3D Printing

Government Innovation in a Global Pandemic

In the crunch of a crisis, federal agencies unleashed bots, artificial intelligence, 3D printers and supercomputers to flatten the COVID-19 curve.

  • By Nextgov Staff

HHS Proposes ‘IT Control Tower’ to Manage Strategic National Stockpile

The proposal is part of a larger strategy to incorporate the manufacturing, distribution and point-of-care sectors.

  • By Aaron Boyd

As the Coronavirus Interrupts Global Supply Chains, People Have an Alternative: Make It at Home

The cost of 3D printers has dropped low enough to be accessible to most Americans.

  • By Joshua M. Pearce, The Conversation

NIH, FDA and VA 3D-Printing Collaboration Turns to Ventilator Parts

So far, about a dozen designs for personal protective gear have gotten the OK for clinical use.

  • By Brandi Vincent

Team Builds Ventilators from $300 Worth of Parts

Faculty and students at Rice University gathered to see how quickly they could develop a more robust prototype built primarily of 3D-printed and laser-cut parts.

  • By Mike Williams-Rice, Futurity

FDA, NIH, VA Partner to Accelerate 3D-Printed Protective Gear for COVID-19 Response

The pandemic-driven outcomes could demonstrate what strategic interagency efforts around emerging technology can catalyze in rapid timeframes.

  • By Brandi Vincent

TSA Confiscated 3D-Printed Guns at Raleigh-Durham International Airport

It’s not the first time.

  • By Brandi Vincent

States Sue Trump Administration Over 3D-Printed Gun Regulations

The state attorneys general say they fear making online designs to create “ghost guns” more accessible will lead to violence.

  • By Emma Coleman

How VA Is Tapping Cutting-Edge Tech for Veterans

From artificial intelligence to Walmart telehealth stations, the agency spent 2019 focused on how tech can augment its health services.

  • By Brandi Vincent

Pentagon Remains Bullish on 3D Printing, Despite Regulatory ‘Slog’

Military officials want to put additive manufacturing to broader use, but barriers remain.

  • By Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One

3D Printing Technique Puts Electronics Right into Plastic

The development could lead to better performing small satellites, biomedical implants and more.

  • By Todd Bates, Futurity

3D-Printed Salt Gives Form to Absorbable Bone Implants

3D-printed ‘salt templates’ have paved the way for new porous magnesium scaffolds for creating bone implants the body can absorb, researchers report.

  • By Peter Ruegg, Futurity

VA Seeks to Train Staff to Use 3D Printing to Personalize Care for Patients

The agency is actively engaging stakeholders to create new opportunities for training and innovation.

  • By Brandi Vincent

VA Looks to 3D-Printing to Improve Veteran Care

The agency is funding efforts to 3D-print hand braces, foot insoles, prosthetic limbs and artificial organs.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Featured eBooks

The Role of Chief Data Officers
The Government's As-a-Service Future
Government Innovation in a Global Pandemic

Is the Revolution of 3D-Printed Building Getting Closer?

3D printing was expected to transform architecture and construction, but uptake has been slow. Could that be changing?

  • By Thessa Lageman, CityLab

Hackers Could 3D Print Your Head to Unlock Your Phone

Facial recognition is not foolproof.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild

Researchers Have Discovered a Way to Track 3D Printed Guns

Even printers have fingerprints.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild

Critical Update: How Marines Started 3D Printing Everything From Buckles to Barracks

Marines have a long history of MacGyver-ing what they need, but this unit has given them a 21st-century twist.

  • By Aaron Boyd

3D-Printed Guns Are Dangerous. Ammo Control Could Help

New ammunition regulations in California could make it harder for people who shouldn’t have guns to use the ones they have.

  • By Natasha Frost, Quartz

How Rocket-Makers Ensure 3D Printed Parts Are Strong Enough for Space

X-rays and microscopes are involved.

  • By Tim Fernholz, Quartz

NDAA’s Done, Election Security’s On Deck and Senators Are Fretting About 3D Gun Printing

Last week also saw a showdown over a phony FCC DDoS attack and a new cyber law to protect small businesses.

  • By Joseph Marks and Jack Corrigan