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The University of Maine just unveiled the world's largest polymer 3D printer. The new printer, named Factory of the Future 1.0 (FoF 1.0), can print objects as large as 96 feet long by 32 feet wide by 18 feet high. It's also quite speedy, relatively speaking, as it can print up to 500 pounds per hour. It can dynamically switch between printing techniques to suit different aspects of complex jobs. The printer can flip between large-scale additive manufacturing, subtractive manufacturing, continuous tape layup and robot arm operations.

Right now, the typical 3D printer is a tool for making plastic objects. Assembling them in layers according to a pre-programmed plan, the printers can quickly make weirdly shaped parts, but they're often limited to working with just one material at a time. Additive manufacturing, as 3D printing is also known, offers so much more. A new printer, created by MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), can print up to 10 materials into a single object --and incorporate other, finished parts directly into the design-- all at a fraction of the cost of complex industrial 3D printers Their new printer, known as the MultiFab, is a system of systems. A central computer runs the printing program, but as it does so it receives feedback from 3D scanners and machine vision, which map the object as it's being made, allowing the computer to adjust the printing process and materials accordingly.