Technology

The 3D printing industry is developing at an astonishing rate. Over the last 12 months, a number of companies have announced new technologies and launched new machines, indicating an exciting future for the industry.   To help you keep up with the latest in 3D printing, here’s our list of 10 of the most exciting …

Advancements in extrusion-based 3D printing are changing the trajectory of Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) technology.   FFF, or FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) as it’s more commonly referred to, is one of the most commonly used 3D printing technologies. With adoption increasing across all industrial segments, FDM was the most revenue-generating 3D printing technology in 2017, …

Desktop 3D printing has undergone somewhat of a revolution in the last decade. The technology, which began with the consumer market in mind, has become an important part of the industrial, professional market. By enabling cheaper and faster production, desktop 3D printers are increasingly becoming a vital part of the industrial landscape.   But what …

The automotive industry is facing demands on all fronts: the demand for newer, better performing vehicles, as well as the need to optimise production and streamline supply chains and logistics. One technology that is helping to meet these challenges is 3D printing.   3D printing is increasingly being explored across all areas of automotive production. …

3D printing has reached its inflection point. Having been an important prototyping tool for decades, the technology is now increasingly becoming a viable solution for manufacturing applications.   That said, there are still a lot of misconceptions about the technology. Today, we’re taking a look at some of the most commonly-held beliefs about 3D printing, …

Large-scale 3D printing is slowly coming to the fore as a cost-effective and flexible solution for manufacturing large parts and components. That said, with the majority of the 3D printers currently available having been developed for smaller parts, what is the outlook for 3D printing technologies that can print larger parts like turbine blades and …

Industry 4.0, IIoT, and digitisation are currently some of the most-discussed and yet least understood topics within manufacturing today.   With still a lot of confusion surrounding Industry 4.0, today we’ll be exploring the key technologies behind Industry 4.0, as well as real-world applications.   Industry 4.0 in a nutshell Industry 4.0 is signalling a …

Stereolithography (SLA) and Digital Light Processing (DLP) are two of the most popular 3D printing technologies around. Sharing a number of similarities, both SLA and DLP fall into the vat polymerisation family of 3D printing technologies. The two technologies have undergone a huge evolution in the last decade, stepping beyond their rapid prototyping origins to …

Quality assurance (QA) is arguably the most important and yet one of the most challenging steps in 3D printing.   With 3D printing being increasingly used in high-performance industrial applications, the technology must consistently and reliably deliver high-quality parts with the properties needed to meet demanding applications. When it comes to metal 3D printing, however, …

3D printing is breathing new life into a variety of consumer products. Fuelling new trends and innovation, the technology is creating exciting opportunities for the future of the consumer goods industry.     The consumer goods industry has long seen the benefits of 3D printing in product design and development thanks to rapid prototyping. However, …