Amnovis acquires Westconn and opens a production unit in Indiana mirroring its Belgian facility for 3D printing of orthopedic devices. By replicating the end-to-end process (design, additive manufacturing, certification) near Warsaw, the capital of US orthopedics, it ensures homogeneous quality and FDA compliance for the American market.

Comparison between Craftcloud, Xometry and HP MJF Service for on-demand additive manufacturing. No absolute winner: the choice depends on volumes, delivery times, total costs and certifications. For small batches, outsourcing is more economical, while in-house production is only worthwhile above specific volume thresholds.

3D printing is revolutionizing heat exchangers with previously impossible geometries. Two patents show removable intelligent supports and interwoven 3D structures to manage more fluids. Benefits: greater efficiency, reduced costs, smaller footprints. Expected adoption in 2-5 years in aerospace and automotive.

Additive manufacturing of Ti-6Al-4V reduces costs by up to 30% by optimizing design and minimizing supports and waste. It requires proven parameters and atmospheric control, but offers superior performance to steel for critical applications with high strength-to-weight ratio.

Additive manufacturing becomes strategic for defense: having surpassed the experimental phase, 3D printing produces critical components reducing times by 80%. Million-dollar programs, new tungsten alloys, and growth beyond 20% in 2026.

Automation in custom prosthetics is now a necessity. Integrating design, production, and support removal with end-to-end digital workflows guarantees scalability, repeatable quality, and regulatory traceability, from dental labs to complex hip prostheses.

Advanced configurators integrate geometric analysis, DFM, and AI to transform CAD models into reliable production decisions. They prevent errors in real-time and guide even non-experts toward solid technical and commercial choices through 3D visualization.

Logistical resilience is more critical than the availability of raw materials for supply chain security. The distance between production and consumption is the greatest risk. Strategic reserves of materials such as tungsten and production localization reduce the risk of downtime and ensure continuity for supply chains.

Metal Powder Works and Westinghouse scale up metal powder production for nuclear in three months with DirectPowder solid-state technology, which eliminates melting, reducing impurities by 30% and bringing materials to the TRL required for high-responsibility components.

A new patent uses frequency control to optimize de-powdering in 3D printing: 30% reduced times, greater repeatability and transferability between machines. It requires sensors, but the ROI is 2-5 years for complex components.

AI in industrial automation requires rethinking the entire production flow. Real value emerges when artificial intelligence operates along the entire chain, overcoming the limited approach to single machines and local optimizations in additive manufacturing.

LEAP 71 compares a classic nozzle and an aerospike of 20 kN in CuCrZr: the first is stable and efficient beyond 93%, the second at 50 bar but with startup criticalities. Mature nozzle for immediate missions, promising aerospike for multi-regime efficiency and reusable launches.