3-D printing may still seem to be a truly futuristic technology, but how it will ultimately change product design, manufacturing and delivery remains an exciting horizon we are only starting to fully imagine.

“If you look at the evolution of the smartphone, you can see where 3-D manufacturing is going,” Ken Church, CEO of nScrypt, a high-tech 3-D equipment company, said. “Phones at first were used just for talking, now the smartphone technology has replaced everything from a GPS to a digital camera.” 

Researchers from the High-Performance Materials Institute, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering have developed and investigated a new technique for 3D printing that could produce much stronger materials that could be used in a variety of engineering applications.
 

In the 2021 Best College rankings, FAMU-FSU Engineering moved up to Top 40 public schools nationwide and Top 2 schools in Florida

New materials made from polymer (resin) matrix composites are the latest trend in materials research. They have the potential to make planes light-weight and more fuel-efficient. They can also be used to protect troops from explosions. Researchers say the versatility of these materials is vast, but more understanding is needed on the nano-scale for them to reach their full potential.