Protolabs

Kreatize

This report explains how vision-driven multi-arm robots let factories switch tasks via software, not hardware rebuilds. 


Vision-Driven Robotics and the Rise of Universal Manufacturing

Gain the technical insights to make your robotics systems more reliable, maintainable, and future-ready.

New Report: Explore How Smart Cable Systems Are Powering the Next Generation of Robotics

The Guide to Understanding the Technologies Defining the Next Phase of Edge AI

The 2026 Edge AI Technology Report Just Launched

This Report shows how tools like artificial intelligence, digital twins, and on-demand manufacturing are no longer emerging concepts, but are already delivering measurable impact across the product lifecycle.

Innovation in Manufacturing 2026

Join Siemens and Altair for a full day of innovation, insights, and real-world applications shaping the future of simulation.

Simcenter Technology Conference 2026

Manufacturing

What is 3D printing? This article goes over the basics of 3D printing, otherwise known as additive manufacturing, covering its engineering principles and applications.


What is 3D Printing: A Comprehensive Guide to its Engineering Principles and Applications

A deep-dive listicle guiding controls, automation, and quality engineers toward the best vision systems for manufacturing applications in 2026.

Top Vision Systems for Manufacturing in 2026

What is 3D printer filament? This guide examines polymers, additives, and composites, offering practical tips for digital design and hardware engineers.

What Is 3D Printer Filament? Types, Materials, and How to Choose

Variable Speed Drive Controller used in Factories

This guide explains what is a VFD, further detailing how it works, compares types and vendors, provides application and selection advice, surveys 2026 trends, and responds to common questions.

What Is a VFD (Variable Frequency Drive)? Complete Engineering Guide to VFD Drives (2026)

Active high-pass filters remove unwanted low-frequency signals while preserving useful higher frequencies. This article covers first- and second-order filter design, Sallen-Key and multiple-feedback topologies, and practical applications in audio electronics, instrumentation, and signal processing.

Active High Pass Filter: Theory, Design, and Applications

Active low-pass filters use op-amps, resistors, and capacitors to pass low-frequency signals while attenuating higher frequencies. This article covers first-order and second-order filter design, Sallen-Key and MFB topologies, cutoff frequency, Q factor, and applications.

Active Low Pass Filter Design and Implementation

A bandpass filter is a circuit that allows a selected range of frequencies to pass while reducing low and high frequencies. This article covers the design of active bandpass filters using op-amps, resistors, and capacitors, including cutoff and center frequencies,, Sallen-Key and MFB topologies.

Active Bandpass Filter Design Guide

This guide offers engineers an in-depth understanding of H Bridge motor driver, explaining its basics, circuit topologies, device selection, driver IC comparisons, printed circuit design and practical considerations for next generation projects.

H Bridge Motor Driver: Complete Engineering Guide to Topologies, ICs, and PCB Layout (2026)

Learn how the AND truth table works, understand how AND gates are shown in circuit diagrams, and where they are used in real systems.

AND Truth Table: Boolean Logic, Gate Symbols & Applications

Co-packaged optics integrates photonic engines directly with switch ASICs and AI accelerators, cutting power draw and latency at the board level. This article explains how CPO works, how it compares to pluggable and near-packaged optics, and what its benefits and challenges are.

What is Co-Packaged Optics: Architecture, Benefits, Challenges, and Performance

This article explains the IPC-A-610 standard for electronic assemblies, including solder joints, inspection criteria, product classes, and quality requirements for reliable PCB manufacturing and high-performance electronics.

IPC-A-610: Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies

A technical analysis of 3D printing in healthcare, covering materials, clinical applications, and regulatory considerations for engineers.

3D Printing in Healthcare: Engineering Applications and Impact

Explore the rise of 3D printing food, including market growth, printing technologies, material science, and real-world applications.

3D Printing Food: A Guide for Engineers and the Food Industry

How does 3D printing work? This guide covers everything from desktop printers to industrial systems, explaining the digital workflow, materials, and applications that engineers need to understand.

How Does 3D Printing Work? An Introduction to Additive Manufacturing

In 2025, EPFL scientists <a href="https://actu.epfl.ch/news/holograms-boost-3d-printing-efficiency-and-resol-2/">published</a> an improved approach to tomographic volumetric additive manufacturing (TVAM): a 3D printing method that uses laser light to harden a rotating vial of photosensitive resin into a desired shape. In that work, the researchers used holograms to encode 3D forms by modulating the alignment (phase) of light waves rather than their brightness (amplitude), as previous methods had done, preserving far more of the laser’s power.Now, the team from the <a href="https://www.epfl.ch/labs/lapd/">Laboratory of Applied Photonic Devices</a> (LAPD) in the School of Engineering has implemented a new platform for the holographic approach to improve TVAM, making it 70 times more efficient than previous techniques. This leap is thanks to the team’s use of a new device that directly controls the phase of a light beam in a volumetric 3D printing system for the first time.In their experiments, the researchers used their new system to solidify entire millimeter-scale objects within seconds, and centimeter-scale objects within minutes. Importantly, the method’s phase control enables holographic printing with self-healing beams, which produce higher-fidelity 3D-printed objects in light-scattering media, such as those containing living cells.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1780068605661-heading+%2810%29.jpg" style="width:100%px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" />Human ear model printed in a gelatin-based resin using holographic VAM. 2026 LAPD EPFL CC BY SA“Our method’s demonstrated efficiency and precision finally makes it possible to bioprint tissue-like structures at near-clinical scale,” says LAPD head Christophe Moser. “We have printed structures substantially larger than those achieved with previous holographic approaches, despite increased light scattering caused by the embedded cells.”A step toward bioprinted implantsIn their study, using a 150-mW laser diode, the researchers printed a life-sized human ear, a step toward bioprinted implants for reconstructive medicine. Using a smaller print construct (volume 64 mm3), the researchers confirmed that after six days, the embedded living cells were still viable, and had even formed organized networks.To further boost the surface quality of objects printed with their technique, the researchers combined their efficient light engine with a new strategy for reducing random light interference called speckle, which can lead to grainy surfaces.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1780068596151-heading+%289%29.jpg" style="width:100%px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" />PhD student Maria Alvarez-Castaño and LAPD head Christophe Moser. 2026 Adrien Buttier/EPFL CC BY SA“Our approach brings volumetric printing closer to real-scale implants, and biologically compatible manufacturing using low-power laser sources,” summarizes lead author and LAPD PhD student Maria Alvarez-Castaño.The researchers say that future work will focus on enhancing projection fidelity, as well as studying the limits of beam shaping for printing in bioresins with high cell densities. Other enhancements for TVAM platforms, to be described in forthcoming publications, include better ways to print directly onto or around existing objects, and new methods for shaping microscopic details more accurately by predicting how chemicals inside a resin react during printing. The latter method notably leverages holographic volumetric additive manufacturing to fabricate objects simply by projecting a hologram onto a vial of resin, without needing to rotate it.

EPFL researchers have developed a way to use holograms to guide laser light for ultra-efficient, fast, and precise volumetric 3D printing. The innovation enables cell-compatible, high-resolution 3D printing at scales suitable for biomedical applications.

3D printing tissue-like structures with light

3D PRINT Lyon brings together manufacturers, engineers, technology providers, researchers, and industrial decision makers from across the additive manufacturing industry. The event highlights the latest developments in 3D printing, industrial applications, and production technologies that are shaping modern manufacturing.<h2>Learn More</h2>The exhibition covers the full additive manufacturing value chain. Visitors can explore industrial 3D printers, advanced materials, software solutions, post-processing technologies, and live machine demonstrations across a variety of industries. The event also includes conferences, workshops, and networking sessions featuring industry experts and innovators from around the world.3D PRINT Lyon attracts professionals from sectors such as aerospace, automotive, healthcare, industrial manufacturing, plastics, composites, and consumer products. The event combines a trade exhibition with technical education and business development opportunities for companies involved in advanced manufacturing technologies.The exhibition has become one of Europe’s leading meeting points for additive manufacturing professionals. Companies attend to discover new technologies, evaluate industrial solutions, connect with suppliers, and exchange knowledge with experts from across the industry.Held annually in Lyon, 3D PRINT Lyon has grown into France’s leading additive manufacturing trade show since launching in 2014. The 2026 edition is expected to feature more than 150 exhibitors and attract thousands of professional visitors from across Europe and beyond.<h2>Who attends 3D PRINT Lyon?</h2>Participants include additive manufacturing companies, industrial manufacturers, engineers, software developers, research institutions, and technology suppliers. Attendees include production managers, R&amp;D teams, product designers, distributors, and manufacturing decision makers.<h3>150+ exhibitors and brands across additive manufacturing and industrial production</h3><h3>Additive Manufacturing &amp; 3D Printing</h3><ul><li>Industrial 3D printing systems</li><li>Metal additive manufacturing</li><li>Polymer and composite printing technologies</li><li>Large-format production systems</li><li>Rapid prototyping solutions</li></ul><h3>Materials &amp; Industrial Technologies</h3><ul><li>Metal powders and resins</li><li>Engineering plastics and composites</li><li>Surface finishing solutions</li><li>Post-processing technologies</li><li>Precision manufacturing equipment</li></ul><h3>Software &amp; Digital Manufacturing</h3><ul><li>CAD and simulation software</li><li>Workflow automation tools</li><li>Production management platforms</li><li>AI-driven manufacturing solutions</li><li>Digital factory technologies</li></ul><h3>Industrial Applications</h3><ul><li>Aerospace manufacturing</li><li>Automotive production</li><li>Medical and dental technologies</li><li>Tooling and mold production</li><li>Consumer and industrial products</li></ul><h3>Services &amp; Innovation</h3><ul><li>Engineering and consulting services</li><li>Research and development organizations</li><li>Quality control and inspection</li><li>Logistics and supply chain solutions</li><li>Training and technical education</li></ul>The event also features keynote speakers, expert-led conferences, and live demonstrations focused on real-world industrial applications of additive manufacturing technologies.For more information, visit the <a href="https://www.3dprint-exhibition-lyon.com/en">3D PRINT Lyon </a>official website.

An annual industry event focused on additive manufacturing, industrial 3D printing, and advanced manufacturing technologies in Europe.

3D PRINT Lyon 2026

Past attempts at using brain cells to do computation have relied on 2D cultures grown in a petri dish or 3D clusters that are probed and monitored from outside. The Princeton device takes a different approach, working from the inside out.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1778070868039-Fu-brain-cells-device-6-1x1-for-web-768x768.jpg" style="width:100%px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" />The chip features around 70,000 biological neurons networked on a 3D mesh with dozens of microscopic electrodes that can sense and manipulate the brain cells’ activity. Photo by Wright SeñeresUsing advanced fabrication techniques, the team created a 3D mesh made of microscopic metal wires and electrodes supported by a thin epoxy coating. Because the coating is so thin, it has just the right amount of flexibility to interface with the soft neurons that grow around it. The team used the mesh as a scaffold to culture tens of thousands of neurons into a vast 3D network that can be used to do computation.A paper detailing the experiment was published Apr. 23 in Nature Electronics.The researchers said their integrated approach enabled them to record and stimulate the neurons’ electrical activity at a much finer scale than past approaches. They tracked the evolution of the system over a period of more than six months, experimenting with ways to strengthen and weaken connections between key neurons, and ultimately trained an algorithm that could recognize patterns of electrical pulses.In one test, they used pairs of distinct spatial patterns. In another, they used distinct temporal patterns. The system correctly distinguished among the patterns in both tests. The researchers said they hope to scale the system to the point where it can do increasingly complex tasks.The work was led jointly by Tian-Ming Fu, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and the Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute; James Sturm, Stephen R. Forrest Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Kumar Mritunjay, a postdoctoral researcher in electrical and computer engineering.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1778070903692-Fu-brain-cells-team-6-16x9-for-web.jpg" style="width:100%px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" />The paper’s senior authors were Jim Sturm, left, and Tian-Ming Fu, right. The paper’s first author was postdoctoral researcher Kumar Mritunjay, center, who was a graduate student when most of the work was done. Photo by Wright SeñeresWhile initially developed to study fundamental problems in neuroscience, the team realized it could shed light on a key bottleneck of modern AI technology: energy consumption.“The real bottleneck for AI in the near future is energy,” said Fu. “Our brain consumes only a tiny fraction — about one millionth — of the power consumed by today’s AI systems to perform similar tasks.”Mritunjay, the paper’s first author, said that systems like this, called 3D biological neural networks, “not only help uncover the computing secrets of the brain but can also assist in understanding and possibly treating neurological diseases.”

Princeton researchers have combined brain cells and advanced electronics into a 3D device that can be programmed to recognize patterns using computational techniques.

New 3D device harnesses living brain cells for computing

Join us for the 2026 edition of <a href="https://app.swapcard.com/login/event/additiv-metals-2026/ticket/VGlja2V0VHlwZV83MDUwMg==/page/UmVnaXN0cmF0aW9uRm9ybV81NjE1NQ==">ADDITIV Metals World</a>, a global virtual summit designed for the modern engineer and industry leader. We’ve designed a 2.5-hour, high-impact program focused on the most critical shifts in metal 3D printing today. The goal is to bypass the fluff and deliver technical insight, industrialization roadmaps, and high-level networking. You’ll have the opportunity to engage with three expert panels that will tackle the industry’s biggest bottlenecks. The virtual event will take place from 10:00 AM – 12:40 PM ET / 4:00 PM – 6:40 PM CEST. Panel Topics Include: <ul><li>Diverse Metal Roadmaps: When to Push LPBF and When to Pivot to Alternatives</li><li>The Certification Trap: Can AI Kill the 2-Year Testing Cycle in Metal AM?</li><li>The Hidden Majority: Is Post-Processing Still the Single Greatest Barrier to Metal AM ROI?</li></ul>Why Join Us on June 10, 2026?– 3 Focused Panels: 45 minutes of expert-led debate with a live audience Q&amp;A.– AI-Powered Networking: Leverage the Swapcard platform to match with peers and schedule 1-on-1 meetings before and after the sessions.– The Global Pulse: Join hundreds of engineers and decision-makers in a synchronized discussion that sets the tone for the second half of 2026.Find out more and register <a href="https://app.swapcard.com/login/event/additiv-metals-2026/ticket/VGlja2V0VHlwZV83MDUwMg==/page/UmVnaXN0cmF0aW9uRm9ybV81NjE1NQ==" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HERE</a>.

The Future of Metal AM is moving faster than ever. Are you keeping pace?

EVENT: ADDITIV Metals 2026

Attaining design and performance goals for new products can often hinge on material choice. Whether the aim is to make a more sustainable part, optimize a component’s strength-to-weight ratio, or bring costs down, material properties dictate how a part is made and how it will behave. For some applications, existing off-the-shelf materials will do just fine; however, for many high-performance applications, materials with tailored property profiles must be made.Avient, a global materials solutions company, has built a business on this need, specializing in the development of advanced composites and engineered polymer formulations for its clients. The company also understands firsthand the challenges of developing new polymers, including how many cycles of compounding and testing can go into a material before it is ready for validation, the delays associated with multi-party supply chains, and the complexity in bridging material development and application testing. An improved workflow integrated at Avient has enabled its material development teams to address these issues and accelerate their development processes through early validation and real-world application testing. The solution? In-house filament production.  <h2>Bringing Filament Extrusion in-House</h2>Through a structural upgrade—the integration of in-house filament extrusion—Avient is realizing greater independence and agility in its material development workflow. This has enabled it to address common hurdles associated with the development of specialty materials, such as slowdowns related to multiple testing cycles, reliance on external filament suppliers, and a general disconnect between material development and application testing. Previously, new formulations engineered by material developers like Avient would have to be compounded in-house, after which samples would be ordered from external filament manufacturers. From there, the filament would be sent back to them for prototype 3D printing. With long delivery times and feedback needed from both Avient and its customers, material validation was therefore often plagued by inflexible, slow workflows. <img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1776348766435-1776348766434.jpeg" width="624" height="416" class="fr-fic fr-dii" />Avient team with material samplesAvient’s new workflow, enabled by filament extrusion technology, is far more agile and offers a continuous feedback loop that links material formulation, processing, and application. In more specific terms, Avient’s development teams make compounds or pellets of tailored thermoplastics, which can then be converted directly into filament. This filament can then be used to 3D print functional prototypes, test parts, or tooling components to evaluate performance and application fit. This not only keeps validation steps in-house (thus minimizing lead times), it also enables Avient to make on-the-fly changes to material formulations based on application requirements and keep its customers in the loop from an early stage.By integrating filament production, the company has shown that it is possible to (a) create filament test samples without relying solely on external partners and (b) demonstrate real-world applications at an early stage. This has led to faster development and validation and—as we will see in more detail—greater confidence from customers who can see and test prototypes from early on in the material validation cycle.<h2>Tactile Evaluation with Density-Modified Plastics</h2>One of Avient’s product lines, Gravi-Tech™ Density-Modified Formulations, is focused on density-modified polymers, which are known for having similar characteristics to metal—in terms of mechanical properties as well as look and feel. High-performance polymers are increasingly being used for metal replacement applications, as they meet desired properties while offering advantages like weight reduction and lower material costs. In one metal replacement use case, Avient was developing Gravi-Tech™ Density-Modified Formulations for a luxury application. In the development process, the Avient team was able to produce filament and directly 3D print prototypes—in this case, a premium bottle cap—that matched the design of the customer’s product. The 3D printed prototype, which featured custom branding and a unique design, enabled Avient to not only assess the material’s properties but also to show the client how the product would look and feel. In other words, rather than iterate this prototype further down the material development road, Avient was able to test this real-world application early to understand its perception by end users before committing to downstream manufacturing routes. From the customer’s perspective, they were able to interact with a prototype that had high-fidelity visual, tactile, and functional properties far before production was initiated, giving them confidence in the material validation process. <h2>Real-World Testing of Thermally Conductive Materials</h2>In-house filament production has also been valuable in other cases. In the development of Therma-Tech™ Thermally Conductive Formulations, for example, Avient was able to evaluate both material properties and part design. The part in question was a heat sink that required excellent heat transfer, dissipation, and cooling properties.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1776348766443-1776348766443.jpeg" width="486" class="fr-fic fr-dii" style="width:598px;height:784.574px" />Close-ups of filament and printed samplesWith a material validation workflow that included both filament extrusion and 3D printing, Avient was able to effectively test its material formulations and a range of geometries to find the best combination for form and functional behavior. Being able to test the Therma-Tech™ Thermally Conductive Formulations’ heat-dissipating properties at an application level supported faster and earlier learning, before Avient and its client progressed to tooling and full-scale production. Put another way, the heat sink use case demonstrates how specialty materials, like thermally conductive polymers, can be validated through real part designs. This combines two previously separate workflows into one, bridging material development and functional performance requirements from an early stage. <img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1776348766463-1776348766463.png" width="624" height="404" class="fr-fic fr-dii" />Gravi-Tech™ Density-Modified Formulations (left) and Therma-Tech™ Thermally Conductive Formulations (right) functional partsThe Gravi-Tech™ Density-Modified Formulations and Therma-Tech™ Thermally Conductive Formulations use cases are just the tip of the iceberg. Avient has leveraged its in-house filament production to enhance the validation of many materials and applications, including automotive lighting parts and various plastic components for metal replacement.<h2>De-Risking Material and Application Validation</h2>By integrating filament extrusion as a step in its validation processes, Avient has experienced a range of benefits. For one, the ability to turn material compounds into 3D printable filament in-house has reduced the company’s reliance on external filament suppliers, particularly during early validation. This capability has also made it possible to prototype parts from new material formulations, effectively enabling application fit and form testing earlier in the development cycle. Not only a boon for making validation processes more efficient, this also supports internal and custom-facing discussions, creating a continuous feedback loop.  Crucially, all this can be done before any investment in tooling is required, allowing both material formulations and product designs to be optimized and finalized before committing to full-scale production. This can be particularly valuable in metal replacement applications, where an early understanding of how material properties and part design converge can actually de-risk material substitution. <img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1776348766475-1776348766475.jpeg" width="440" class="fr-fic fr-dii" style="width:706px;height:927.65px" />Avient Gravi-Tech™ Density-Modified Formulations at 3devo’s boothThe impacts are not only being felt by Avient: other material developers can and are reaping these same benefits by harnessing in-house filament production and 3D printing prototypes for application-led validation. <h2>Conclusion</h2>Filament extrusion systems, such as those developed by Dutch company 3devo, are giving material developers greater independence and control over their validation processes. As Avient demonstrates, filament extrusion facilitates early validation and application-driven testing in the development of special material formulations. This not only offers internal benefits, in terms of reducing reliance on external filament suppliers and accelerating material testing, it also changes the dynamic between material developers and their customers. As Avient has found, the ability to produce filament and rapidly iterate 3D printed prototypes has led to better communication and transparency with its clients, who can better assess application performance, weight reduction, and manufacturability before heading into full-scale production.To explore the full case study and see how this approach can apply to your workflow, visit: <a href="https://www.3devo.com/case-studies/avient">https://www.3devo.com/case-studies/avient</a>

Advanced polymer developer Avient brings 3devo filament production in house for streamlined material testing and validation.

Bridging Material and Application Development with In-House Filament Production

Manufacturing

Engineers Wiki. Most Asked Questions.

What is 3D Printing: A Comprehensive Guide to its Engineering Principles and Applications

Top Vision Systems for Manufacturing in 2026

What Is 3D Printer Filament? Types, Materials, and How to Choose

What Is a VFD (Variable Frequency Drive)? Complete Engineering Guide to VFD Drives (2026)...

Active High Pass Filter: Theory, Design, and Applications

Active Low Pass Filter Design and Implementation

Active Bandpass Filter Design Guide

ORGANIZATIONS. SHAPING THE INDUSTRY.

The Next Byte

Creaform

UltiMaker