There’s great news for innovators who need the freedom and flexibility to experiment. MakerBot Labs is an experimental community and platform for engineers and developers to create, build, customize, and collaborate on MakerBot 3D printing solutions. MakerBot encourages innovators to push the limits of what’s possible on MakerBot 3D printers by easily switching between the tested reliability of the MakerBot Smart Extruder+ and the MakerBot Labs Experimental Extruder



3D printing presents an invaluable tool for speeding the time to market. The importance of prototyping to the product development cycle cannot be overstated; it will remain the foundational cornerstone of the additive manufacturing industry in the next 2–5 years.



Markforged is enabling manufacturers to bring products to market faster than ever before, having completed a $30 million Series C round of funding from next47, the Siemens-backed venture firm, Microsoft Ventures, and Porsche Automobil Holding.



Two amazing applications of 3D printing in transportation and fashion made headlines recently. Kinazo Design in collaboration with Volkswagen has launched the Kinazo E1 Enduro e-bike, an electric bicycle manufactured using the Concept Laser X Line 2000R 3D printer, and sustainable footwear company Feetz has teamed up with fashion designer and two-time Project Runway winner, Seth Aaron, to launch the world’s first runway collection of 3D printed shoes.



R&D advancements are making 3D printers smarter with computer vision and machine learning. Researchers at GE are building a system that could speed up the 3D printing process and eventually achieve ‘100 percent yield,’ where machines only produce good parts, beginning with the very first build.