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While 3D printing has exploded in popularity, many of the plastic materials these printers use to create objects cannot be easily recycled.

The automatically generated parameters can replace about half of the parameters that typically must be tuned by hand. In a series of test prints with unique materials, including several renewable materials, the researchers showed that their method can consistently produce viable parameters.

This research could help to reduce the environmental impact of additive manufacturing, which typically relies on nonrecyclable polymers and resins derived from fossil fuels.

El Cosmico Campground Hotel in the Texas desert is billed as the world’s first 3D-printed hotel. Following the project’s announcement earlier this year, 3D-printed architecture firm Icon is busy constructing the ambitious hotel.

El Cosmico is an expansion and reimagining of an already-existing campground hotel on the outskirts of Marfa, Texas. According to Icon, it will include camping areas, vacation homes, shared amenities, and permanent residences for sale. Connected to the hotel is the collection of the BIG-designed three and four-bedroom “Sunday Homes.” Pricing on the Sunday Homes starts at a cool $2.29M.

The company says the new hotel and homes feature organic curves and domes, a design that is only possible with 3D printing. The project was created in collaboration with architecture firm BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group.

Arizona-based startup Mechnano has exited “stealth mode” in the research and development of its carbon nanotube (CNT) technology for 3D printing materials.

The company has developed its first product, an electrostatic discharge (ESD) resin that delivers dissipative properties to 3D printed parts without compromising mechanical properties.

“These are extraordinary breakthroughs for additive manufacturing materials,” said Steven Lowder, Mechnano’s Founder and CEO. “By focusing on the nanoscale, or the molecular level, we are able to make exponential improvements in AM materials at the macro-level.

Related: Future moon astronauts may 3D-print their supplies using lunar minerals

“With the printing of the first metal 3D shape in space, ESA Exploration teams have achieved a significant milestone in establishing in-orbit manufacturing capabilities. This accomplishment, made possible by an international and multidisciplinary team, paves the way for long-distance and long-duration missions where creating spare parts, construction components, and tools on demand will be essential,” said Daniel Neuenschwander, director of Human and Robotic Exploration at ESA, in a statement.

This groundbreaking technology continues to expand its applications on Earth, revolutionizing fields such as medicine, fashion, art, construction, food production and manufacturing. In space, as long-duration missions to the moon and potentially Mars take shape, astronauts will need a means of independently repairing or creating tools or parts for machinery or structures that would be difficult to carry onboard a spacecraft, which have limited capacity.

A team led by scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory identified and successfully demonstrated a new method to process a plant-based material called nanocellulose that reduced energy needs by a whopping 21%. The approach was discovered using molecular simulations run on the lab’s supercomputers, followed by pilot testing and analysis.

The method, leveraging a solvent of sodium hydroxide and urea in water, can significantly lower the production cost of nanocellulosic fiber — a strong, lightweight biomaterial ideal as a composite for 3D-printing structures such as sustainable housing and vehicle assemblies. The findings support the development of a circular bioeconomy in which renewable, biodegradable materials replace petroleum-based resources, decarbonizing the economy and reducing waste.

Colleagues at ORNL, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the University of Maine’s Process Development Center collaborated on the project that targets a more efficient method of producing a highly desirable material. Nanocellulose is a form of the natural polymer cellulose found in plant cell walls that is up to eight times stronger than steel.

One contract focuses on Canopy’s transpiration-cooled TBS. Under a second contract, Canopy will embed high-temperature sensors in the TPS material.

Denver-based Canopy was founded in 2021 to develop manufacturing processes that rely on software, automation and 3D-printing to supply heat shields for spacecraft and hypersonic vehicles.

In the rapidly evolving world of 3D printing, the pursuit of faster, more efficient and versatile production methods is never-ending. Traditional 3D printing techniques, while groundbreaking, are often time-consuming and limited in the kinds of materials they can use as feedstock.

But, through a new process a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) team is calling Microwave Volumetric Additive Manufacturing (MVAM), researchers have introduced an innovative new approach to 3D printing using microwave energy to cure materials, opening the door to a broader range of materials than ever before.

In a recent paper published in Additive Manufacturing Letters, LLNL researchers describe the potential of microwave energy to penetrate a wider range of materials compared to light-based volumetric additive manufacturing (VAM).

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Learning from my first design, I created an improved marine thruster that uses magnetohydrodynamic thrust. It took the better part of a month, and plenty of tests. This really pushed my 3D printing skills to the limit, but it also lead to fully functional thruster that outperformed my expectations. Thanks to Onshape for their awesome modeling program. Create a free Onshape account here: https://Onshape.pro/PlasmaChannel.
First MHD thruster video here: • Using Stealth Propulsion for Ocean Tr…

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Precisely shaped glass is a tricky substance for additive manufacturing.