Metal additive manufacturing is moving fast in metalworking, but one issue still blocks wider shop-floor adoption: internal defects that don’t show up until parts fail in service. A team from Kims and the Max Planck Institute has developed an explainable AI model for laser powder bed fusion that evaluates not just how much porosity a part has, but what kind of pores form, where they sit, and how they weaken mechanical performance.

With a major update to Geomagic Freeform, Hexagon is aiming to make advanced 3D design easier to access for manufacturers, designers and small businesses.

After years of delivering ultra-hard 3D-printed metals, VBN Components now introduces Vibenite 130 — a tough, high-strength alloy engineered for fatigue-resistant applications. The launch at Formnext 2025 marks a new step in combining hardness, durability and sustainable near-net-shape manufacturing.

The 2025 Formnext appearance of Aim 3D will highlight new developments in 3D pellet printing, featuring the High Performance Upgrade for the ExAM 255 and ExAM 510 systems and Voxelfill-based slicer tools developed with Create it Real to improve strength, precision and efficiency.

Arburg is exiting the additive manufacturing market by the end of 2025 to refocus on its core injection moulding business — while ensuring full service and spare parts support for existing Freeformer users.

India’s tooling industry will be back in focus when Die & Mould India Expo returns to Mumbai in April 2026. The 14th edition is set to build on strong momentum, bringing together global technology providers, machine builders and toolmakers to showcase advanced solutions across the entire die and mould value chain.

Additive manufacturing company Xjet announces the Carmel Pro, a compact and cost-efficient metal and ceramic 3D printing system that makes industrial-grade Nano Particle Jetting (NPJ) technology.

Rubber-like materials are expanding the possibilities of industrial 3D printing. With thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), components can now be produced that combine elasticity, strength, and design freedom in a single process. Using selective laser sintering, Speedpart delivers flexible solutions from prototype to small series.

3D printing company Caracol demonstrates how AI-driven software and robotic LFAM technologies are transforming large-scale manufacturing. With the latest evolution of its Eidos Manufacturing Software Suite and new real-world applications across mobility sectors, the company highlights a future of more connected, autonomous and scalable production.

3D printing is extremely practical when you want to produce small quantities of customised components. However, this technology has always had one major problem: 3D printers can only process a single material at a time. Until now, objects with different material properties in different areas could only be 3D printed at great expense, if at all.