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Large Portuguese building 3D printed in record 9 Days

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Portuguese construction 3D printing company Havelar has delivered a public building for the municipality of Matosinhos using construction 3D printing technology.

The project, a 500 m² (5,400 ft²) recycling center office at the Ecocentro de Perafita in Porto, was printed in 9 days on budget using a COBOD BOD2 construction 3D printer operated by a four-person crew.

The project demonstrates the benefits of construction 3D printing for public sector applications. Public construction projects in Portugal have historically faced cost overruns, making the budget-accurate delivery of this project particularly notable. [Read more…] about Large Portuguese building 3D printed in record 9 Days

Misumi launches Misumi Americas as part of $1 billion global manufacturing investment

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Japanese industrial components supplier Misumi Group has launched Misumi Americas and announced a $1 billion (¥150 billion) global investment program aimed at expanding its digital manufacturing and supply chain capabilities.

The initiative combines Misumi’s industrial components business with the AI-powered manufacturing platform acquired through Fictiv, positioning the company as a broader manufacturing and supply chain partner rather than solely a parts supplier.

The expansion includes significant investment in the United States and marks the appointment of Dave Evans as the first American CEO of Misumi Americas. [Read more…] about Misumi launches Misumi Americas as part of $1 billion global manufacturing investment

How Blockchain and Emerging Technologies Are Revolutionizing the Jewelry Industry

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The jewelry industry is one of the world’s oldest luxury markets, but it’s also one of the least transparent when it comes to production methods and origins of materials.

Without easy access to data and information, buyers had to put their trust in the artisans and brands behind each piece.

Luckily, things have taken a drastic turn toward transparency, with more than 87% of modern consumers demanding verified ethical sourcing for both gems and precious metals. [Read more…] about How Blockchain and Emerging Technologies Are Revolutionizing the Jewelry Industry

Why Optical Metrology is Replacing Tactile Measurement for Complex Component Validation Source

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Manufacturers validating complex components have long relied on tactile measurement, but a meaningful shift is underway as optical metrology earns its place alongside and, in many contexts, ahead of traditional methods.

The reasons are practical: non-contact measurement eliminates the risk of surface deformation, measurement speed improves dramatically, and the volume of usable surface data captured in a single pass far exceeds what point-based probing can deliver.

A coordinate measuring machine, or CMM, builds its dimensional picture one contact point at a time. That approach works well for straightforward geometries, but it struggles when components are fragile, organically shaped, or subject to tight validation cycles where throughput matters. [Read more…] about Why Optical Metrology is Replacing Tactile Measurement for Complex Component Validation Source

Europe’s largest 3D-printed apartment building completed months ahead of schedule

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PERI 3D Construction, using a COBOD BOD2 3D Construction Printer, has completed ViliaSprint², Europe’s largest 3D printed multi-family residential building.

Developed by Plurial Novilia, a subsidiary of Action Logement, the building delivers 12 social housing apartments across three stories and 800 m² (8,600 sq ft. of living space. [Read more…] about Europe’s largest 3D-printed apartment building completed months ahead of schedule

What Robotics Teams Really Need From a 3D Printing Partner

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Robotics teams rarely struggle because a part cannot be printed at all. More often, they lose time because a part arrives with the wrong material, the wrong orientation, a missed drawing note, or small inconsistencies that only become obvious during assembly or testing.

That is why speed alone is not enough. For robotics teams, a useful 3D printing partner combines fast turnaround with reliability, technical judgment, quality control, and repeatability. The real value is not just getting one part made quickly. It is keeping development moving when designs change, deadlines tighten, and each new build reveals the next problem to solve. [Read more…] about What Robotics Teams Really Need From a 3D Printing Partner

How automation is transforming remanufacturing

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Automation in remanufacturing and repair – extending product lifecycles

For decades, industrial automation has focused on one goal: producing more goods, faster and cheaper. But a quieter shift is now under way. Increasingly, manufacturers are turning their attention not to making new products, but to extending the life of existing ones.

This shift is being driven by a combination of economic pressure and environmental necessity. Global e-waste alone reached an estimated 62 million tonnes in 2022, according to the United Nations, and is projected to continue rising sharply. At the same time, raw material costs and supply chain volatility are forcing companies to rethink how value is created – and preserved.

Remanufacturing, once considered a niche activity, is emerging as a serious industrial strategy. In sectors such as automotive and heavy machinery, remanufactured components can cost 40 to 80 percent less than new equivalents while delivering comparable performance. The global automotive remanufacturing market alone is valued in the tens of billions of dollars. [Read more…] about How automation is transforming remanufacturing

National Science Foundation funding brings ‘smarter and stronger’ advanced manufacturing

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The next revolution in manufacturing might come from a robotic arm that ‘prints like nature builds’

With funding from a three-year, $3.5 million National Science Foundation (NSF) Future Manufacturing Research Grant, a team at Virginia Tech is pioneering this new approach by using robotic arms to produce 3D-printed composite materials from multiple directions instead of laying them down in straight lines and flat layers.

The final printed product features engineered materials that bend and curve like the grains of wood in a tree to anticipate stresses, making them almost 10 times stronger than traditional 3D-printed material.

The three-year NSF grant funding the work is one of only seven awarded under the Future Manufacturing Research program, which supports research, education, and the training of a future workforce to create manufacturing capabilities that do not exist today. [Read more…] about National Science Foundation funding brings ‘smarter and stronger’ advanced manufacturing

Sixpenny Additive appointed Canadian distributor for Meltio’s robotic metal 3D printing solutions

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Sixpenny Additive, a newly launched Canadian metal additive manufacturing company, has been named the first distributor and integration partner for Meltio’s innovative wire-laser metal 3D printing industrial systems in Canada.

Meltio’s industrial patented wire-laser directed energy deposition (DED) technology enables manufacturers to produce fully dense metal parts using cost-effective welding wire, with the flexibility to integrate onto robotic arms or operate as standalone 3D printers.

This technology provides a unique combination of reliability, affordability, and industrial scalability. [Read more…] about Sixpenny Additive appointed Canadian distributor for Meltio’s robotic metal 3D printing solutions

Caracol raises $40 million in Series B to scale up its advanced manufacturing technologies

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Caracol, one of Europe’s fastest-growing deep-tech companies and a pioneer in large-format robotic manufacturing, today announced the closing of its $40 million Series B round, co-led by Omnes Capital, Move Capital Fund I, alongside CDP Venture Capital – Large Ventures Fund, which played a key role as a catalyst for international investors.

These international funds, together with leading Italian institutional investors, will accompany Caracol into its next phase of global growth, alongside continued backing from long-standing shareholders including Primo Capital SGR, Eureka! Venture SGR, and Neva SGR (the Intesa Sanpaolo Group’s venture capital company).

Caracol says that “thanks to a massive oversubscription”, this round also enabled some early investors to exit with significant returns, underscoring the strong appetite shown by institutional players to invest in the company’s next chapter. [Read more…] about Caracol raises $40 million in Series B to scale up its advanced manufacturing technologies