The Next Leap in 3D Printing is Growing Strong Metals

Scientists from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have created a new 3D printing method that can turn simple hydrogels into high-performance metals and ceramics.

They have essentially grown metal by enabling multiple infusions of metal salts that form extremely strong and dense structures without the porosity of earlier methods. Results show metals created using the new technique are 20 times stronger and have much less shrinkage. 

This breakthrough promises efficient production of next-gen energy, sensing, and biomedical devices.

Why Architected Materials Need Better Metal 3D Printing

As the basis of manufacturing, construction, engineering, and technology, materials directly influence the functionality, durability, and safety of everything from buildings to electronics, transportation, and healthcare. 

This makes it important to create new materials or improve existing ones to meet specific needs, solve problems, and drive progress across various industries.

An innovative and crucial approach to achieving this is through the design of architected materials, a process that enhances material properties compared to their plain counterparts by designing their internal structure at multiple scales.

This emerging class of materials utilizes 3D structural geometry to access functionalities and properties that are otherwise inaccessible through composition and/or microstructure optimization alone.

As our understanding of architecture-property relationships and manufacturing tools advanced, so did the development of these 3D nano- and micro-architected materials with new or enhanced properties, ranging from extreme mechanical behaviors to exotic optical properties that simply can’t be accomplished with traditionally processed materials. By doing so, architected materials help address the increasing demand for high-performance devices and enable complex technologies.

These materials are currently fabricated using additive manufacturing (AM) technologies due to their ability to produce complex 3D structures at a wide range of length scales. Among different AM processes, vat photopolymerization (VP) is widely used as it allows for small sizes and rapid speeds.

In this 3D printing method, a light-sensitive resin is deposited into a vat, and then, using a laser or UV light, it is selectively hardened into the required shape.

This process, however, is used only with light-sensitive polymers and faces challenges in fabricating non-polymeric materials with it. With polymers having limited structural and functional properties, this restricts the use cases of devices fabricated with VP.

As a result, scientists have developed methods to enable the VP of non-photopolymerizable materials like metals and ceramics. This includes using hybrid photoresin (combining both inorganic and organic components) or photosensitive slurry, but they have challenges with light‐scattering, viscosities, and limited material compositions.

As a result, the use of metal‐salt solutions has emerged as a promising approach, which is versatile and commercially available. But this one comes with a significant amount of shrinkage, causing porosity, warping, and structural damage.

To address these challenges, EPFL researchers have developed a new versatile method to fabricate dense architected metals and ceramics with low conversion linear shrinkages. 

What they have done is, they’ve grown metals in a hydrogel, which results in remarkably dense but complicated constructions for advanced tech.

Hydrogels are polymer materials that are mostly made of water. When hydrated, they become jelly-like. Being biocompatible, they are utilized in a wide range of medical and other applications. These materials, however, suffer from repeated mechanical stress and can easily become deformed. 

“The problem with existing hydrogels is that they can be mechanically weak and so need strengthening,” said Associate Professor Koichi Mayumi from the Institute for Solid State Physics (ISSP) at the University of Tokyo, who has created¹ a hydrogel exhibiting rubberlike toughness and recoverability while maintaining flexibility.

A recent study², meanwhile, used hydrogels to demonstrate the ability of non-living materials to use ‘memory’ to update their understanding of the environment. They showed that “memory is emergent within the hydrogels” by having non-living hydrogels (that can respond to electrical stimulation) play the video game Pong and improve their accuracy by up to 10%, through practice.

Now, EPFL researchers have transformed these soft hydrogels into exceptionally strong metals and ceramics using a powerful new 3D printing method.

A New Way to 3D Print Strong Metals

With other 3D printing methods created to convert printed polymers into tougher materials suffering from serious structural setbacks, “these materials tend to be porous, which significantly reduces their strength, and the parts suffer from excessive shrinkage, which causes warping,” the researchers have created a unique solution to the problem.

EPFL researchers have pioneered a 3D printing method called hydrogel infusion additive manufacturing (HIAM).

In the latest study, published in Advanced Materials³, researchers noted that despite its benefits in terms of versatility and accessibility, the new method’s utility is limited by the 50%-90% shrinkages that occur during the polymer-to-ceramic conversion process, which causes a lot of porosity, cracking, and warping in the final parts, which often render them too fragile for practical use. So, they also utilize an infusion-precipitation strategy post‐fabrication.

Instead of using light to solidify a resin pre-infused with metal precursors, the EPFL team first built a 3D scaffold out of hydrogel.

Then the ‘blank’ hydrogel is infused with different metal salt solutions before being thermally treated to convert it into nanoparticles containing metals that permeate the structure. By repeating the process, composites with very high metal concentrations can be created.

Following five to ten such ‘growth cycles,’ the final step involves heating that burns away the remaining hydrogel. This leaves behind the finished product, i.e., a ceramic or metal object in the shape of the original blank polymer that is very strong and dense. 

Infusing metal salts in hydrogels only after fabrication means that only one hydrogel can be modified into many different composites, metals, or ceramics. 

Not only can a single resin composition be used to fabricate an almost infinite array of non-polymeric materials, but this study also highlights a new paradigm of AM where material selection doesn’t occur before but rather after 3D printing.

So, the new technique “enables the fabrication of high-quality metals and ceramics with an accessible, low-cost 3D printing process,” said Daryl Yee, head of the Laboratory for the Chemistry of Materials and Manufacturing (ALCHEMY) in EPFL’s School of Engineering. 

The focus at ALCHEMY is on integrating materials science, molecular design, and advanced manufacturing to create advanced functional materials that can tackle societal challenges in healthcare, energy, and climate change.  

Using their method, the EPFL team successfully fabricated a variety of intricate 3D metal and ceramic structures. They created complex mathematical lattice shapes called gyroids out of copper, silver, and iron.

The fabrication of Fe₂O₃, SrFe₁₂O₁₉, Fe, Cu, and Ag achieved densities approaching 88–89% theoretical and shrinkages of 20–40% (depending on composition), demonstrating the technique’s ability to create strong and intricate structures. A universal testing machine was also used to test the strength of the materials by applying increasing pressure to the gyroids.

“Our materials could withstand 20 times more pressure compared to those produced with previous methods, while exhibiting only 20% shrinkage versus 60-90%.”

– PhD student and first author Yiming Ji

According to the scientists, the newly developed infusion-precipitation-based technique holds promise for fabricating advanced architected materials and 3D structures that need to be complex, lightweight, and strong simultaneously, such as biomedical devices, sensors, or devices for energy conversion and storage. 

In the next steps, the team will focus on improving their process, specifically on further increasing the density of their materials, for its commercialization. 

Speed is another goal. While repeated infusions are important for producing stronger materials, these steps make the method time-consuming. “We are already working on bringing the total processing time down by using a robot to automate these steps,” said Yee.
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Where is Additive Manufacturing Going Next?

Additive manufacturing is one of the most disruptive technologies of our age, building 3D objects layer by layer using digital design and a wide range of materials, such as metal, plastic, and concrete.

This technology is convenient, versatile, and capable of rapidly fabricating intricate geometric structures. It also reduces material waste, enables high customization, and enhances the performance of flexible devices.

The global AM market size is estimated to be about $25 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow past $125 billion by 2032. Meanwhile, the total units of 3D printers shipped globally were 2.2 million in 2021 and are expected to reach 21.5 million units by the end of this decade.

These figures reflect a growing adoption of the technology, which isn’t restricted to just labs. It is being increasingly used to build houses, shoes, VR headsets, self-healing biodegradable materials⁴, and much more.

Most recently, Empa researchers reported developing a 3D-printed biocompatible corneal implant that can repair eye damage permanently. 

With millions of people worldwide affected by corneal damage, only a small percentage can be treated with a corneal transplant. The development of customized self-adhesive implants made possible by 3D extrusion bioprinting can completely change the game.

The implant is made of a biocompatible hydrogel, which will later be loaded with human stem cells from the eye to support tissue regeneration.

While AM applications continue to grow, scientists are also solving some of 3D printing’s most persistent technical challenges. Researchers from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) created a vacuum-assisted extrusion technique⁵ that can reduce internal porosity of polymer components by 75% thus tackling the problem hindering large-scale additive manufacturing (LFAM).

Internal porosity weakens printed parts, and reducing this is important to boost the overall performance.

What researchers did was that during the extrusion process, they integrated a vacuum hopper, which removed trapped gases and minimized the formation of voids in fiber-reinforced materials that are prevalent in LFAM for their firmness as well as low thermal expansion, but have intra-bead porosity affecting their quality. 

“Using this innovative technique, we are not only addressing the critical issue of porosity in large-scale polymer prints but also paving the way for stronger composites. This is a significant leap forward for the LFAM industry.”

– ORNL’s Vipin Kumar

Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have created software, OpenVCAD, to help achieve more complex designs. The open-source software can apply specific properties to certain parts of lattice structures, which are usually used for impact-absorbing capabilities.

The first multi-material, code-based design tool “allows users to change one small variable and watch the whole design update in an easy way,” said project lead Robert MacCurdy. It converts complicated gradient designs into printer-ready code for modern engineering applications.

Beyond improving material quality, innovators are also working on bringing the power of fabrication into the palm of a hand. A paper by UT Austin and MIT researchers explored using silicon photonics in a chip-based 3D printer⁶, where a single millimeter-scale photonic device does most of the printer’s mechanical functionality while replacing the light source. The resulting printer is much simpler and cost-effective.

Current 3D printers depend on large and complex mechanical systems, limiting speed, portability, resolution, form factor, and material complexity. While researchers are looking into 3D printers that are based on photocuring, they still depend on bulky and complex mechanical systems. 

So, the latest study combined silicon photonics and photochemistry for the first chip-based 3D printer. They used a silicon-photonics CMOS chip in a small chamber, which both emits the light and steers it, along with a liquid-crystal waveguide to work with the resin. 

The system is a “visible-light integrated optical phased array system” that acts as a vat polymerization system on a chip, with the ultimate idea being to make the entire system fit into the palm of a hand.

Investing in 3D Printing

Famous for traditional printing, HP (HPQ +4.35%) has been aggressively making an entry into the 3D printing market and boasts scale, capital, and infrastructure to adopt cutting-edge processes like hydrogel infusion.

The company first forayed into additive manufacturing just over a decade ago, and since then, it has launched multiple polymer 3D printing systems and introduced Metal Jet technology. While not the oldest player in the 3D printing industry, HP has been working on becoming the market leader through innovation in tech, materials, and partnerships.

HP Inc. (HPQ +4.35%)

Earlier this year, HP’s Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing technology was used by Blazin Rodz to manufacture over 75 parts for a custom-built car. 

“There’s no way we could ever design and engineer vehicles as extreme, precise, and drivable as we do at Blazin Rodz – in under a year – without CAD design and 3D printing. HP’s Multi-Jet Fusion (MJF) printing is a game-changer for the entire industry, and we are committed to finding smart and innovative applications of it with every signature part we develop and every custom car we build moving forward.”

– Waylon Jeffrey, 3D Design & Engineering Lead at Blazin Rodz

A few months ago, mobile drone manufacturing firm, Firestorm Labs, secured exclusive distribution rights from HP for its mobile Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing technology to enable on-site production in medical, humanitarian, and commercial contexts.

HP is the global provider of personal computing and other digital access devices, and it operates through three key segments.

The Personal Systems segment offers commercial and consumer desktops, notebooks, workstations, POS systems, displays, hybrid systems, and software; the Printing segment offers consumer and commercial printer hardware, along with graphics and 3D printing and personalization in the commercial and industrial markets; and the Corporate Investments segment includes certain business incubation and investment projects.

With a market cap of $25.5 billion, HPQ shares are currently trading at $27.22, down 16.18% this year so far. Their 52-week range has been $21.21 and $39.80, while the highest these shares ever went was in mid-2022 when HPQ hit a peak of about $41.50.

The company has an EPS (TTM) of 2.75 and a P/E (TTM) of 9.96. The dividend yield offered by HP to its shareholders is an attractive 4.23%.

When it comes to HP’s financial position, it reported net revenue of $13.9 billion, an increase of 3.1% from the prior-year period, for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025. 

This includes $4 billion in revenue from the Printing business, which was down 4% year-over-year (YoY) with a 17.3% operating margin. Net revenue from Consumer Printing was down by 8%, Commercial Printing by 3%, and Supplies by 4%. Total hardware units, meanwhile, saw a drop of 9%, with Commercial Printing units down by 12% and Consumer Printing units by 8%.

HP’s GAAP diluted net earnings per share were up 23.1% to $0.80, and non-GAAP diluted net EPS were down 10.7% to $0.75.

“In Q3 we delivered a fifth consecutive quarter of revenue growth, driven by strength in Personal Systems and strong momentum in our key growth areas. These results demonstrate our agility and focused execution in the quarter, reinforce the strength of our strategy, and our commitment to be a leader in the future of work.”

– CEO Enrique Lores

During this quarter, the company reported $1.7 billion in net cash from operating activities while free cash flow was $1.5 billion. It also returned $400 million to shareholders through dividend payments of $0.2894 per share and share repurchases of $150 million. HP ended the quarter with $2.9 billion in cash and cash equivalents.

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A New Chapter for Materials Science

With 3D printing, manufacturing has entered a new age, enabling rapid prototyping, faster development, design flexibility, cost savings, and supply chain improvements.

Leveraging this technology and combining it with hydrogel infusion and an infusion-precipitation strategy, EPFL researchers have produced stronger metals, redefining when and how material identity is determined in the production chain. Moreover, the flexibility it offers can be potentially transformative for industries ranging from energy to biomedical engineering.

As these methods mature, scale, and commercialize, they can usher in a new industrial landscape where strength isn’t made but grown.

References:

1. Liu, C., Morimoto, N., Jiang, L., Kawahara, S., Noritomi, T., Yokoyama, H., Mayumi, K., & Ito, K. (2021). Tough hydrogels with rapid self-reinforcement. Science, 372(6546), 1078–1081. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaz6694
2. Strong, V., Hayashi, Y., Ward, J., et al. (2024, August 23). Electro-active polymer hydrogels exhibit emergent memory when embedded in a feedback-driven environment. Cell Reports Physical Science, 5, Article 00436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2024.00436
3. Ji, Y., Hong, Y., Bhandari, D. R., & Yee, D. W. (2025, September 24). Hydrogel-based vat photopolymerization of ceramics and metals with low shrinkages via repeated infusion precipitation. Advanced Materials. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202504951
4. Li, Y., Ma, G., Guo, F., Luo, C., Wu, H., Luo, X., Zhang, M., Wang, C., Jin, Q., & Long, Y. (2024, June 25). 3D-printed self-healing, biodegradable materials and their applications. Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering, 19, Article 17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11465-024-0787-1
5. Mattingly, F., Kumar, V., Chawla, K., Bras, W., Kunc, V., & Duty, C. (2025, January). Vacuum-assisted extrusion to reduce internal porosity in large-format additive manufacturing. Additive Manufacturing, 97, 104612. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-8604(24)00658-4
6. Corsetti, S., Notaros, M., Sneh, T., Stafford, A., Page, Z. A., & Notaros, J. (2024, June 6). Silicon-photonics-enabled chip-based 3D printer. Light: Science & Applications, 13, Article 132. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-024-01478-2