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Forget 3D-printed food and 3D-printed cars. A hotel owner in the Philippines is 3D-printing an entire hotel suite, and unlike other 3D-printed buildings done before, this one will be completely and entirely operational, which means, if you're thinking of vacationing in the country soon, you'll be able to book a night at the 3D-printed suite. The Lewis Grand Hotel in Angeles City, Pampanga in the Philippines will soon have the very first 3D-printed hotel suite in the world. The idea to 3D print an entire room was proposed to hotel owner Lewis Yakich, materials science engineer and home builder from...

As the vital relationship between 3D printing and medical science continues to flourish, potentially life-altering developments continue to be made. A national team of researchers has developed a first-of-its-kind, 3D-printed guide that helps regrow both the sensory and motor functions of complex nerves after injury. The groundbreaking research, undertaken in Minnesota, has the potential to help more than 200,000 people annually who experience nerve injuries or disease. Nerve regeneration is a complex process. Because of this complexity, regrowth of nerves after injury or disease is very rare, according to the Mayo Clinic. Nerve damage is often permanent. While the peripheral...

Researchers were able to build the printer with off-the-shelf commodity parts for $7K.MIT researchers, using off-the-shelf components, have built a 3D printer capable of building with 10 photopolymer materials at once. And the school's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) said the researchers were able to build the printer for less than $7,000. That compares to systems that print with just three materials at one time and can cost $250,000. The MultiFab 3D printer works by mixing together microscopic droplets of photopolymers that are then extruded through inkjet printheads similar to those in office printers. The printing process is...

One day 3D printers will be able to churn out working electronics and fully-functional machines, instead of just plastic parts. And that day is now slightly closer with MIT CSAIL’s MultiFab 3D printer that can use ten different materials to build working devices in a single print run. For 3D printers to fully realize their Star Trek ‘replicator’ potential they can’t just be one part of the manufacturing process, they need to do it all. The holy grail of 3D printing is to one day let anyone recreate any device with a simple button press. We want to be able...

ZHUHAI, China, Aug. 12, 2015 /PR Newswire/ -- Zhuhai CTC Electronic Co., Ltd, a leading 3D printer manufacturer in China, announced the debut of its latest multi-functional 3D printer, the Formaker, on the world's biggest crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, kicking off a 30-day crowdfunding campaign. The Formaker, priced at US$999 on the crowdfunding platform, deploys a modular design and integrates four powerful functionalities: high-precision 3D printing, CNC engraving, laser cutting and PCB etching, making the printer one of the most compelling and dedicated multi-functional desktop devices available in the market. Weighing in at 26 lbs., the Formaker features a robust metal...

While several companies have developed 3D printing materials and processes with similar properties capable of simulating silicone, so far 3D printing with actual silicone materials hasn’t been possible. However, 100 year old chemical manufacturing giant WACKER CHEMIE revealed in their recently released Q2 Report that their WACKER SILICONES division has developed new technology making it possible to use silicone 3D printing materials with additive manufacturing technology. The new technology was developed alongside German product development company Ingenieure GmbH, and will have applications in markets as diverse as the medical industry, automotive parts, contact lenses and consumer products. The reason that...

ItÂ’s been close to six months since we initially covered the Covington, Kentucky-based company Plus-Mfg and their unique take on metal 3D printing. Whereas other companies use lasers to sinter or melt metal powders one layer at a time, Plus-Mfg takes a different approach, combining old technology with new. Unveiling their +1000k 3D printer in March of this year at Automate 2015 in Chicago, Plus-Mfg impressed many within the crowd. The +1000k uses inert gas shielded arc welding technology to rapidly print using multiple metal materials, one layer at a time. When compared to other technologies such as direct metal...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK) A California automotive start-up is hoping their prototype supercar will redefine car manufacturing. The sleek race car dubbed 'Blade' didn't come off an assembly line - but out of a 3D printer. Kevin Czinger of Divergent Microfactories has spent most of his career in the automotive industry. One day he realized that no matter how fuel-efficient or how few tailpipe emissions the modern car has, the business of car manufacturing is destroying the environment. "3D printing of metal radically changes that. By looking at 3D printing not for that overall structure but to create individual modular structures that can...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has, for the first time, approved a drug that uses 3D printing technology, paving the way for potential customization of drugs to suit patients' needs. The drug, made by privately held Aprecia Pharmaceuticals Co, was approved for oral use as a prescription adjunctive therapy in the treatment of epilepsy, the company said on Monday. Spritam uses Aprecia's "ZipDose" technology, a delivery system that creates premeasured doses which disintegrate in the mouth with a sip of liquid. 3D printing could help companies make products "to the specifications of an individual patient rather than (take a)...

The dream of 3D printing buildings is not a new one and, typically, it’s not a pretty one either. However, the visionaries at Branch Technology, a startup founded by architects in Chattanooga, Tennessee, want to change that—and they’ve built the world’s largest free form 3D printer to do it. The Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce flew me down to Tennessee to check out its gigabit internet and innovative startups. They paid for my hotel and fed me candied bacon.Branch’s mission is simple: Use 3D printing technology to create walls of any shape out of conventional construction materials. Building houses like this...

Over the last couple of years we have seen 3D printing progress at an incredibly rapid rate. One of the areas which excites us the most is the 3D printing materialÂ’s space where new materials are being utilized as a print medium nearly every week. What started out as ABS and PLA, a few different types of metal powders, and ordinary photosensitive resin, has quickly grown to include hundreds of new, interesting, innovative materials. From wood and metal composites, gl8to clay, food, and everything in between, new materials are what will drive 3D printing towards mainstream adoption. When printing with...

Experts gather at Vanderbilt to discuss the future of 3D printing with concrete.Every month or so an article comes out reporting that some new object has been made using 3D printing: Everything from jewelry to prosthetic devices to electronic circuit boards to assault rifles to automobiles has now been created in this fashion. The prospect that this revolutionary manufacturing method will have a major impact on how we construct the various concrete structures that dominate the modern built environment brought almost three dozen experts to the Vanderbilt University campus July 16-17 to identify the areas of research required to realize...

(SLIDE-SHOW-AT-LINK)A pioneering 3D-printed house just popped up in Xian, China - and Chinese company ZhuoDa “built” the two-story villa in less than three hours. Made up of six 3D-printed modules, the house was assembled like LEGO bricks before a live audience who were then invited to explore the interior. The modular fireproof home can withstand a magnitude-9 earthquake and is made from a special construction material the company is keeping secret. The company completed approximately 90 percent of the construction in an off-site factory before shipping the modular pieces to the installation site. The company completed approximately 90 percent of...

A few months ago, I had an opportunity to take the one hour drive from my home in Cape Coral, Florida, down I-75 to Naples, where I met a man named Andy Tran. Tran, who is the founder of Southwest FL 3D, peaked my interest with some of his 3D printing related posts on social media sites such as Instagram. Upon meeting Tran, I got a feel for his extraordinary passion when it comes to 3D printing, and left Naples knowing that it wouldn’t be the last I heard from him. Tran’s innovative mind has led him to come up...

Self-repairing pipes. Printed organs. Bulletproof t-shirts. Seriously?In April I was asked to speak at the annual TED conference in Vancouver (following Bill Gates…gulp) on the topic of 3D printing production and its implications. I have detailed my thoughts on why the shift to 3D printing production is not only likely but inevitable in articles one, two and three in this series for Forbes. Now, let’s take a step into a fascinating future, where daily life will be shaped by several powerful forces directly related to 3D printing production. What it will be like to live in a 3D-printed world? Imagine...

US-based 3D bioprinting firm Organovo has set itself a challenge that could transform the future of medicine, and although the technology is still in its infancy and the challenges complex, the company's founder and CEO Keith Murphy says his firm is in it for the long haul. "Biotechnology is a very compelling space as you have the ability to impact people's lives," Murphy tells IBTimes UK. "I want to see patients benefiting. We want to help drugs get to patients faster, to get liver tissues [to prolong liver function] and to help people with chronic liver problems." While 3D printing...

3D printing production is just scratching the surface of the multi-trillion dollar global manufacturing industry. But its dominance is already inevitable.ï„¿ï„¿ This is because modern manufacturing, despite numerous technological and process advances over the last century, is still a very inefficient global system. TodayÂ’s world of mass production is based on one simple rule: the more things you make, the lower the cost of each of those things. We have literally pushed this equation to its extreme limits. This approach was dramatically accelerated by Henry Ford, arguably the most impactful character in the industrial revolution. For starters, Ford proved out...

The automobile industry has been relatively stagnant for the past several decades. While new car designs are released annually, and computer technology has advanced by leaps and bounds, the manufacturing processes and the effects that these processes have on our environment have remain relatively unchanged. Over the past decade or so, 3D printing has shown some promise in the manufacturing of automobiles, yet it has not quite lived up to its potential, at least according to Kevin Czinger, founder and CEO of a company called Divergent Microfactories (DM). Today, at the OÂ’Reilly Solid Conference in San Francisco, Kevin Czinger...

While there are currently many developments being made across the entire additive manufacturing industry, among others that have been standing out as of late have consisted of 3D printing applications that are of either very large scale or very small scale applications. So far, the smaller applications have mainly consisted of research into nanoscale 3D printing for purposes such as biomedical engineering applications including cell scaffolding while the larger applications have been focused on creating architectural structures such as those that can be created in any geographical area using found materials. Needless to say, the developments surrounding these scaled applications...

A few weeks ago, Londoners were able to eat at the world’s first 3D printed, pop-up restaurant. In early June, a German-based company introduced the word’s first plug-and-play food printer, which may be ready for shipping as early as 2016. With the lowering cost to produce this technology, making it increasingly accessible, 3D printing could fundamentally change our relationship with food. Simply put, the process uses ingredients to generate three-dimensional meals by placing layers of compounded food on top of each other. Since 2012, the food industry has used this technology to produce ubiquitous products like candy, chocolate, pizza, noodles...