Additive Manufacturing with Plastics

Additive manufacturing or 3D printing in the plastics industry involves the creation of components without dies or tooling—or the fabrication of tooling itself—for use in prototyping, bridge production, or short-run production. Common types include stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), fused deposition modeling (FDM), and digital light process (DLP). Learn more at What Is Additive Manufacturing?

A New Atomic Age

Atomic Industries describes itself as offering 21st century mass production applying AI-native moldmaking and injection molding. Is this the future of molding?

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Additive Manufacturing 21 Jul 2023

5 Big Themes in Additive Manufacturing at Formnext Forum: Austin

As manufacturing advances with additive, the advance increasingly emphasizes these five themes.

Extrusion 28 May 2020

What You Should Know About Miniature Extrusion Screws

Very small screws have become more common with the growth of additive manufacturing. Designing such screws requires balancing their output requirements with their torque strength.

Smartflow SWAP Valve clears cooling water quickly.

Latest Additive Manufacturing News And Updates

Additive Manufacturing 10 Sep 2025

Arburg Discontinuing Additive Manufacturing

Company will continue to provide service support for Freeformer machines.

Tooling 18 Aug 2025

Hasco Expands Offerings — Including 3D-Printed Hot Runners — at K

In addition to updates in cooling systems, slide retainers, chemical working substances and online ordering, Hasco will demo new advances for additive manufacturing in hot runners.

All Electric & Hybrid Machines 14 Aug 2025

All-Electric Series, Controller and Fiber-Reinforcement Launches in Injection for KraussMaffei

KraussMaffei (KM) will unveil the new all-electric PX injection molding machine, MC7 control, chopped fiber processing, automated assembly and additive manufacturing advances.

Automation 13 Aug 2025

Arburg's K Focus: Sustainability, Digitalization, Automation

With some debuts still under wraps at press time, Arburg says attendees will find answers to pressing questions around sustainability, digitalization and automation at its K 2025 booth.

Engineering Resins 29 Jul 2025

Xenia 3DF Materials for FFF Printing

Xenia filament materials for fused filament fabrication.

Medical 9 Jun 2025

Ultimaker S6 3D Printer for Engineers, Manufacturing Teams and Maintenance Crews

New generation delivers faster print speeds.

Featured Posts

processor's edge 28 Nov 2025

Agile Thermoformer Finds More Speed, Revenue With Additive Manufacturing

Active in both thin- and thick-gauge markets — not to mention rotomolding — Lindar tacks on additive manufacturing to slash lead times for prototype molds and fixtures.

Additive Manufacturing 20 Oct 2025

At KraussMaffei, LFAM Is Both a Product Line and an Internal Benefit

The supplier of plastics processing equipment now offers two large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM) machines to customers. Simultaneously, the company has found many advantages to applying this 3D printing technology for its own production purposes.

Additive Manufacturing 15 Oct 2025

Caracol North American Headquarters Can Produce 100 Systems Per Year

The Italian manufacturer of large format additive manufacturing (LFAM) systems has opened a new facility in Texas that will support application development, service, and the production of its turnkey robot-enabled 3D printers.

Automotive 27 May 2025

At DI Labs, Mass Customization Is a Necessary Step on the Way to Additive Manufacturing’s Production Future

The Minnesota company is applying lessons learned from its custom automotive aftermarket business, Threedom, to advance processes and workflows for AM at scale.

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Additive Manufacturing 13 May 2025

How 3D Printing Supports Toolmaking Workforce at This Multiscale Molder

At more than a century old, General Pattern has seen multiple evolutions in its business — the latest of which is the embrace of additive manufacturing technologies for mold tooling and beyond.

Additive Manufacturing 28 Apr 2025

How Avid Product Development Creates Efficiencies in High-Mix, Low-Volume Additive Manufacturing

Contract manufacturer Avid Product Development (a Lubrizol company) has developed strategies to streamline part production through 3D printing so its engineering team can focus on development, design, assembly and other services.

FAQ: Additive Manufacturing

Do I Need Additive Manufacturing Skills in My Business?

Essentium announced the third in a series of findings from independent global research on the current and future use of industrial 3D printing. The survey found an increasing need for more education, skills, and training across manufacturers’ organizations. Even as the industry moves towards large-scale AM, 28% of manufacturers reported their personnel lacked AM skills.

How is Additive Manufacturing Applied in Tooling?

In recent years, it has become apparent that additive manufacturing—aka 3D printing—is destined to have a role in plastics mold making, owing to cost and lead-time advantages over conventional subtractive manufacturing—CNC machining—and unique abilities to produce complex internal tooling geometries such as conformal cooling channels.

LASER FILTERS, EXTRUSION EQUIPMENT, AUTO SCREENS.

Additive Manufacturing Supplier Categories

SMED Friendly Molding Accessories from Smartflow