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

Researchers at Harvard University have devised a new way to 3D print soft robots that can be powered and handled after inflating. The system, called rotational multimaterial 3D printing, uses a nozzle that can output multiple materials at the same time. The outer shell of the robots is composed of polyurethane filaments, while the interior is made of poloxamer, found in hair gels. The soft robot can expand, contract, and grasp. Unlike conventional robot design, this one uses no mould and can be programmed and actuated quickly.

Another new system involving nozzle innovation relies on dead mosquito beaks. Unlike commercial glass nozzles which cost about $80. USD, the mosquito beaks run around 80 cents. The engineers attached the dead female beak to a standard plastic dispenser tip with resin, yielding lines about half the width of a human hair. The new nozzles are also biodegradable.

A 3D printed swimmimmg pool has been made in Australia. The engineers were able to fabricate a curved shape for the pool by using continuous deposition of the material without needing formwork. The entire pool and spa were completed in only 2 days, unlike standard concrete pool installations which may take as long as a month.

3 US states are attempting to make 3D printers self-regulate. New York, Washington, and California are looking at ways to make the devices police themselves. In one case, a pending bill would "require 3D printers to run state-approved surveillance software and criminalize modifying your own hardware."

Federal funding has been provided to several universities to develop bioprinted kidney tissue. A 5-year program aims to accomplish kidney transplants from the patient's own cells and simultaneously avoid causing rejection. Ordinarily this type of process can take 20 years, from research lab to patient use. Data indicate that of the 103,000 patients on the US nation transplant waitlist, 86% need a new kidney. 13 people die every day waiting for an organ transplant. Using the patient's own cells negates the one size fits all approach. The biomaterial has to be soft enough and sufficiently hydrated to succeed. It must also allow the kidney to maintain its shape during and after the procedure.

A breakthrough new method allows holographic 3D printing to create products in just half a second. The researchers used holographic light fields to solidify resin immediately, eliminating the need to wait for layer by layer deposition of the material. The method was developed at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, where engineers used a high-speed rotating periscope to project multi-angle holographic light onto photosensitive resin.

Another new method using light has been developed at the University of Texas at Austin. Hands were printed with a grey-scale image used as a blueprint. Liquid resin and light turn them into solid forms. Each layer, thin as a sheet of paper, is added one at a time. By changing the brightness of the light, engineers found that that they could alter how tightly plastic molecules pack together, affecting how soft or hard the final object becomes.The method is termed CRAFT, Crystallinity Regulation in Additive Fabrication of Thermoplastics, and allows the researchers to print bone-like and tissue-like structures in the same object without seams. In other words, they can make complex layered objects using a single resin rather than multiple materials that have to bond together.

A new spreadable plant-based Brie Creme has been created by RIND. Dairy-free, gluten-free, cholesterol-free and certified kosher, it will initially be available to wholesalers.

A new framework makes it possible to 3D print soft, compliant materials that stretch and fail by design. Known as 3D woven metamaterials, they are made up of intertwined fibers that self-connect and entangle. The method is available in open-source code. Possible uses include wearable sensors that move with human skin, fabrics for aerospace or defense, and flexible electronic devices.

A self-regulating 3D printed house is being built in Italy. Called the Ithaca project, it includes a self-sufficient farm designed to be replicated easily while meeting the same standards as traditional buildings. The process uses 4 robotic arms tied to a hexagonal structure that can print 4 walls at the same time. It embeds radiant heating, ventilation, and electrical systems into the walls so that air quality and temperature are actively regulated. Using a lime-based mixture rather than concrete results in a negative CO2. The walls were filled with rice husks mixed with the lime powder, acting as internal insulation.

Many companies are using high-tech and confusing language to disguise the fact that plastics are part of their product or their process, especially in the food industry. Buyer beware. Demand an easy-to-understand explanation before you eat or buy.

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