Additive manufacturing news and European prices, with independent expert commentary
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In at least ten industries, 3D printed parts go into end products in series from thousands to millions of units a year. Only confirmed examples, with sources, and rumors kept clearly apart.
PBF melts metal powder with a laser, while Binder Jetting glues it and then sinters it in a furnace. Where each technology makes sense, how much parts...
BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen, GM, Ford, Daimler Buses, Porsche, Toyota and Honda are building their own additive manufacturing. What it means for...
When it makes sense to make several bolted, welded or bonded parts as one, what you gain, when it is a bad idea and how to decide, with examples from BMW,...
Metal 3D printing is growing, but slower and more selectively than predicted. What independent reports show for 2025 and 2026, who drives growth and what it means for companies in the region.
The question is not whether 3D printing is a good technology, but whether it is good for this part, in this quantity. Break-even points, hidden costs and a calculator.
Aurora Labs, an Australian metal additive manufacturing company, is raising A$6 million through a share placement to expand production of its AU4 turbojet engines for defence and aerospace customers. The money will fund production lines, commercial metal printing equipment and staff. The raise shows a shift from selling printing technology to manufacturing engines, while the company's annual revenue remains small.
Swedish electron beam specialist Freemelt has won a SEK 28 million order (about $2.8 million) from the European Spallation Source. It covers 7,000 tungsten parts for the facility's target wheel, delivered over 14 months, mostly in 2027. The order is production volume for a metal that is still mostly handled in research and qualification projects.
Farsoon Technologies has filed to raise up to RMB 3.91 billion (about $478.7 million) through a private placement. The money would fund more printer capacity, an integrated additive manufacturing service platform and a global operations centre. Filing details show that in the first year 92% of the new standard metal printers would be used internally, which changes how production and sales figures should be read.
Creatz3D in Singapore has supplied 600 sets of printed alumina lift pins to a major semiconductor foundry, after the parts passed production qualification for CVD chambers. The parts were made on 3DCERAM SINTO ceramic machines, and the full cycle took six weeks. It is a concrete example of ceramic additive manufacturing moving from prototypes into qualified series supply.
Sandia National Laboratories reports first results from CAMINO, its advanced manufacturing center that opened on February 12. Additive manufacturing supplied parts to an internal team in one week, where machining needs four to six months. The center is a development and training site, not a production facility.
Toolcraft AG is adding a new metal additive manufacturing system, the Farsoon FS722, to its production. The company says the machine expands its capacity for larger metal components and series production. The move responds to a positive order development and to customers asking for bigger part dimensions and higher build volumes. The FS722 uses laser powder bed fusion, in which metal powder is melted layer by layer with a laser. The report does not give the investment amount or the delivery date.
Precision Resource is setting up two additive manufacturing facilities, in Huntington Beach, California, and Shelton, Connecticut, both due to run in Q1 2027. Each will combine 3D Systems metal printers with heat treatment and machining, so that printed parts can be finished in-house for commercial and defence customers.
Stratasys will unveil a new polymer system aimed at series production on 17 November at Formnext 2026 in Frankfurt, but has not yet named it or given specifications. The booth in Hall 12.1 will also show the F870 large-format FDM printer for the first time in Europe, along with tooling applications from Toyota and GM.
Tom's Hardware has reviewed the Prusa CORE One+ INDX, a desktop toolchanger built with Bondtech that uses induction-heated toolheads and drops the prime tower. In the reviewer's comparison print against the Bambu Lab H2C it finished almost nine hours sooner, wasted about 84 g less material and used three more colors. Prices run from 1,699 to 2,119 dollars for complete machines.
Stratasys says General Motors is extending its FDM additive manufacturing systems across more than 20 of its manufacturing facilities. Plant teams use the printers for tooling, fixtures, jigs, factory aids and some end-use parts, and share proven applications between sites. Stratasys will present a video on the GM deployment at its IMTS 2026 booth.
Japan's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency has approved mass procurement of the Terra B1, a printed interceptor drone from Terra Drone, after a Maritime Self-Defense Force demonstration. The B1 builds on the A1 model, already deployed by Ukraine. Domestic production is due to start in September, and it signals that low-cost drone defence is moving into serial procurement.
During the transit to RIMPAC 2026, a containerized xCell factory aboard the USS Essex produced twelve Squall drones and more than 1,000 parts. It was the first maritime run of Firestorm Labs' platform, and printing continued in waves of up to 12 ft. The output included spare parts for Apache helicopters.
Stratasys reported second quarter 2026 revenue of $137.6 million, roughly level with the prior year and up 3.7% from the first quarter. Consumables hit a record $66.3 million and aerospace and defense revenue grew 17%, while the company still booked a GAAP net loss of $16.9 million. Management keeps its full-year targets but no longer expects positive operating cash flow for 2026.
Koobz, a US on-demand footwear maker, runs its production on a fleet of Bambu Lab printers, mainly the H2D series, printing complete shoes in recycled-grade TPU. According to a Bambu Lab case study, the fleet has grown from about 50 to roughly 100 machines, with more than 500 planned by the end of 2026. The company says it avoids tooling and can compete on cost with overseas factories.
UltiMaker has announced the Factor 4 Plus, a new printer positioned for continuous production in industrial and defense settings. The announcement was published on 21 May 2026. The available report gives only the headline, so technical specifications, pricing and availability are not confirmed here.