We may be well into the fourth decade of 3D printing but the technology is continuing to evolve at a rapid pace. We’re seeing advancements in materials, processes, and software on a monthly basis (at least), and January 2026 has been no exception.
So, here are a few of the latest additive manufacturing (AM) research stories that caught our attention this month.
MechStyle uses AI to assess printability
Customization has always been touted as a major benefit of 3D printing, but despite some lofty predictions, the number of real-life examples has remained relatively small. With the rise of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), the distance between an idea for a custom design and a 3D model seems shorter than ever.
However, according to researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), one of the major issues with 3D printing the output of GenAI is mechanical integrity. That’s why PhD student and CSAIL engineer Faraz Faruqi is developing GenAI systems that can make aesthetic changes to designs without compromising their functionality.
Developed in partnership with Google, Stability AI, and Northeastern University, Faruqi has created a system dubbed “MechStyle” that enables users to upload a 3D model or draw from a list of preset assets and then create a personalized version via text and image prompts. The tool combines AI and finite element analysis (FEA) with the aim of generating custom parts that are 3D printable and structurally sound.
“We want to use AI to create models that you can actually fabricate and use in the real world,” Faruqi said in an MIT press release. “So MechStyle actually simulates how GenAI-based changes will impact a structure. Our system allows you to personalize the tactile experience for your item, incorporating your personal style into it while ensuring the object can sustain everyday use.”
One point worth noting: while the tool can ensure models remain structurally sound before 3D printing, it’s not yet able to improve 3D models that weren’t viable to begin with. Faruqi and his colleagues intend to improve the durability of those faulty models in the future.
Their research is published in the 2025 Conference Proceedings of SIGGRAPH.
Controlling the microstructure of high-entropy alloys
When it comes to metal AM, the potential to refine existing alloys or even create novel ones has been held back by the inherent complexity of metal 3D printing processes, such as laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF). Consequently, the microstructures of L-PBF parts tend to vary, which in turn leads to less-than-predictable mechanical properties.
However, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have recently found a way to adjust laser scanning speed during the additive manufacturing of high-entropy alloys that helps control material properties directly at the atomic scale.
“By increasing the laser speed, the cooling rate increases,” explained LLNL deputy group lead Thomas Voisin in a press release, “and as the material cools down faster, it has less time to rearrange to a low energy configuration. This freezes the material in a non-equilibrium state, which can be used to tune atomic structures and resulting mechanical properties.”
Hence, in place of a trial-and-error approach, AM engineers could use this technique to effectively program target properties into a 3D printed metal part. “We are now at a place where we can effectively design new materials that take full advantage of the additive manufacturing features like the very rapid cooling rate,” Voisin said.
The research is published in the journal Advanced Materials.
New 3D printing extrusion system
Multi-material 3D printing has been a topic of interest among professionals for several years but despite the relative simplicity of the concept in theory, it’s proven difficult to implement in practice.
However, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have just announced some significant progress, combining multi-material capabilities with large-format additive manufacturing. Their new extrusion system combines multiple extruders into a single, high-output stream using specially designed nozzles. The idea is to give users the ability to activate or deactivate the smaller extruders, enabling materials to be combined within a single bead.
“By enabling smaller-scale extruders to match the output of larger systems without the burden of extra weight — and by achieving unprecedented multi-material extrusion within the bead — this system is poised to redefine extrusion-based additive manufacturing,” said ORNL researcher Halil Tekinalp, who led the project, in a press release.
The system’s patent-pending nozzle blocks are made from aluminum bronze for strength and thermal conductivity, employing an internal design that merges molten polymer streams from parallel extruders. In addition, the system incorporates a Y-shaped nozzle designed to reduce center porosity. Another, proprietary nozzle design is capable of generating core-and-sheath beads to combine multiple materials with different functionalities.
Potential applications cited by the ORNL researchers include shelters or protective panels in defense contexts, as well as reinforced bridge decks, car bumpers, and boat hulls.
Metal 3D printing in microgravity
While it’s not technically the first metal part ever 3D printed in space, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ (CAS) Institute of Mechanics have announced the successful completion of a space-based wire-fed AM experiment. Conducted during a suborbital flight, the CAS institute has stated that this experiment represents an important transition from “ground-based verification” to “in-space engineering verification” aboard the PH-1 Yao-1 rocket.
Although the rocket only has suborbital capabilities, achieving an altitude of 120 km above sea level and creating a microgravity environment for just over five minutes, this approach parallels similar space-based 3D printing experiments conducted by NASA and the ESA.
Moreover, this is clearly just the next step in an ongoing project to establish space-based metal AM, with the CAS institute noting that the research team has progressively established a fundamental theoretical framework and process database using microgravity drop towers, parabolic flight aircraft, suborbital rockets, and on-orbit platforms.
The goal is to eventually have the PH-1 upgraded into an orbital spacecraft, capable of staying up for at least a year and being reusable ten times or more. So, expect more announcements from CAS on in-space metal AM coming soon.
Comparative study on corrosion resistance in 3D printed Ti64
Surface finish continues to be a concern for metal AM, whether in the form of L-PBF, electron beam melting (EBM) or sinter-based material extrusion (MEX). Whatever the process involved, porosity can be a major issue, and just how major it can be has been demonstrated in a recent study by engineers and materials scientists at the University of Bergamo, Sapienza University of Rome, and the Polytechnic University of Turin.
Together, these researchers investigated the corrosion performance of Ti64 produced using each of the three processes mentioned above, with both as-built and polished test parts for each. They found “modest variations” among the manufacturing technologies even after polishing and also confirmed the detrimental influence of porosity on corrosion, particularly for MEX.
A pre-print of the research is available via the Nature journal Materials Degradation.