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3D printing

3D printing
The latest news, analysis and opinion on 3D printing. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
How Japan built a 3D-printed railway station overnight
Japan

Video | Japan builds world’s first 3D-printed train station

Architecture and design

A piece of Hong Kong in your living room

Wellness

3D bioprinter that makes humanlike tissue should improve drug testing

Science

China-led team uses 3D-printed male sex organ for ED treatment in world first

Chinese-led team uses hydrogel-based bioinks for 3D-printed implant able to replicate functional components of natural erectile tissue.

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More than 40 per cent of men aged 40 and above are said to have erectile dysfunction. Photo: Shutterstock
Trending in China

China teen makes folding phone with 3D printer, gains 4 million views online

Secondary school student uses skills honed since primary school to create his own mobile phone, is backed by parents, praised on social media.

Science

Chinese scientists say they can strengthen pure gold by adding tiny holes

Nanopores added to precious metal allow it to bear higher loads and maintain plasticity with ‘no extra weight, no pollution’, team reports in Science article

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US-China relations

Opinion | US needs a techno-industrial plan to beat China’s factories of the future

China’s shift towards advanced industries will give it such economic and strategic advantages that an equally powerful US response is necessary.

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US President Joe Biden speaks on Bidenomics at the Flex facility in West Columbia, South Carolina, US, on July 6, 2023. If the Chinese strategy succeeds, US companies in advanced industries will be wiped out, leaving the US increasingly dependent on China for critical goods. Photo: Bloomberg
Science

Pioneering ‘shark skin’ tech could propel China ahead of US in jet engine race

Breakthrough structure developed by Chinese scientists could threaten America’s dominance of engine technology.

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Architecture and design

Inside The Fabrick Lab: meet ‘material innovator’ Elaine Ng Yan Ling

She credits fashion designer Zandra Rhodes as her first inspiration, but a visit to Ng’s Hong Kong studio feels more like an episode of dystopian Netflix show Black Mirror

Hong Kong economy

3D-printed concrete homes? Hong Kong team hits brick wall in bid to apply tech

Christian Lange of the University of Hong Kong says his team can produce 3D-printed concrete objects in just minutes, potentially revolutionising building practices

Architect Christian Lange operates a 3D printer at his team’s lab. The University of Hong Kong site features two large robots on tracks which swiftly alternate between concrete printing, picking and placing, and welding. Photo: Dickson Lee
Fashion

How tech is reshaping the sneaker space, from Nike’s RTFKT to 3D printing

Digitisation is transforming the sneaker industry, offering a host of new possibilities exemplified by Nike’s RTFKT Web3 studio, Zellerfeld’s 3D-printed shoes and design platform Sol3Mates.

A visual breakdown of the RTFKT x Nike Dunk Genesis sneakers. Acquired by Nike in 2021, RTFKT marries physical sneakers with their digital counterparts, creating unique experiences that blur the line between the real and virtual worlds. Photo: Instagram / @rtfkt
Semiconductors

Chinese chip makers plan to invest billions on R&D, production in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s push to boost local advanced manufacturing is gaining traction, according to government officials, as the Asian financial centre endeavours to diversify its economy.

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Architecture and design

How 3D printing is helping resurrect a century-old village in rural China

A University of Hong Kong team has combined 3D printing technology with traditional Chinese wooden construction in an adaptive reuse experiment they believe to be the first of its kind.

Shenzhen

Can China’s 3D printers appeal to more than just gamers and cosplayers?

Shenzhen-based Elegoo hopes to democratise 3D printing technology with low prices and convenient shipping, but it will need to grow appeal outside niche markets to reach mass adoption.

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Shenzhen-based company Elegoo produces 3D printers. Photo: Handout
Science

Chinese scientists develop cutting-edge tech for 3D ceramic printing in the air

Jiangnan University team creates new printing paste and improved curing technique to enhance 3D printing efficiency and remove need for support structures.

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A team from Jiangnan University reports that their cutting-edge technique can help printed ceramic curves to be freely extended in space without support. Photo: Handout
Abby Choi - murder of a model

Body restoration of Hong Kong model Abby Choi ‘more complicated than expected’

Family of deceased believed to have opted for 3D printing to restore body parts, with one industry expert saying full recreation could cost at least HK$100,000.

Architecture and design

Video | Only 140 hours needed to make ‘Europe’s largest 3D-printed building’

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Space

3D-printed rocket’s debut launch aborted at last minute

The countdown for Relativity Space’s Terran 1 rocket was halted with just over a minute remaining because of a temperature issue with its upper stage.

Relativity Space shows the company’s Terran 1 rocket sits on the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday. Photo: Relativity Space via AP
US-China relations

Firm that sent military designs to China to pay US up to US$27 million

3D Systems Corp agreed to settle with the US for illegally exporting drawings for spacecraft, among other violations.

Jewellery 2022

Is 3D printing the next big thing in high jewellery?

As high jewellery designers flirt with 3D technology, there is a fear that it will infringe upon age-old techniques … here’s what you need to know

Science

Scientists 3D-print biomedical devices in study that may ‘open up possibilities’

Researchers say highly conductive printing ink can create circuits in jelly-like hydrogel, which can then be used for devices to monitor heart rate and stimulate nerves.

The hydrogel electronic device can be stretched, twisted or compressed and will return to its original shape. Photo: Handout
Science

How dried passion fruit inspired Chinese device that may clean up space junk

Silicone ball ‘grabs’ nearby items with its wrinkles and could be used to retrieve hazardous materials, orbiting debris and hard-to-reach objects.

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Chinese researchers tested their fruit-inspired invention by grabbing a variety of items. Photo: Handout
Crime

Europe’s police keep wary eye on threat from 3D-printed guns

A growing number of seizures of guns made at home from 3D-printed parts are raising alarm bells for European police over an emerging threat.

US-China tech war

Three US companies sanctioned for sending defence blueprints to China

The firms are accused of sending files for satellites, rocket technology and other prototypes to China for 3D printing so they could save on costs.

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Science

‘An army of robots’ and zero human workers will build a dam in China

Artificial intelligence at the heart of the project on the Tibetan plateau will build the structure slice by slice, with no human workers.

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Chinese scientists say the Yangqu dam on the Tibetan plateau will be built using AI-controlled machinery applying 3D printing techniques. Photo: Weibo
US-China relations

To out-compete China, Biden launches 3D printing initiative

Honeywell, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin among firms committing to help SME suppliers boost output of 3D printed components.

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US President Joe Biden speaks at United Performance Metals in Hamilton, Ohio on Friday. Biden touted his “additive manufacturing forward” initiative and reiterated calls to Congress to pass China-related legislation. Photo: AP
Coronavirus pandemic

Hong Kong researchers develop 3D-printed material that kills coronavirus

Research team engineers 3D printing material that kills all viruses and bacteria within 20 minutes.

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Architecture and design

Co-working and retail complex The Mills Fabrica expands to London

Vanessa Cheung, the granddaughter of Hong Kong’s ‘King of Cotton Yarn’, took a warehouse in Tsuen Wan and turned it into a co-working, retail and arts space. Now she’s done the same in the UK capital.

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