Maybe you assumed you already hear enough from Joris Peels on 3DPrint.com and the 3DPOD. Well, that’s why you should never assume! The most opinionated man in the AM industry — and the host of Additive Manufacturing Strategies — gives some rapid-fire takes on the latest 3D printing themes he thinks everyone should be paying attention to.

Don’t forget to register for AMS now, so you can save money, and reserve your chance to get Joris’s takes live in February of 2026.

Matt Kremenetsky: What’s the best new release you’ve seen in 2025?

Joris Peels: The Fastform X1, a $40,000 desktop LPBF printer. This could really expand the market in LPBF to tens of thousands of new clients. Aimed at dental users, this is a specifically targeted 3D printer, and it’s sold 1,000 units so far this year. Low cost LPBF is by far the most impactful development happening in additive right now.

MK: What application have you been most impressed by so far this year?

JP: Binder jetting firm EASYMFG just showed metal binder jetted keycaps for keyboards. I love this because years ago, I tried to do that with PA 12 and it just didn’t work. But now, they’re making keyboard keys with binder jet: super smart application, super doable, the costing works. And I love it because it’s a relatively dumb part without a lot of customization or other 3D printing advantages you usually see. It’s the simplicity of the part that I love.

MK: What’s a prediction for 2026 that you think people would be most surprised by?

JP: Desktop 3D printer growth could accelerate and we could see the bankruptcy of dozens of firms, including very large ones. We are in the midst of the Desktop 3D Printing Revolution. Desktop firms will be the top three biggest firms in the industry by 2027.

MK: What articles that you’ve written in 2025 do you think people should’ve paid more attention to?

JP: The Kirigami Sensors article could lead to some huge applications in electronics, folding phones, batteries, antenna and more. The concept of biocomputing is not widely understood, but banks of computers made up of neurons, could, combined with additive, be used to great effect for very specific calculations and operations; for example, in sensing intrusion in a network or fraud.

Electroninks Incorporated and the Darpa AMME program are both potentially able to engender a breakthrough for 3D printed electronics. A lot of people are interested in 3D printing drones in Ukraine. But if you listen to how they’re tackling distributing parts and giving soldiers the parts they need, you realize that no one is copying the real innovation. They’re just going through the motions and making more expensive drones that won’t work.

MK: What are some companies that you think are going overlooked?

JP: Horizon Microtechnologies is making BMF vat polymerization parts and dipping them to enable their use in electronics and space. They should be getting a lot more attention for their approach in functionalizing lower cost additive parts. They developed the dipping technology but rely on BMF´s machines.

Conflux is absolutely fantastic and more people need to be making products that can easily be implemented by companies without them needing to buy machines and learn DfAM.

Modular cylindrical heat exchangers by Conflux. Image courtesy of Conflux.

MK: What could be one of the biggest changes we see in the coming years in AM?

JP: We’re all pretty convinced that AM is a European and American game being lost to the Chinese. But, we’re forgetting that through national priorities and key technological advantages, the technology can also be globalized differently.

Just to name one example, the logical homes for construction 3D printing are probably the Middle East and India. The technology is more valuable there, more costs are saved and more construction is needed in remote places. Also, infrastructure in those regions could easily become an even bigger segment than homebuilding.

MK: What sets AMS apart from other conferences?

JP: It’s the people and the subject matter. We’re all conversant in AM and have our specialties. But, AMS is the only place where the people moving the industry on a daily basis talk about the big picture and specific dams, walls, and other things holding us back. It’s a helicopter overview, strategically-minded conference that zooms in on key lessons that can be replicated, and primary areas of concern that companies across the industry share. We aim to make everyone more aware of what is holding us back, and what can move us forward more quickly. What if we could let everyone do better and make more money? How can we all win, not just once, not just sometimes — how can we get wins out of the marketplace as a matter of routine?

Remember, save by registering for AMS 2026 now!

This interview was originally seen in AMS: The Preprint.