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Orthopedic AM To Bioprinting: A 2030–2050 Outlook

A new academic roadmap lays out how orthopedic 3D printing could evolve into clinical bioprinting by 2050 — and what must happen along the way. Authored by Lucian Reclaru and colleagues from Switzerland and Romania, the paper contrasts subtractive CAD/CAM with additive methods and projects an orthopedic future that moves from patient-matched titanium lattices to living, vascularized grafts. This is a state-of-the-field analysis with a strong forecast. They synthesize three decades of AM development — from stereolithography to laser powder bed fusion — and connect it to real orthopedic practice and near-term hospital workflows. Their premise is straightforward. Subtractive CAD/CAM remains excellent for hard, precise components, but wastes material and limits internal geometry. Additive manufacturing enables porous lattices, tuned stiffness, and true patient specificity. In orthopedics, that means better osseointegration and potentially fewer attachments.

CWS Computed Wing Sail completes full-scale Airfin350 rigid wing prototype test campaign

SNAPSHOT: The 40-meter CFRP folding wing sail, developed for cargo ship decarbonization, has entered real conditions testing at Nantes-Saint Nazaire Port ahead of a first commercial installation.

CWS –Computed Wing Sail (Montoir-de-Bretagne, France), developer of a patented automated rigid wing sail system for maritime propulsion, has moved its full-scale Airfin350 prototype from assembly to active testing at Nantes-Saint Nazaire Port (France), marking a significant milestone in the technology’s development. According to CWS, the 40-meter Airfin350 prototype recently completed its first on-site test campaign, exposing the structure to real wind conditions on port grounds selected for favorable wind exposure. The wing features an asymmetrical aerodynamic profile — modeled on aircraft wing geometry — combined with a patented folding and inversion system that allows it to tack efficiently while reducing air draft when needed.

PulPro-SMC project achieves weld-free composite rail vehicle joints in single pressing step

SNAPSHOT: Three-year R&D collaboration led by HÖRMANN Vehicle Engineering has demonstrated a pultrusion-SMC bonding method that eliminates separate joining hardware and reduces weight by 20% versus conventional steel construction.

A three-year German research consortium has concluded its PulPro-SMC project with a working demonstrator that achieves material-bonded connections between pultrusion profiles and sheet molding compound (SMC) nodes in a single pressing step — eliminating the separate joining technology typically required when combining composite structures. The project’s final meeting, held in mid-June 2026, brought together all five consortium partners for presentations of individual results, live pressing tests and the unveiling of a demonstrator: A sidewall segment intended for rail vehicle applications. According to project lead HÖRMANN Vehicle Engineering GmbH (Chemnitz, Germany), the bonded connection reduces weight by 20% compared to conventional steel construction, and mechanical properties measured during testing exceeded what finite element method (FEM) calculations had predicted.

Tiny Additive Has Big Impact on Compostability of Bioplastic

A simple step dramatically improves the biodegradability of PLA while retaining the plastic’s useful qualities.

Newswise — Compostable plastics could be part of a solution to the world’s plastic waste problem. But currently these materials need industrial composting facilities to break down. In a step toward making a home-compostable plastic, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have augmented polylactide (PLA) — a widely used biobased and compostable polymer— with a small amount of an additive. Tests show it helps the material degrade substantially faster without sacrificing critical qualities like strength or transparency.  PLA is currently found in products such as food packaging, textiles, and biomedical devices, and it accounts for roughly two-thirds of total bio-based and biodegradable plastics production worldwide. “Composting is considered one of the most effective end-of-life strategies for PLA products, especially food-contaminated single-use products, because it eliminates the need for additional sorting and washing processes,” says Marc Hillmyer, a corresponding author of the paper. This process converts organic waste into environmentally innocuous products such as small organic acids. However, PLA “is only industrially compostable in engineered environments where it degrades over a few months,” he adds. The bioplastic usually needs high temperatures and humidity to break down over practical timescales. 

Real-time microscopy reveals how semiconductor nanowires grow, and how bismuth seeds can speed their formation

Scientists captured tellurium nanowire growth in liquid in real time, showing seed formation, material competition and bismuth-assisted deposition.

(Nanowerk News) Scientists from the National Graphene Institute at The University of Manchester and Sun Yat-sen University, have captured the growth of semiconducting tellurium nanostructures in liquid in real time, revealing how tiny seed particles form, grow into nanowires and compete for material as the structures develop. The study, published in Matter ("In situ liquid-phase TEM electrodeposition of tellurium nanostructures"), also shows that adding bismuth seed particles can make tellurium easier to deposit under specific electrodeposition conditions used in the experiments.

3D Printed PLA Geometry Drives Structural Performance in Concrete Beams

A research team led by Dr. Muhammad Talha Junaid at the University of Sharjah tested cement mortar beams reinforced with FDM-printed PLA profiles. The study found that surface geometry was the dominant variable, with the best-performing configuration reaching nearly 80% of steel’s bending strength and matching its ductility. Concrete on its own handles compression well but fails under tension. For more than a century, steel rebar has filled that gap, valued for its ability to resist tensile forces, bond reliably with the surrounding matrix, and maintain stiffness under load. The downside is persistent: steel is heavy, and in environments where moisture and chloride ions can reach it through the concrete cover, it corrodes, expanding as it does, cracking the structure from within. Coastal and marine construction, as well as infrastructure salted against ice, all face this problem as a routine maintenance challenge.

Earlier this year, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) completed observations that mapped 47 million galaxies across 11 billion light-years, allowing astronomers to better evaluate the large-scale structure of the visible universe. After studying these data, astronomers Francesco Sylos Labini and Marco Galoppo say the universe may not look the same in all directions. Their results, published in Nature, contradict a fundamental assumption in modern cosmology.

A new electrochemical system simultaneously converts plant-derived materials and nitrate pollutants into valuable industrial chemicals. Developed by Tohoku University researchers, the system provides a more sustainable way to manufacture chemicals while helping address wastewater pollution. Details of the system were published in the journal Angewandte Chemie on June 8, 2026. A new catalyst made the process possible by enabling two chemical reactions to occur efficiently within the same electrolysis device. The system converts a biomass-derived compound called 1,5-pentanediol into glutaric acid, an important chemical used in the production of polymers and specialty materials, while also transforming nitrate contaminants in wastewater into ammonia, a key ingredient in fertilizers and many industrial products.

NIST Engineers a Smarter Laser Path to Solve Metal 3D Printing’s Mixing Problem

Metallurgy has always been about control. For centuries, getting metals to blend predictably was the difference between a reliable tool and a brittle failure. Today, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are tackling that challenge in a modern form: high-entropy alloys (HEAs), a class of materials developed over the last two decades that contain five or more elements in equal proportions, rather than the single dominant metal that defines traditional alloys. That composition is what sets HEAs apart. Their unusual atomic arrangement can improve strength and stability at extreme temperatures, making them relevant for applications such as jet engines or nuclear reactors. Producing them, however, presents consistent challenges. Different metals carry different densities, melting points, and surface tension values, properties that cause components to separate into distinct regions rather than integrating at the atomic level.

Annual Number of Objects Launched into Space

Self-Healing Ceramic Coating Seals Turbine Cracks at 800 °C

Inspired by natural glaze layers in cobalt superalloys, the new coating uses cobalt oxide migration to fill cracks, limit spallation, and protect extreme-environment engine components from heat-driven damage. In a recent research article available as an Article in Press in the journal Communications Materials, researchers developed a self-healing ceramic coating based on phase segregation in the CoO–Cr2O3 system that autonomously repairs thermally induced cracks at elevated temperatures, enhancing durability and lubricity for gas turbine engine applications. Extreme Environment Material Challenges Gas turbine engines experience extreme thermal and mechanical stresses, with surfaces exposed to temperature gradients that can reach 2000 °C, leading to material degradation through cracking and wear. Enhancing surface durability is essential for improving engine efficiency and meeting environmental targets.

Three decades ago, researchers working atop the Llullaillaco volcano, located on the border between Argentina and Chile, discovered exceptionally well-preserved remains. The find included the mummified bodies of three children along with associated artifacts. The site became known as the Capacocha burial, which was linked to the Inca ritual by the same name, which involved sacrificing children and young women. In a recent study published in Archaeometry, researchers turned to the coca leaves, manioc seeds and maize grains found among the offerings surrounding a buried maiden. By combining radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis of these short-lived plant remains, researchers were able to pinpoint a more precise timeframe for the burial.

Postal Service would restrict mail-in voting under Trump proposal, chief says

President Donald Trump insists the proposal he ordered would crack down on voter fraud, but Democrats call it an attempt to seize control of election administration ahead of crucial midterms.

By EMILIO PEREZ IBARGUEN

06/24/2026 03:06 PM EDT

The U.S.’ chief mailman told lawmakers Wednesday that his agency would restrict the delivery of mail-in ballots in states that don’t hand over a list of eligible voters, in line with proposed rules ordered by President Donald Trump.

Postmaster General David Steiner dismissed Senate Democrats’ concerns that the floated regulations are an attempt by Trump to federalize elections, instead characterizing the proposal as an assurance that “the right ballots are going to the right people” during an appearance before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Though any new rule must be approved by the agency’s board of directors, Steiner’s public support is a boost for the president’s efforts to curtail voting by mail, which he has long characterized as susceptible to fraud. Trump issued an executive order in late March mandating the agency propose a rule requiring states to provide the Postal Service with a list of all eligible voters at least 60 days ahead of any federal election.

The proposal comes ahead of the November midterms, contests which usually see the president’s party lose seats in Congress. Republicans on the Hill have expressed growing consternation with their electoral chances they say are being hampered by Trump’s domestic agenda and a deeply unpopular war.

Democrats questioned whether USPS has the constitutional authority to enforce such a rule, arguing that the job of administering elections is delegated to the states.

Steiner, for his part, agreed that the Postal Service is not responsible for administering elections but cast the rule as a procedural step for ensuring ballots are only sent to eligible voters.

TURBO consortium demonstrates real-time resin monitoring, in-line process control in wind turbine blade infusion

CPI’s wireless sensing platform, integrated with Synthesites process monitoring technology, successfully tracked resin flow and temperature enabling ML-based in-line process control during composite infusion trials at NCC and Siemens Gamesa facilities.

Members of the TURBO (Towards Turbine Blade Production with Zero Waste) consortium recently reported progress on real-time process monitoring during composite infusion, with trials conducted at facilities operated by NCC Operations Ltd. (Sedgefield, U.K.) and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (Aalborg, Denmark). The demonstrations centered on a wireless sensing platform developed by Centre for Process Innovation Ltd. (CPI, Sedgefield, U.K.), which tracked resin flow and temperature during the infusion process. According to consortium members, the integration and trial activities validated the platform’s ability to broadcast monitoring data in real time, supporting adaptive process control approaches intended to improve manufacturing consistency and reduce defects in wind turbine blade production.

What If the Next 3D Printing Material Came from Your Kitchen?

Researchers at Chalmers University (Sweden) have developed a biodegradable material for 3D printing made from baker’s yeast, wood cellulose fibers, seaweed alginate, vegetable glycerol, and water. The end result aims to be an alternative to construction materials such as plastic, plaster, or synthetic textiles, but made from organic and industrial byproducts. Each ingredient serves a specific function. Alginate provides stability during printing; cellulose reinforces the structure and adds strength; glycerol acts as a plasticizer and provides flexibility. The yeast, meanwhile, acts as a binder for all the ingredients and gives the mixture viscosity. “Because [yeast] consists of single-celled organisms, we can produce a more homogeneous, predictable material,” explains Malgorzata Zboinska, a professor at Chalmers and the lead researcher on the study. The five ingredients form a malleable hydrogel that is ready for printing.