People are increasingly turning to software to design complex material structures like airplane wings and medical implants. But as design models become more capable, our fabrication techniques haven't ...

3D printers are affordable enough that almost anyone can buy one, but should you? Before you dive in, here's what to consider—about materials, possible uses, software, and much more. Since 2004, I ...

Our take on the state of 3D printing, the ways companies are using it today, and how it's going to revolutionize the future of business. Read now 3D printing transforms spools of plastic filament or ...

Thanks to an innovative extension to 3D printing, researchers can create high-performance, low-weight “unbuildable” RF structures that combine dielectrics and patterned conductors. The benefits and ...

Non-planar layer Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is any form of fused deposition modeling where the 3D printed layers aren’t flat or of uniform thickness. For example, if you’re using mesh bed ...

Fused deposition modeling printing is the most common printing method used in 3D printing. The two key words are "deposition" and "fused". Basically, what an FDM 3D printer does is heat up plastic, ...

When slicing a model for 3D printing, the part is divided into a stack of flat, 2D layers. But there’s an alternative in the form of non-planar slicing, where the layers can follow 3D curves. [Rene K.

James has been writing about technology for years but has loved it since the early 90s. While his main areas of expertise are maker tools -- 3D printers, vinyl cutters, paper printers, and laser ...

Soft lithography is a fabrication technique used to create micro- and nanoscale patterns. Developed in the early 1990s by George M. Whitesides and colleagues, it simplifies pattern formation by using ...