Insights & Updates

RAPID + TCT 2026 made one thing clear: additive manufacturing has crossed the threshold from capability demonstration to serial production. The machines are faster, the materials are better, and the applications, from battlefield drone manufacturing to point-of-care medical devices, have never been more urgent. What's holding the industry back now isn't hardware. It's the labor model around it, and automation is the fix.

Demand for UAVs is accelerating in every direction - military, commercial, agriculture, infrastructure, delivery services, and the production systems built to meet that demand are struggling to keep pace. This article covers why additive manufacturing is replacing traditional production for drone airframes and parts, why automation is the critical multiplier that makes it viable at military and industrial scale, and what that looks like in practice.

Heavy industry has a problem that robots are uniquely positioned to solve. The most dangerous jobs in the world, the ones involving rotating machinery, suspended loads, and remote locations, are still done by hand. Outdoor robotics exists to change that. It's one of the least talked-about fields in industrial engineering, and one of the most consequential.

The dental industry is moving rapidly past standalone 3D printers. DHR Engineering attended LMT LAB DAY Chicago 2026 to analyze the latest dental industry shifts. The takeaway is clear: dental labs and manufacturers are prioritizing end-to-end automation and digital workflows in order to scale efficiently. This article explores how modern additive manufacturing, digital assembly lines, and robotic integration are redefining high-efficiency dental production.

High-fashion runways and athletic giants have proven that 3D printed footwear is a cultural force, but the core challenge remains: how do you transition from a single prototype to manufacturing thousands of pairs reliably and cost-effectively? At DHR Engineering, we put our automated farm to the test with a continuous 48-hour production cycle. And we learned something valuable about the automation pillars required to turn additive manufacturing into a scalable industrial reality.

Formnext 2025 made one thing clear: additive manufacturing is no longer held back by print speed or machine capability. The real challenge is everything that happens between the printing cycles. The question is no longer if AM can produce parts, but how it can do so reliably and at scale. And at the Formlabs booth, we had an answer worth showing.

A fast, CAD-free method to generate true-to-scale DXF and 3D models for tool storage using just a smartphone and AI. Here’s how we used computer vision and Meta AI’s SAM to solve a real CNC workflow bottleneck.

How we adapted a new large-format printer to our existing automation system in less than 24 hours.