Research

Sometimes, innovation can be born out of coincidence. When MIT researchers were 3D printing magnetic coils out of polymer filament doped with copper nanoparticles, they noticed an unexpected quality in the material: it had a high resistance to electrical currents,…

The construction industry is one of the most innovative sectors, where new technologies and materials are continually being tested and fine-tuned to move toward more sustainable construction and solve long-standing problems. Additive manufacturing is one of the technologies being studied…

3D printed food is nothing new. Several companies, like Steakholder Foods and Forma Foods, have 3D printed meat and fish alternatives. Others have 3D printed chocolate and reconstituted fruits and vegetables. An international team of researchers at the University of…

The term for discoveries made by chance is “serendipity”. Some of the most remarkable scientific breakthroughs include radioactivity, X-rays and the discovery of penicillin. Recently, this same serendipity led to a new breakthrough in additive manufacturing. Two researchers from the…

It’s a common motif on both movie screens and TVs: a murder is committed and the police investigate to find the culprit. The most modern techniques are used and the culprit is usually quickly arrested. And of course, this has…

What if 3D printed materials could detect problems before it was too late to solve them? Engineers at the University of Glasgow are working on making that possible by creating a system capable of modeling the physics of self-sensing 3D…

In a nuclear fusion reactor, temperatures exceed 150 million degrees Celsius—more than ten times hotter than the core of the Sun. Tungsten, a rare metal, can endure such extreme temperatures, making it promising for use in nuclear reactors. However, the…

The United States pioneered the use of additive manufacturing in the defense sector, and their Department of Defense (DoD) continues to fund additive manufacturing research to this day. Through the Office of Naval Research (ORN), the DoD awarded a $4.5…

There would be no exchange of information in modern communication without one key device: antennas. Antennas are designed for the transmission and reception of signals in communication systems. Their design and development, complex as it is, continue to evolve to…

Sometimes, the answers to design questions are not hidden in plain sight, but rather, in shark intestines. Such was the case in a study conducted by researchers at the University of Washington. The team was on a mission to understand…

Consuming fish, whether sourced through fishing or aquaculture, comes with environmental drawbacks. However, it doesn’t look like fish are leaving our diets anytime soon. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 140 million tons of fish…

Glass is remarkable because as long as it isn’t contaminated, it can be infinitely recycled without properties changing. That’s part of the appeal of its use in additive manufacturing, and compared to traditional glass casting, AM methods may allow for…