A 250-gram FDM drone reached 413 km/h according to its designer, an uncertified figure. The case shows how 3D printing enables rapid iterative development cycles, combining aerodynamic simulation and field testing.

ShapeAnywhere launches a browser-based CAD with a Mesh → CAD feature in beta, which reconstructs editable parametric geometry from STL or 3MF files. The conversion remains limited to suitable technical shapes, not universal.

AM-Platform, a European additive manufacturing network active since 2007, has joined Addliance as a Core Member, the European alliance of AM hubs, bringing over 500 stakeholders from more than 25 countries. The membership is organizational and aims to coordinate national networks.

Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed Growth Printing, a 3D printing method that uses a self-propagating chemical reaction in the resin instead of layer-by-layer deposition. The geometry of the object is controlled by chemical kinetics and mechanical movement.

ModelSplitter is a free web app that splits 3D models directly in the browser with curved cuts, custom joints, and automatic splitting, overcoming the limitations of traditional planar cuts on organic geometries.

Mark3D brings Backflip AI to Europe, a platform that uses artificial intelligence to convert 3D scans, meshes and photos into editable parametric CAD models, reconstructing the feature tree and reducing reverse engineering times.

Bambu Lab has launched the Make for Good contest on MakerWorld: 24 design briefs for 3D-printed assistive aids, proposed by seven assistive technology organizations. The challenge is open until December 2026.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has patented a laser melting system that uses a digital mask to expose entire areas of the metal powder bed in parallel, replacing point-by-point scanning and reducing production times.

The University of Waterloo has developed a platform that combines corneal topography, digital design, and DLP printing to produce custom rigid contact lenses in 15-20 minutes, targeting complex clinical cases such as irregular corneas.

3D-printed lattices made with conductive resin become distributed sensors: electrical tomography reconstructs the map of internal damage in real time. Study by the University of Glasgow published in Advanced Functional Materials.

The open-source RepRap project printed a 0.650 mm 3DBenchy in 13 hours with the Micron printer, which is still under development. It is the first test of its kind, with the goal of achieving a resolution of up to 0.001 mm.

PrusaLab developed a carbon fork for a competition handbike with Jan Tománek, using 3D printing for prototypes and iterations over ten months. The final component is not printed but made of composite, with 3,500 km of testing.