What is the best prototyping method for a plastic product? That depends on the designer’s objectives. 3D printing is one option among many, but it’s not always the right one.

You might call it a giant leap for bioprinting: Human heart cells have been 3D printed on the International Space Station and are making their way back to Earth this week.

A $2.7-million R&D agreement between AddUp Group (Clermont-Ferrand, France) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) aims to advance laser powder bed fusion technology for the manufacture of metal molds with complex geometries.

Researchers have developed a wood-based ink for 3D printing that maintains the cellular structure of the wood, paving the way for myriad new products.

A new light-based technique developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison allows for more than one material to be printed at a time.

As the hype stage of 3D printing begins to fade, it looks like the do-or-die of additive manufacturing will be in materials that are yet to be release.