Factory Signal Briefing — May 15, 2026
Advanced Manufacturing · 3D Printing · CNC · Robotics · AI Vision
News
K3D expands MetalFab fleet to six systems across two Netherlands sites
Netherlands-based metal 3D printing service provider K3D added two MetalFab systems to its production fleet, bringing its total to six machines across two manufacturing facilities. The…
Mint Group acquires Generation 3D to bring large-format 3D printing in-house
Mint Group, a themed fabrication and fit-out company operating across the Middle East, has acquired Generation 3D (G3D), a regional 3D printing firm, to bring large-format additive…
ORNL uses 3D printing to fabricate canisters for PM-HIP of large metal components
Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a method for using additive manufacturing to produce custom canisters for powder metallurgy…
University of Illinois team 3D prints pure-copper cold plates for electronics cooling
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a cold plate design workflow that pairs topology optimization (TO) with electrochemical additive manufacturing…
Legacy Management Still Slows Adoption of 3D Printing in Large Manufacturers
A brief encounter with a manufacturer revealed an ongoing problem in 3D printing.
David Tobin Is Fighting California’s 3D Printer “Ghost Gun” Bill
California’s AB2047 is one of the most troubling pieces of 3D printing legislation ever proposed.
preFlight Slicer Brings Added Part Strength Feature, and Many More
Interested in taking some wild new 3D printing features for a test drive? preFlight is a free and open source slicer that brings a host of processing improvements as well …read more
Tvasta and 14Trees launch Cedar, an AI-enabled construction 3D printer
Tvasta, a Chennai-based deep-tech startup born out of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, has partnered with construction 3D printing company 14Trees to develop and launch…
Using a Nintendo Switch to Speed Up a 3D Printer
3D printers are almost never fast enough. [Cocoanix] had a Prusa MK3S with this very problem. He found it to be disappointingly tedious when completing even simple prints, and sought …read…
The OpenAI trial wraps up, and the Musk founder machine keeps spinning
The Musk v. Altman trial came to a close this week, and the final arguments kept circling back to one question: can we trust the people in charge of AI? All of this is playing out as SpaceX…
Anthropic frames AI competition with China as a now-or-never moment for Washington
In a policy paper, Anthropic lays out two scenarios for 2028: either the US locks in its compute lead over China, or authoritarian regimes set the rules for the AI era. The timing is no…
I tried using filament in a different way
Score 1471 · 122 comments
Had an idea to use filament as it is, without extruding it. Made a shelf to be used in the shower because I didn't want to drill holes into the tiles. The mechanism clamping onto the…
Thought you guys might appreciate this metal dragon I just finished printing. It feels incredible.
Score 843 · 95 comments
https://i.redd.it/cpskbfekb91h1.jpeg
I made a pair of Maximilian-style vambraces using a new material and finishing process!
Score 303 · 31 comments
With two jobs, a baby on the way, and ongoing home renovations and I don't have time to meticulously sand my costume armor pieces anymore. In order to save precious time (\*cough\*, cut…
Quand j'étais petit, je rêvais d'attraper Pikachu. Maintenant, je les imprime presque comme si c'était mon boulot 😂
Score 270 · 9 comments
https://v.redd.it/cb7j87bwkc1h1
Is this setup good enough for printing ASA/ABS?
Score 86 · 43 comments
I spend the whole day in the office where the printer is, and I don’t want to get sick from the fumes. The inline fan is set up to create negative pressure inside the enclosure, so air…
Finished 0 build.
Score 135 · 21 comments
So ive been working on this printer for about 2 years on and off. Everything custom i designed and machined/printed myself. Id say it turned out pretty nice :) Custom toolhead aswell as…
I made a lattice bonsai tree
Score 130 · 10 comments
Testing out some new text to cad and latticing tools! I think it came out pretty nice!
ASA Test - Thought this would help me decide on temps 😂
Score 78 · 21 comments
https://i.redd.it/e43vv5feyb1h1.jpeg
I created this steam controller stand with integrated charging puck
Score 61 · 15 comments
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1tduitv