Ford and Stratasys explore new paths for automotive additive manufacturing

RAPID + TCT 2025, the largest 3D printing exhibition in North America, will return to Detroit on April 8. Ford Motor and Stratasys will showcase their in-depth cooperation in the field of automotive additive manufacturing at the event. The exhibition brings together more than 400 additive manufacturing companies. Ford technical expert Erik Riha and Stratasys Global Automotive Director Fadi Abro will discuss how the F3300 industrial 3D printer can optimize the automotive prototype verification process.

The Ford team uses Stratasys equipment to manufacture tooling fixtures and replacement parts, with an annual output of 18,000 pieces, significantly shortening the verification cycle from design to physical objects. The F3300 printer achieves 24-hour continuous production with its automatic calibration function. Its 600mm³ molding space can meet more than 80% of the parts demand, replacing the traditional Fortus 900mc as the main model. Both parties emphasized that additive technology needs to complement traditional processes and is irreplaceable in the field of rapid prototyping.

Regarding the popularity of consumer-grade 3D printing equipment, Stratasys pointed out that there are essential differences between it and industrial equipment, and the former's shortcomings in material performance and production stability may affect the industry's reputation. In its future development plan, Ford plans to introduce metal additive technology, focusing on wire deposition processes, and Stratasys predicts that the application rate of 3D printing in the automotive tool field is expected to increase from 3% to 20%.

This exhibition will become an important window for the integration of automotive manufacturing and additive technology, and promote the industry's transformation from material research and development to production efficiency improvement. Both parties look forward to deeply integrating additive manufacturing into the automotive R&D system through process innovation, and realizing full process optimization from concept verification to mass production.

New progress in dental 3D printing material innovation and digital production

Recently, the application of additive manufacturing technology in the dental field has continued to deepen, and many companies have launched innovative materials and solutions. Axtra3D has released four special resins for the Lumia X1 printer, including NextDent Model Sand for orthodontic models, Pro3dure Splint 19.1 for transparent braces, Pro3dure Denture 14.2 for removable dentures, and Pro3dure Crown & Bridge for crown and bridge restorations, all of which improve accuracy and efficiency through pre-configured printing parameters. The company builds an end-to-end digital production process through software integration with Oqton and 3Shape.

Stratasys and 3D Systems have made breakthroughs in the field of digital dentures. Stratasys' TrueDent resin has obtained the EU CE certification, supporting the printing of 30+ dentures in a single batch, significantly reducing production costs. 3D Systems' multi-material denture solution has passed FDA certification, integrating NextDent Jet teeth and base materials, and using MultiJet technology to achieve high-strength and high-simulation automated production. Both companies have solved the efficiency bottlenecks and manual dependence problems in traditional processes through technical optimization.

These advances mark the comprehensive upgrade of dental 3D printing technology from material development to production processes. Through high-precision resins, intelligent software collaboration and multi-material integration, the industry is promoting the standardization and scale development of clinical applications, providing more cost-effective and reliable solutions for digital dental treatment.

Medusa hybrid manufacturing system revolutionizes industrial 3D printing

The Medusa hybrid manufacturing system launched by British startup Rapid Fusion, by integrating high-speed material deposition and CNC finishing technology, marks a key step for additive manufacturing to industrial production. The system overcomes the core difficulties of traditional 3D printing in terms of speed, scale, workflow integration and reliability. Its 22 kg print head can achieve high-speed movement of 1.2 meters per second and 17 kg of material deposition per hour. The modular design supports the replacement of core components in 45 minutes.

The intelligent software platform developed by AI Build achieves process optimization through thermal imaging monitoring and digital twin technology. The recycled plastic granule solution provided by Filamentive reduces carbon emissions by 60%. The NMIS organization completes structural simulation and compliance certification to form a complete technology ecosystem. The system adopts an open material strategy to break the industry's monopoly on high-priced consumables and support the recycling of local recycled materials.

With the support of the UK Innovation Agency, the project has built a complete chain from material development, intelligent processing to quality traceability. Medusa shortens the production cycle by 60% through an integrated workflow of additive and subtractive materials. Its industrial-grade stability and scalability provide production-level solutions for aerospace, automotive manufacturing and other fields, and promote the transformation of 3D printing technology from prototype development to large-scale manufacturing.

Schneider Electric integrates INTAMSYS 3D printers to optimize smart factory production

Schneider Electric has significantly improved production efficiency and flexibility by introducing INTAMSYS FUNMAT PRO 310 NEO 3D printers in its smart factory in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. As a manufacturer of electrical components such as miniature circuit breakers (MCBs), the company has long used additive manufacturing technology to optimize processes, but as demand grows, traditional methods face problems such as long production cycles and time-consuming mold development.

The integration of the new equipment has brought many improvements: the printing speed has been significantly improved, and the production time of some parts has been shortened from 12-15 hours to 2 hours; the equipment is equipped with automatic leveling function and 100°C constant temperature chamber to ensure the printing stability of high-demand materials such as polycarbonate (PC), while supporting a variety of engineering materials such as PA6 and PA12. Independent dual nozzle (IDEX) technology enables multi-material integrated printing, such as combining flexible TPU95A and rigid PETG to make non-slip fixtures, and using PA6-CF and soluble support materials to quickly generate complex welding fixtures, compressing the production cycle to within 6 hours.

By producing fixtures and spare parts in-house, Schneider Electric has reduced outsourcing costs and improved material utilization. In the future, it plans to continue to expand the scope of 3D printing applications, strengthen independent production capabilities, further reduce maintenance costs and improve industrial efficiency. This case shows the core value of additive manufacturing in accelerating product development cycles, realizing complex structural design and promoting intelligent manufacturing transformation.

Hungary VOXELTEK launches the first fully automatic desktop invisible braces system

Hungarian 3D printing company VOXELTEK launches the world's first fully automatic desktop invisible braces production system Smilemaker, which revolutionizes the traditional dental manufacturing process. The system integrates 3D printing, thermoforming and laser cutting into a single device, achieving 24-hour unmanned production. The volume is only 80×30 cm, suitable for direct use in clinics.

Traditional invisible braces production relies on multiple devices and manual processing, and requires complex processes such as scanning modeling, mold printing, thermoforming and trimming. Smilemaker integrates the entire process through patented technology, and cooperates with the cloud platform VOXELTEK.live to provide CAD design services, greatly reducing the clinic's dependence on third-party laboratories. The Mark IV "FlashPrint" printer, which was upgraded simultaneously, has a built-in curing chamber to optimize the efficiency of chairside repair.

The current invisible braces market is expected to reach US$28 billion in 2030. Competitive products such as HeyGears require multiple devices to collaborate, while LuxCreo uses a direct 3D printing solution without thermoforming. VOXELTEK has established a differentiated advantage with its equipment integration and process integrity. Industry trends show that companies such as 3D Systems and Carbon are also accelerating their layout, and competition in the digital dental ecosystem continues to heat up. VOXELTEK will officially showcase the innovative system at the 2025 Cologne International Dental Exhibition to promote the localization and automation of dental manufacturing.

GE Aviation invests nearly $1 billion to increase its investment in additive manufacturing technology

GE Aviation announced that it will invest nearly $1 billion in the United States to upgrade its manufacturing system. The investment scale has doubled compared with last year, focusing on the layout of additive manufacturing and advanced materials research and development, aiming to consolidate its global leadership in aviation power systems. The funds will be used in four major areas: expanding the LEAP engine production line, strengthening military engine manufacturing capabilities, expanding 3D printing and ceramic-based composite material production capacity, and optimizing the supplier network.

About $500 million will be used to expand production facilities, of which factories in Cincinnati, Michigan and other places will receive more than $260 million in upgrades. Another $200 million will be invested in military engine projects in Massachusetts and Kentucky to support the development of new T901 helicopter engines. More than $100 million has been invested in the field of additive manufacturing. The 3D printing center in Auburn, Alabama will add $51 million in equipment and expand ceramic-based composite material production lines at multiple bases.

More than $100 million has been invested in supply chain optimization to empower suppliers with technology to improve yield rates. The company plans to add 5,000 engineering and manufacturing jobs by 2025 to continue to promote the upgrading of the US aviation industry. As the power supplier for three-quarters of the world's civil aircraft, GE's strategic investment will accelerate the commercialization of new aviation materials and manufacturing technologies and lay an industrial foundation for the development of the next generation of aircraft.

3D printed artificial muscles achieve multi-directional contraction technology breakthrough

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have made important progress in the field of artificial muscle manufacturing and developed a multi-directional contraction artificial muscle technology based on 3D printing. This achievement breaks through the traditional unidirectional movement restrictions and opens up a new path for the development of biohybrid robots.

Muscle fibers cultivated in traditional laboratories can only contract in one direction, which severely limits the flexibility of robot movement. Inspired by the layered muscle structure of the human iris, the research team innovatively adopted 3D printing micro-groove mold technology. A mold containing cell-level microgrooves is manufactured by a desktop 3D machine, which is then imprinted on a hydrogel substrate and then implanted with genetically engineered muscle cells to accurately guide the multi-directional arrangement of muscle fibers. This bionic design successfully achieves the concentric contraction and radial relaxation functions of artificial muscles.

The core of the technology lies in the cell-level processing accuracy of the microgroove mold, and its width is only equivalent to the size of a single cell. Experiments have shown that the artificial muscle can simulate the iris contraction mechanism under light stimulation. Although skeletal muscle cells are used, it exhibits multi-dimensional motion characteristics similar to smooth muscle. Compared with traditional methods, this technology has the advantages of high equipment popularity, low manufacturing cost, and precise directional control.

In addition to the field of robotics, this breakthrough brings new possibilities for complex biological tissue engineering, which can be extended to the construction of neuronal networks and myocardial tissue regeneration in the future. The research team pointed out that this technology is expected to promote the development of more environmentally adaptable degradable soft robots, which has important application value in the fields of medical implants and underwater operation equipment.

The research was jointly funded by the U.S. Navy, Army and National Institutes of Health. The relevant results have been published in the journal Biomaterials Science, marking a key step in the artificial muscle technology towards bionic functionalization.