the digital giraffe - 3D print news

3D Printing News
Note: we are now including articles on plant-based foods in the field of vegan nutrition.

Researchers at MIT have launched a method to create bio-derived adaptive materials inspired by natural processes, ie how do pine cones open and close in response to humidity. The goal is to reduce time and expense by mimicking nature rather than starting from scratch. Moisture-responsive surfaces, for example, could be used for buildings that would passively regulate insulation and ventilation. Wearables and medical devices could adjust to body conditions.

Perfecta Foods is now offering plant-based fish patties as well as whole cuts of chicken and beef. You will find filet mignon, chicken breast, and salmon patties. The company also provides recipes like a marbled steak burrito bowl and Baja white fish patty tacos.

Onego. which produces non-animal egg protein, is working with Zen Waffles to add its Bioalbumen to high-protein waffles. Bioalbumen is produced without animals, with an environmental impact that is 90% smaller than standard egg protein. The new waffles are said to have a light interior and crisp crust.

Printpal says that it can turn any sketch into a 3D print in seconds without any designing. The process works by sketch, upload, choose the quality you want, and send the STL file to your 3D printer. Even rough doodles are said to work.

A method being developed at Stanford University allows multiple materials to be controlled and extruded with a single printed strand. Instead of the usual layer-by-layer process, this system extrudes all the materials at once into patterned filaments that have an internal structure similar to elephant trunks and octopus arms.

The AI Vision System at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California uses a camera-based inspection method to identify mistakes before the object is printed. Currently errors are discovered after printing using x-rays or mechanical testing. With this new system, a camera shows each layer as it is deposited while software measures the strands including filament diameter. The analysis is said to take milliseconds versus the usual 20 minutes.

In their efforts to grow food in deep space, NASA engineers have made cookies from plastic soda bottles, corn stalks and leaves, all 3D printed. The scientists used yeast, water, and oxygen along with high heat and pressure combined with starch, fiber and a sweetener. The yeast can even make vanilla from plant waste. Note: no one has tried to eat these cookies yet.

A new report suggests that the toxic air quality from 3D printing with resins may not be coming only from the printer. The entire work flow may contain harmful particles when you take into account ventilation, staff routines, workplace safety rules, and unexpected events. The report calls for treating the entire process as a "connected wholistic industrial process".

Scientists at Singapore University of Technology and Design want to know whether red lentil flours and white rice along with wheat flour, tapioca flour, and a bit of xanthan gum could produce edible dishes with 3D printing. The team froze several prints overnight, then oven-dried, air-fried, steamed or microwaved them. Each post-printing method gave different results, even with the same 3D paste. Steaming gave the hardest, most cohesive prints. The dry methods drove away water and left surface cracks. The oven and air fryer browned the prints, while microwavinng and air-frying puffed them. Read the report for more conclusions.

Swiss researchers built a living battery from fungi that feeds on sugar and dissolves when the task is completed. It has already powered a sensor for several days when combining 2 complementary fungi species printed alive into biodegradable ink. Standard batteries are rigid, toxic, and end up in landfills. In these experiments, however, the basic material is alive, must be fed, and breaks itself down when the job is finished.

We review many hundreds of articles each month, culling the most significant for you. We also welcome suggestions from our viewers for products and processes that we may have missed.

c. Corinne Whitaker 2026