 2026 in a presentation, Additive Build Intelligence uses camera-based data acquisition through its VertX hardware, but, as co-founder Rob Snell said, “Cameras are part of the system, but they are not the story.” Instruct3D doesn’t call itself an in-situ monitoring company; the cameras don’t just collect image and highlight anomalies. VertX captures critical process data, which the company’s AdditiveOS software platform turns into actionable build intelligence. This allows metal AM users to predict where possible build issues could pop up, learn what happened during the printing process, generate evidence for build verification support, and basically improve all future builds. It goes past process monitoring, and more towards predictable production that’s right the first time, every time. From the start, Instruct3D had commercial deployment in mind for the platform, with practical installation routes, scalable hardware-enabled software model, and affordable sensors.

“Metal AM does not need more disconnected data. It needs intelligence that helps manufacturers make better decisions before, during, and after the build. Additive Build Intelligence is about giving teams the confidence to build high-value parts more predictably, reduce trial-and-error, and move faster from development into production,” said Ben Thomas, Co-Founder of Instruct3D.

“Our ambition is simple, to unlock for the first time the true potential of metal AM by making every build more predictable, more provable, and more valuable.”

3D Printed Ceramic Artwork Integrated into Electrical Substation

Image: Studio Pim Top

Who’s to say that necessary energy infrastructure can’t also be aesthetically pleasing? Powerwall is a 40 square meter work of art, made up of 322 unique ceramic 3D printed tiles and integrated within the brick facade of a new switchstation in Beverwijk, the Netherlands. Designed by Powerhouse Company for energy infrastructure operator TenneT, it was created by Studio RAP as a large-scale relief inspired by invisible electromagnetic fields. It’s not unusual to see more of these electrical substations and transformer stations in urban areas these days, and the Powerwall project looked at how infrastructure can meet the necessary operational requirements, while also responding to and fitting in with the surrounding architecture.

The station itself is made up of a taller brick volume, which holds the primary electrical installation, and a lower metal volume contains secondary functions. Brick piers give the main facade depth, and the two parts are visually connected by sculptural metal lamellas. Studio RAP used computational design to develop the tiles that form the relief, and each one was printed in its Rotterdam workshop with in-house robotic clay 3D printing. This method allowed the architecture practice to vary the depth, form, and texture of the individual tiles, which were finished with a translucent turquoise glaze after they’d been printed and fired. It’s easy to see the 3D surface, as the glaze settles into the grooves of the relief. The tiles were assembled into one continuous surface on the brick facade, and as sunlight moves over it, the ceramic surface’s appearance is changed.

Several manufacturing industry journalists, including yours truly, recently had a chance to see a lot of these innovations up close at HP’s Vancouver, Washington site.

HP’s Past & Present

The 225,000 square foot R&D Center of Excellence has both office and lab space, and is just 15 minutes from the Portland International Airport, with about 25 colleges and universities nearby. Alex Moñino, Senior Vice President and General Manager, HP Additive Manufacturing Solutions, said it’s a “very desirable location” in the Silicon Forest.

HP was founded in 1939 with only $538 in capital. Now, the global technology company operates in over 180 countries and has more than $50 billion in business revenue. As for the 3D printing side of the business, Moñino said the goal was “never just to build a 3D printer, but to change how things are made.”

HP’s first AM unit was purchased by Materialise, and its headquarters in Barcelona opened in 2018. The company shifted its focus to selling applications about three years ago, and that decision has been profitable, with Moñino reporting that HP had 30% year-over-year growth for the second year in a row. A lot of this growth has been in automotive, consumer goods, drones, orthotics & prosthetics (O&P), and robotics. About 60% of HP’s customers are service bureaus, closely followed by development teams.

“We’ve printed over six million parts in the last month,” Moñino said. “We’re constrained more by supply than by demand right now.”

The Science of MJF

Clara Remacha, Head of Product Management, HP 3D Printing Polymers, explained a little of the science behind HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology.

“As we introduce the new 1200, we’re getting into a new customer base, and they don’t quite know about MJF because they’re used to FDM,” she explained.

MJF is a powder bed fusion process: once the top layer is fused with the laser, you add another layer of powder, and then bury the parts.

“Once you’ve done the top layer, you lose control, it’s just physics from that point on,” she explained. “But you do have control over the top layer.”

HP uses infrared lamps to fuse layers with area-based fusing, “which is what gives us our productivity.” While point-based fusing is dependent on packing density and part geometry, area-based fusing is not, and can achieve predictable results regardless of those factors.

MJF spends more time fusing than other technologies, which equals less reactive materials. Another key characteristic of the technology is that it uses two proprietary agents—a detailing agent and a fusing agent—and the printer adjusts “on the fly” how much of each to use, and where to put it.

7% packing density

Remacha said that over the last decade, HP has reduced its cost per part by over 50%.

“We’e one of the most competitive technologies for powder,” she said.

This statement is reflected in an exciting announcement: last week, U.S. 3D printing services provider ADDMAN announced that it plans to add an additional 81 HP Jet Fusion 5620 Pro printers to its existing fleet, bringing its total number of MJF systems to more than 125. The company says it’s running three shifts of HP printers every day.

Customer Panel

ADDMAN was actually onsite at the time, and Keith Schneider, General Manager at ADDMAN Polymer, joined Cody Laursen, Founder and CEO of Streamline 3D, for a customer panel, moderated by Katelyn Lennon, HP’s Senior AMS Campaign Manager.

Both companies have been using MJF for about five years, and Laursen said the technology “helps us get parts to customers really fast.”

“Now, additive is recognized as a legitimate way to make parts at a high scale, much more than 5 years ago,” Laursen said.

Schneider said that ADDMAN is working on scalability and adoption of MJF “as the number of parts for production continues to rise.”

L-R: ADDMAN’s Keith Schneider, Streamline 3D’s Cody Laursen, HP’s Katelyn Lennon

Lennon asked how they saw business optimized with MJF, and Laursen said that it “will keep getting faster and less expensive as time goes on.” Schneider said it was “having a queue of different parts you can pull from so you can maximize the build.” She also asked what they thought about the new 1200 printer, but both confirmed that their respective companies were not really the intended target customer, though Schneider did say that it was a “great entry point into the technology.”

Unlocking Additive’s Full Potential

François Minec, Vice President & Global Head of Sales and Business Development for HP AM Solutions, said manufacturing overall is recovering globally, and that additive specifically is back on the growth track.

“For years, the 3D printing industry has been promising a lot and making crazy claims,” he said. “HP is taking a stand. We want to make sure we’re trusted, so we’re under-promising and over-delivering.”

François Minec, VP & Global Head of Sales & BD for HP AM Solutions

So where does HP want to go? Minec said they want to enable more applications at scale by accelerating adoption, maintaining leadership, opening new markets, and reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO) by 50% in three years.

Some upcoming products could help HP reach its goals. Dual Tone mode, enabling two-tone white and grey parts with integrated surface features, is coming in early 2027 as a free upgrade to the 5600. By printing markings directly on parts, HP can simplify post-processing, and improve O&P patient experiences with custom devices. HP is also developing some new polymer materials, such as PA12 W (true white), PA12 S (better surface smoothness, enabled by Arkema), and PA12 FR (flame retardant, enabled by Evonik), as well as partnering with companies like GKN Additive (copper) and Continuum and INDO-MIM (nickel superalloys) to work on metals.

HP’s Industrial Filament

Speaking of materials, Ferran Vilanova, Director of 3D Business, said there’s a “very relevant” market space for high-temperature materials like PEEK and ULTEM 9085, but they’re expensive, and for good reason.

“But we’re missing out on a big chunk of the market if we’re not working with this,” he stated.

That’s why earlier this year, they released the HP IF 600HT, an open materials platform that comes with three print modules covering different temperatures, and a complementary Material Management System (MMS). It’s the same HP filament technology, but with some extra features that make it attractive to industrial, high-performance environments, such as aerospace and defense, railway, and motorsports.

The MJF 1200

Product Manager Marc Garcia discussed the unofficial star of the show: the new HP 1200, available in 2027.

“We kept hearing one thing—how can we bring this technology to everyone?” Garcia said.

Customers couldn’t fit the original MJF systems in their office space, and the cost was prohibitive to those wanting a more entry-level but still professional solution. So the team had a hackathon a few years ago to determine how to make MJF more compact and accessible, and the 1200 was born.

Product Manager Marc Garcia with the HP 1200

It’s simpler, with everything integrated in one carriage and usable with standard electric outlets, and features a smaller build volume of 12 liters, enabling gravity-feed and manual bucket management as opposed to pneumatic transport. But it inherited some of HP’s proven assets, like a split workflow, electronics from the 2D side of the business, automated unpacking (integrated into the MMS), and an integrated camera.

It’s roughly $60,000 for the printer, Magics build prep software, and the unpacking station, and about $48,000 for the printer itself. The 1200 is launching with PA12, and more materials will come later. While Garcia said he can’t share how many orders they’ve received so far, he did say the number was a pleasant surprise, and that they may be entering allocation mode early. He also said that the segment most interested in the new 1200 is small- to medium-sized companies, “which we weren’t reaching before.”

They told us the new 1200 is about strong, easy, and fast:

• Strong: the parts have been tested in challenging environments, like underwater and in vehicles. There’s also a strong ecosystem, including MJF, Materialise Magics, and part cleaning, powered by an as yet unnamed party.
• Easy: it has 56% less operator time than market alternatives, thanks to automatic loading and unpacking and predictable print times. It’s also easy to adopt, as it physically fits in most workspace, and the fact that there are 200+ service bureaus in the HP AM Network.
• Fast: the cycle time is 60% faster than market alternatives. Fast also means a smarter build shape, with more liters and horizontal printing.

HP Multi Jet Fusion 1200 3D Material Management System

Garcia said that the real innovation is actually the Material Management System (MMS), because customers care less about the actual 3D printing and more about how much of the unpacking and depowdering can be automated. Thanks to the system’s quiet vibrations, about 95% of printed powder can be recovered and later reused.

MJF Applications

While at the Vancouver site, we also got to see a large sampling of the many applications enabled by MJF, such as O&P, which Brian Ingold, Global Head of Business Development & Applications Solutions, said has “crossed the chasm.”

“We estimate that about 7% of O&P printing is with MJF,” he said. “It’s a great success story. We consider ourself part of the O&P industry.”

Brian Ingold, Global Head of Business Development & Applications Solutions

Pierre Kaiser, Head of 3D Design at HP, said a 3D printed neck brace can be “medically designed for every patient in a unique way.” He showed us one with a specific mechanism on it that enables patients to leave the brace on when they eat. He also shared that a major HP partner is Veterans Affairs (VA), “probably the largest O&P provider in the world.”

HP’s new Dual Tone technology is being used for a lot of O&P prints, because it can easily customize the medical devices.

Pierre Kaiser, Head of 3D Design

Ingold, whom I spoke with at IMTS about drones, showed us a 3D printed version of a foam-light drone that is very lightweight, but difficult to assemble. He said they asked ChatGPT to “read” the assembly manual, and, using Dual Tone, add each step to each part; I thought this was an awesome idea!

Continuing the drone discussion, Ingold showed us a packed block filled with quadcopter parts. Each quadcopter has six parts, and HP can print about 130 parts at once. He also said that HP has even been working on 3D printing underwater drones, or UUVs.

Principal Applications Engineer Matthew Smith showed us some parts made with HP’s Metal Jet technology. He said that they’re seeing more metal AM used in applications with “more complexity in smaller spaces,” like manifolds and piping.

Matthew Smith, Principal Applications Engineer

Momentum in Applications

I also had the chance to have a one-on-one chat with Moñino, who said that they’re seeing a lot of momentum in the U.S., again reflected in the recent ADDMAN investment.

“We have a strong funnel across the world and in particular the U.S.,’ he said. “My biggest worry is to enable the supply. That’s my biggest job right now as a general manager is to make sure we have enough supply to fulfill the demand that we’re seeing on the market, which is a fantastic problem to have, but still a challenge.”

I asked where HP is heading in the next few years, and he said the biggest thing they’re working on is “enabling demand of parts.” To do this, he said you have to start “application by application, segment by segment.” But it’s also about enabling the engineering teams to do it.

“So we’ve been leveraging, for instance, digital platforms like Xometry, in order to make MJF kind of the preferred [choice], and it’s really been working, and it’s part of the growth.”

Moñino also told me about the #HPMadewithMJF campaign that they “want to get out there, and create more awareness of that standard to people and engineers who just don’t know.”

He said HP is also excited about the growth of some of the segments that it serves, sharing that the company is trying to balance its presence by attending a mix of industry shows and vertical shows, like XPONENTIAL for drones and the America Academy of Orthotics & Prosthetics (AAOP) conference. They’re even starting to attend some robotics shows, because robotics is “starting to explode.”

“It’s about being present in the segments.”

Rather than just developing and selling as many printers as you can without a clear end game, applications is what drives the business.

Check out some more of my pictures below:

High-fiving the bionic humanoid robot hand!

The Canadian pharmaceutical company has launched its M3DICINES National Network Program, a plan to create a distributed network of sites that can 3D print medicines closer to where they are needed. The program will begin with U.S. compounding pharmacies and could eventually extend to hospitals, contract manufacturers, research institutions, and government facilities.

Instead of producing every medicine at a central plant and shipping finished doses around the country, PharmaTher’s model would distribute validated formulations and digital manufacturing instructions to qualified locations equipped with the same pharmaceutical 3D printing system.

From Individual Printers to a Manufacturing Network

Every site in the proposed network will use Craft Health‘s CraftMake pharmaceutical 3D printer. PharmaTher became the exclusive North American distributor of the platform on October 1, giving it rights to distribute CraftMake printers along with CraftControl software, CraftBlends printable materials, consumables and services.

Craft Health’s CraftMake printer to make polypill pharmaceuticals. Image courtesy of Craft Health.

The company is targeting up to 50 CraftMake placements over the next 12 months. Its first planned installations include PD Labs, a U.S. 503A compounding pharmacy that will serve as PharmaTher’s U.S. Center of Excellence, and an unnamed GMP contract manufacturer.

Under the network model, PharmaTher and its partners would first develop and validate a formulation and its digital recipe. Participating sites would then install a CraftMake system and complete qualification and training before producing medicines locally. The same network could support PharmaTher’s own products as well as partner programs, research projects and clinical trial supply.

That makes the network more than a plan to sell pharmaceutical printers. PharmaTher describes each machine as a piece of infrastructure in a larger manufacturing system.

Why Make Medicines This Way?

The model is mainly aimed at medicines that are difficult to produce in large quantities. Traditional pharmaceutical factories work best when they can produce large numbers of the same tablet. That becomes harder when patients need different doses, only small batches are needed, or there is limited demand for a particular medicine.

PharmaTher sees 3D printing as a way to make these smaller batches. This could include personalized doses, medicines for rare diseases and children, discontinued drugs, drugs in short supply, and small batches for research and clinical trials.

According to the companies, CraftMake can print different doses of the same medicine. The system works at room temperature and does not use heat or UV light, which means it can also handle some temperature-sensitive drugs. Each printed dose also comes with a digital batch record.

CraftMake after printing polypills. Image courtesy of Craft Health.

The goal is to develop a drug formulation once and then produce it at different qualified locations. This could make it easier to produce smaller amounts of a medicine without setting up a traditional production line each time.

The FDA Is Also Looking at Distributed Drug Manufacturing

PharmaTher’s network arrives as U.S. regulators are taking a closer look at distributed pharmaceutical manufacturing.

In July 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed new rules for distributed drug manufacturing. The idea is to have one central hub oversee production at several smaller manufacturing sites in different locations.

Today, those sites generally have to register separately with the FDA. Under the proposed rules, some networks could register as a single operation. The FDA says this could make it easier to expand or move manufacturing sites and support more drug production in the U.S.

PharmaTher’s planned network is different, at least for now. It will initially focus on 503A compounding pharmacies, which operate under different rules, and compounded drugs are not FDA-approved. Still, the FDA proposal shows that regulators are looking at ways to make drugs across networks of smaller, distributed sites.

From Drug Shortages to National Emergencies

The network could also have a role during emergencies. PharmaTher plans to use the same 3D printing sites to produce medicines locally when supplies are disrupted, or demand suddenly increases. In fact, according to PharmaTher, “qualified CraftMake locations could become nodes” in a planned National Emergency Preparedness Node Network. During an emergency, PharmaTher says validated digital recipes could be released to those locations so that required doses could be produced locally. The company says the concept is intended to “complement existing national stockpiles rather than replace them.”

Over the next year, PharmaTher plans to test the emergency network and seek contracts with U.S. and Canadian government agencies, although none have been announced so far.

For now, much of the national network is still in the planning stage. PharmaTher is targeting up to 50 printer placements, but those installations have not yet been completed, and each site must be qualified before it can join. If the company reaches that goal, dozens of sites could eventually use the same 3D printing platform to produce medicines locally across the U.S.

World War II planes are all aluminum skins combined with steel for mounting components. Bombers were heavily armored flying fortresses in name, philosophy, and design. The De Havilland Mosquito was made of glued spruce, ash, fir, and birch. It was revolutionary. Wood components were bent or machined into shape and glued and screwed together. Many structural components and leading edges were plywood. Reinforcement was also out of wood. The plane’s fuselage was molded wood in two halves made of a sandwich of balsa, plywood, and balsa again. They molded that structure over mahogany and dried it in concert with the skin. They wired it before joining to save time. Then they covered the whole plane with a finely woven cloth called Mandapollam, then coated it with five coats of aircraft dope, a lacquer. Aircraft dope, in various forms, had been applied to the Wright Flyer but was also responsible for the Hindenburg disaster.

It was kind of like a flying composite candle. If anything ever sounded like a bad idea, it was the Mosquito. The Mosquito was light, smooth, aerodynamic, and had a pioneering monocoque design. The wood and monocoque design saved massive amounts of weight and showcased a world where the skin is the structure and doesn’t need internal reinforcement. This approach reduces parts and weight, can make a plane much more efficient to build, can lead to radically new designs, improves performance, and can create more aerodynamic structures. Think of a parking garage with columns everywhere. Imagine you can now make that garage without the columns. How different would the inside of it be? How many more parking spaces would you have? You’d be able to have a much smaller garage that could take more cars, be built more cheaply, have fewer floors, or have a tonne more parking spaces in the same space while using significantly less concrete.

Because the Mosquito was built in two halves, staff could install wiring and the like more easily without crawling through the aircraft while it was being made. A lot of the credit for this pioneering design should go to Arthur E. Hagg, the lead draughtsman on the Mosquito who also helped design the pioneering Moth, Albatross and DH88 Comet Racer (which I still think is the most beautiful aircraft of all time). Instead, he’s not credited enough next to Bishop, DeHaviland and his son, the test pilot DeHaviland Junior, Tamblin, Clarkson and Wilkins. Indeed, we tend to look for solitary geniuses as being responsible for inventions. But this was a complex, groundbreaking engineering project that required many stellar people working together. This kind of invention is not a flash of thunderous inspiration but rather a grind in concert with many sparks flying.

The team’s work also grew out of long-term work on composite structures at De Havilland and a great deal of pitching by De Havilland and its management. One central misgiving that held up acceptance was that the plane was mostly made of wood, which felt very WWI-ish. But the other idea was encapsulated in those layers of wood and Aerolite glue, a synthetic urea-formaldehyde adhesive. Initially, glues were made of casein, milk-based glues used in woodworking. Today, that glue is mostly used to attach beer bottle labels to bottles because it resists precipitation from ice. Beetle cement, a urea-formaldehyde resin, was also tried, but both fared poorly in the tropics. It was that, through maneuverability and speed, the aircraft would protect itself. Now this was pitched at a time when the main idea was to make flying tanks bristling with guns. The idea that a supreme lightweight monocoque composite plane could outrun trouble was initially met with skepticism.

But the speedy high-altitude craft was very successful. It accounted for about 70 air-to-air losses and 500 victories, with low losses on bombing runs. With bouncing bombs, the aircraft was used to destroy dams, while daring daytime bombing raids in Berlin gave the UK a much-needed propaganda victory. Another advantage was that it needed only a two-person crew. The Avro Lancaster and B-17 needed 7 to 10 people to fly. With a lack of staff being a major issue and many bomber aircraft being downed, a two-person plane was also tempting due to the significantly less training, cost, and loss of life that it would entail. With metals scarce, it seems that when approval for this new design direction finally came, it was because of Air Chief Marshal Sir Wilfrid Freeman believing in the plane and the work of DeHavilland and his engineers, but also out of sheer desperation.

In retrospect, the Mosquito was a celebrated success, but at the time it was a desperate gamble. The Brits have dressed the Mosquito up as some pioneering boffins, a few toffs with derring-do and good old British ingenuity and gumption. It was all of those things. But the Mosquito was approved in July of 1940; France had just fallen, Dunkirk had just been evacuated, with the Allies rescuing 330,000 but losing 20,000 men, and the Allies had also withdrawn from Narvik. Britain stood alone, and an awful lot of people thought that she should make a separate peace with Germany or that some kind of surrender should be negotiated. Looking back, it was all stiff upper lip, but if Britain ever twitched and quivered that lip, it was now. Over the coming months, Britain would be battered by submarine warfare. The US would not enter the war until December 1941. And the Battle of Britain lay ahead from June to October of 1940. 544 fighter pilots would die, and 1,000 planes would be lost.

Additionally, 744 bomber crew and 380 Coastal Command crew died as well. The RAF would lose around 300 planes a month and build 400 aircraft, and they’d lose 240 pilots per month as casualties or captured, and train 200 per month. Some pilots would crash and be given another plane the next day. And pilots were doing four sorties a day. By some estimates, Britain was only 20 days of attrition away from simply not having enough pilots able to fly and the remaining force collapsing from exhaustion. Training was shortened to the extent that average new pilots lasted about a week. So when Wilfrid Freeman looked at green-lighting the Mosquito, he was facing the Battle of Britain and submarine warfare. In retrospect, green-lighting the Mosquito was also an act of desperation. It was as much a flying Sten gun, or the only thing they could hope to make if they were cut off from metals.

At the same time, the British were looking to make the Spitfire out of wood composites as well. Using Gordon Aerolite (a phenolic-soaked flax fiber distinct from the glue used on the Mosquito) made by Chilean aerospace engineer Dr. Norman de Bruyne and materials scientist J.E. Gordon they tested it. It was de Bruyne who, at the firm Aero, had pioneered early composites for DeHavilland. In 1936 they started to work on phenol-formaldehyde resins to make propellers. He also later made the Redux resin used in aviation and beyond, seeing extensive use in later aircraft such as the Fokker Friendship. He also invented the popular Araldite glue. His partner, J.E. Gordon, was instrumental in making composites work, and his lifelong study of them made him a pioneer in biomechanics and materials science. Without their pioneering work on the glue, the Mosquito would not have been possible. They also made a flax-soaked phenolic composite, which they used to build and test a full-scale composite Supermarine Spitfire. They did this to see whether the UK could build the aircraft if cut off from aluminum. Rather confusingly, Aerolite Spitfire today is a team that started building Spitfire replicas out of composites inspired by the wartime composite Spitfire prototype. They now want to make a contemporary flying Spitfire kit for enthusiasts.

Once accepted, the Mosquito found work as a bomber, fighter, a pathfinder ahead of bomber forces, night fighter, photo reconnaissance, anti-submarine, and transport for VIP’s (being used to spirit away Niels Bohr and procure invaluable ball bearings). Whether guiding in bombers or intercepting them, the wooden wonder was supremely effective. The Spitfire and Hurricane get all the props, but the Mosquito was a supremely effective aircraft that accomplished many key missions. It also invented new roles that didn’t exist: something like a precision bomber could be built that would put bombs on target, not just bomb a postal code. It was also a special-mission, special-ops long-range aircraft. This started what would be one of the most expensive dreams in history: the swing-role, or later multirole fighter, dream. The idea was simple: if you made a plane good enough, it could fulfill many roles. In the Pacific, meanwhile, the Grumman F6F Hellcat had been specifically designed, based on an intact captured Zero fighter, to outperform a Zero over the sea. Since then, fighter jet history has been a battle between the ideal specialized jet and the one jet to rule them all.

Images courtesy of Tim Spouge, Kev Cook, Andrew Bone.