Additive Manufacturing Media

AI is everywhere in manufacturing — but knowing where to start in additive manufacturing is the real challenge.

Dr. Tim Simpson, Fellow ADDVisor, opens a new series examining how AI can be applied across the AM value chain — from part identification and design generation to build orientation optimization and process qualification.

Key entry points he outlines:

- Summarizing AM processes and materials for a specific application
- Researching available systems, post-processing requirements, and common defects
- Compiling relevant AM standards and converting them into actionable checklists
- Benchmarking how different AI platforms respond to the same prompt

One consistent finding: AI combines just-in-time learning with hands-on application, accelerating work when users engage it directly rather than passively consuming AI-generated summaries.

The caveat is equally important. AI functions best when paired with subject matter expertise to evaluate and correct outputs — a point Simpson illustrates with a generated infographic that contained a process illustration that was, by his assessment, "very wrong."

Read the full piece to explore where AI adds genuine value in AM operations. https://www.additivemanufacturing.media/articles/am-ai-two-technologies-that-work-together

Measurement inconsistency has long been a barrier to commercial scaling in photopolymer additive manufacturing.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced the commercial availability of Reference Material 8047, a standardized photoactive resin developed with the Photopolymer Additive Manufacturing Alliance (PAMA) to improve measurement consistency and reproducibility across the advanced manufacturing sector.

In photopolymer 3D printing, establishing a reliable working curve is essential to achieving adequate cure depth — ensuring each layer bonds securely without over-exposure or material degradation. Discrepancies in how laboratories measure light pe*******on depth and critical exposure energy have historically hindered scale-up.

RM 8047 addresses this bottleneck by providing a uniform benchmarking baseline for method validation and process control. Key aspects of its development include:

- An interlaboratory study coordinated across more than 30 cross-sector stakeholders
- Testing at 385-nm and 405-nm wavelengths using NIST-calibrated light sources
- Working curves derived using the Jacobs Equation

"By establishing standard reference materials, we help eliminate measurement variance... and give the industry the metrics needed for true commercial scalability." — Jason Killgore, NIST

Read the full article for technical details and ordering information. https://www.additivemanufacturing.media/news/nist-reference-material-promotes-standardization-in-photopolymer-3d-printing

Data preparation is a critical — and often underestimated — bottleneck in additive manufacturing software development.

The Institute Digital Additive Production (DAP) at RWTH Aachen University has released DAPComputationalGeometry (DAP-CG), an open-source computational geometry library designed to improve performance, reduce memory consumption, and accelerate data preparation in AM CAM software.

As parts grow more complex and machines incorporate multiple lasers, the volume of data AM CAM software must process continues to grow. Poor scaling in data structures and geometry algorithms can push processing times from minutes to hours — or days — while memory demands may increase severalfold.

DAP-CG addresses this directly:

- Polygon compression reduced memory required for nesting by a factor of 5 in industrial trials
- Algorithms support build orientation, support structure generation, nesting, slicing, and scan strategy calculation
- Modern C # features accelerate geometry translation and rotation

Released under the permissive Boost Software License, the library is available free of charge for research and commercial use.

The full technical overview is available via the Institute Digital Additive Production at RWTH Aachen University. https://www.additivemanufacturing.media/news/rwth-aachen-university-open-source-geometry-library-reduces-memory-requirements-for-am-cam-software

A 12-year collaboration between Stratasys and Limbitless Solutions is expanding its scope — with sustainability and education now central to its mission.

Limbitless Solutions, a nonprofit research facility at the University of Central Florida, uses Stratasys additive manufacturing to produce end-use prosthetic components, 3D-printed molds for thermoformed cosmetic elements, and rapid prototypes — delivering hundreds of bionic prosthetic devices to children across the U.S. and beyond.

The expanded partnership includes:

- A dedicated Limbitless lab equipped with Stratasys systems, where students develop real-world engineering skills
- Donation of a Certified Pre-Owned F370 3D printer, supporting operations, education, and community outreach
- A focus on circular manufacturing through Stratasys' Mindful Manufacturing approach

The Certified Pre-Owned program extends equipment life through factory-certified refurbishment — reducing waste while enabling purpose-driven organizations to expand their reach.

For the children served, these prosthetics provide functionality while building confidence and encouraging self-expression.

The full story examines how additive manufacturing, corporate social responsibility, and STEAM education can intersect to create measurable social impact. https://www.additivemanufacturing.media/news/stratasys-expands-partnership-with-limbitless-solutions-to-broaden-access-to-3d-printed-prosthetics-for-children

Qualification costs and machine-to-machine inconsistency remain among the most significant barriers to widespread adoption of metal additive manufacturing in production environments.

The America Makes Delta Qual 2.0 program — a $9 million initiative focused on modernizing qualification methodologies for laser powder bed fusion — is working to address that directly. Dyndrite has been selected as a participant in two funded technical efforts under the program.

The two project areas target distinct but related challenges:

- Topic 1 focuses on quantitative measurement-based installation qualification, establishing machine performance baselines capable of supporting event-based requalification with little to no mechanical testing
- Topic 2 pursues bracketed qualification frameworks that allow manufacturers to vary processing parameters without requiring full requalification

As Dyndrite CEO Harshil Goel notes, "qualification must evolve beyond today's static parameter sets" — toward quantitative measurement, validated process windows, and traceable workflows.

The funded projects bring together a broad coalition including Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, Northrop Grumman, RTX, EOS North America, and Auburn University, among others.

Read the full article to understand the technical scope of each project. https://www.additivemanufacturing.media/news/dyndrite-supports-america-makes-delta-qual-20-to-advance-metal-additive-manufacturing-qualification

Traditional thermal pins couldn't reach a critical mold area — and the consequences were measurable: slow cycle times, warped parts, and surface defects.

When K-Rain approached Zero Tolerance LLC with a persistent cooling problem, the answer came through a three-way collaboration involving a mold builder, a metal printer manufacturer, and a simulation expert. The solution: 3D-printed conformal cooling inserts made from Corrax stainless steel, designed to distribute heat evenly through tight spaces where conventional cooling couldn't reach.

The results were concrete:
- Cycle time dropped from 54 to 44 seconds — an 18–20% improvement
- Warpage and sink marks were eliminated
- The process is now being replicated in new molds

Notably, simulation was run after the tool was already built and tested, allowing real-world data to validate virtual results with remarkable accuracy. As one participant observed, redesigning and re-machining tooling costs far more than a simulation that catches problems early.

The project reinforces a practical principle: additive manufacturing complements machining — it doesn't replace it.

Read the full case study for the engineering details and shop-floor lessons. https://www.additivemanufacturing.media/articles/how-metal-am-cut-mold-cycle-time-by-20-2

A 70 kg printed living cell. An equivalent fiberglass build weighs approximately 200 kg.

Italian deep-tech startup NUGAE used its CoreLight3d proprietary thermoplastic foam and UL-LFAM process to produce a living cell for a Piaggio Ape TM 703 camper — then watched it travel more than 4,500 kilometers across nine European countries to the North Cape, through rain, wind gusts up to 90 km/hr., and temperatures near 2°C on arrival.

The 130-kilogram difference was not achieved through formulation alone. UL-LFAM integrates material, a custom extruder, six-axis industrial robots, geometric stiffening strategies, and proprietary slicing software as a single engineered system.

As NUGAE co-founder Francesco Belvisi frames it: "Printing large objects is no longer the challenge. The challenge is printing them light enough to actually set off."

Key performance parameters:
- Material density: ~300 kg/m³; apparent part density as low as ~100 kg/m³
- Sandwich configurations with glass or carbon fiber skins available where higher performance is required
- First applications: marine industry and large-scale stage structures

Read the full account to understand the engineering logic behind the weight reduction. https://www.additivemanufacturing.media/news/nugae-3d-printed-camper-cell-reduces-weight-by-130-kilograms

Australian engineers have developed a 3D printed titanium material that is strong, lightweight, and buoyant — even after severe structural damage.

Led by RMIT's Center for Additive Manufacturing and published in Advanced Materials, the study presents the first reported floating metal-hybrid lattice metamaterial. The structure consists of hollow, interconnected titanium alloy struts filled with polyurethane foam, produced using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology.

The core challenge: metallic lattices, though extremely light, allow water to enter through open spaces — causing them to sink. The team addressed this by filling only the hollow struts with foam, enabling water to flow through the structure while maintaining buoyancy.

Key findings:
- 70% stronger than stainless steel or high-density polyethylene at equivalent density
- Lost only 0.15% mass after two weeks in natural seawater
- Remained buoyant after cracking, connection failures, and partial layer fracture

To guide design, the researchers introduced a new measure called skeletal density, which considers only water-excluding elements of the structure.

Full details are available in Advanced Materials. https://www.additivemanufacturing.media/articles/floating-titanium-material-improves-marine-infrastructure

Defense and aerospace manufacturers are facing mounting backlogs driven by unstable supply chains and outsourcing constraints — and composite tooling lead times measured in months are a central part of the problem.

Massivit's RapidWings is a turnkey composite manufacturing platform built on its Cast-In-Motion (CIM) technology, designed to compress those lead times from months to days. Programs completed to date report 40–70% reductions in tooling costs compared to conventional metal and machinable-board methods.

The platform operates through a network of regional Joint Manufacturing Alliances (JMAs) — partnerships with certified Tier 2 composites facilities. Key features of the model:

- CIM digital tooling capability is embedded into existing manufacturing facilities
- Partners retain full operational control and existing customer relationships
- No additional capital expenditure is required to scale production capacity

The first JMA, between Massivit and Israel-based Comparts Ltd., is fully operational. Massivit is currently accepting applications from qualified composite manufacturers in the U.S. and Europe.

Read the full article to learn more about how the RapidWings network is structured and where it is expanding. https://www.additivemanufacturing.media/news/massivit-manufacturing-platform-reduces-composite-tooling-lead-times-for-defense-aerospace-2

Mobility in early childhood shapes physical development, autonomy, and long-term outcomes — yet many families face insurance denials or multi-year waits for assistive devices.

MakeGood was founded to address this gap. The organization designs toddler mobility trainers (TMTs) — small, child-operated mobility devices for children with conditions like cerebral palsy and spina bifida — and distributes manufacturing across a network of more than 1,100 vetted makers who produce them using low-cost desktop 3D printers. Devices are provided to families free of charge.

General Pattern, a fourth-generation molder and moldmaker in Blaine, Minnesota, is one of those manufacturing partners. Key production details:

- Each TMT requires approximately 330 hours of print time across 28 builds
- Structural components are produced in PETG; cushions in standard or active-foaming TPU
- Assembly takes roughly one hour and uses only a few off-the-shelf fasteners

"Our mission is to design high-quality effective assistive technology that anyone can make for themselves," says MakeGood founder Noam Platt.

Read the full account of how distributed 3D printing manufacturing is filling a critical gap in pediatric mobility access. https://www.additivemanufacturing.media/articles/3d-printed-mobility-devices-support-kids-independence