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

Engineers have been looking into new ways to 3D print the fine hairs and fibers found in nature. A new process has been developed using an embedded solvent exchange. Instead of the traditional layer-by-layer method, the new process embeds the material into a support material like hydrogel. The gel supports the shape, including complex shapes, of the printed material. The 3D printed part can then be removed from the gel, allowing the gel to be used for additional prints. This method can produce ultra-fine hairs without snapping the filament, a problem in traditional 3D printing.

In the vegan food arena, a new dairy-free and coconut yoghurt has been produced using 74% oat milk and 17% coconut cream. The resulting food contains no additives and comes from Australian-grown oats. 4 flavors are offered - Natural, Vanilla Bean, Mango and Strawberry. They will be avalable commercially beginning March, 2025.

Coffee grounds and Reishi mushroom spores are being combined into a plastic-free paste, using the ability of the spores to make a "mycelial skin". The skin is able to bind loose particles and create a tough, water-resistant, lightweight material. The new material is being used to 3D print packing materials, a small sculpture, and a vase. The "Mycofluid" paste also contained brown rice, xanthan gum and water, output with a new 3D printer head. Once printed, the objects sat covered in a plastic tub for 10 days while the mycelium formed a kind of shell around the paste. The final material is heavier than Styrofoam and close to the density of cardboard or charcoal. It was as tough as polystyrene, the basis for Styrofoam. The team hopes to expand its research into other recycled materials.

A group of scientists at the University of Tokyo and Waseda University in Japan has created a biohybrid hand that can move objects and make a scissor gesture. The teams used thin strings of lab-grown muscle tissue bound into rolls resembling sushi to allow the fingers to contract. These "multiple muscle tissue activators" are expected to grow larger biohybrid limbs in future research. The current robot hand, 18 cm in length, has mastered the scissor gesture so well that a person would lose if they chose paper in the "rock, paper, scissors” game. The activators are stimulated by electrical currents delivered via waterproof cables.

The new field of 4D printing adds the element of time to traditional 3D printing , basically adding heat or moisture to adaptable 3d printed objects, causing them to bend, twist, or transform. Proposed uses include biomedical metallic implants for patients with deformed or damaged bones. Another proposal would use hydrogel drug capsules whose outer skin would remain intact until the patient's body temperature rose to a certain level. 4D printed space fabrics could fold and change shape to shield space vehicles from meteorites and insulate against extreme temperatures. Damaged car and boat fenders could have their shapes restored. You might also buy a flat sheet from a furniture store and turn it into a sofa by heating it with a hair dryer. Current concerns include durability, cost, and whether these products are biologically safe.

A Slovenian plant-based meat company called Juicy Marbles has created Meaty Meat, a plant-based lamb substitute. Launched in Canada and the U.S., the cultured lamb is priced at $10. for a 6.4 ounce pack. It can be cooked sliced or whole, chopped or shredded. The lamb alternative has no thickeners or binders like methylcellulose and carrageenan. It offers 19 grams of protein per 100 grams plus zinc, iron. selenium and B vitamins as well as non-GMO ingredients.

Using 3D printers, engineers at Tufts University have produced small, resilient, soft-jointed robots that can be printed in just a few hours. The method makes it possible to swarm print hundreds of these tiny bots to perform tasks too difficlt or dangerous for humans, like searching for survivors after a wild fire, seeking out toxic materials, clearing mines from a battlefield, performing search and rescue missions after an earthquake. Their flexibilty means you could run over them or drop them from a helicopter and they can walk away. They walk over sand and rocks and climb up steep inclines.

Only 16 days were required to build Colorado's first 3D printed homes. Each house offers 1100 square feet with 2 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms wth heated floors. Each one also has quartz countertops and GE appliances. The houses start at $650,000.

Researchers at Cornell University have created a new plastic that is bio-based, durable, and recyclable. The material can be recycled through heating and degrades naturally into "benign" components.

Expo 2025 Osaka will have a mascot called Myaku Myaku with a sunflower head and rolling eyeballs. The mascot will also have special Enerzy sneakers made of a knitted synthetic fiber featuring a blue upper, a red bubble outsole, and round eyes around the bottom of the shoe.

One note of caution: 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 2025