Stratasys and Objet Form Behemoth of a 3D Printing Corporation
Objet and Stratasys, two 3D printing companies, completed their merger last week and began trading as Stratasys Ltd. on the NASDAQ stock exchange on December 3. The new company’s market capitalization is around $3 billion. Stratasys offers 3D printing solutions and consumer services, while Objet manufactures 3D printers and the material they use. Product Design & Development – Stratasys

The Future of 3D Printing
As 3D printing becomes more and more advanced, the possibilities for the industry continue to grow. Forbes has compiled a list of 10 trends to watch for in the next several years as this industry continues to explode. Among Forbes’ predictions are the growing role of 3D printing in medicine, faster product innovation and the presence of 3D print shops around the United States. Forbes – Vivek Srinivasan and Jarrod Bassan

In the Comfort of Your Home
Imagine this. You’re fixing a broken pipe in your house and you realize your wrench is sized incorrectly for the job at hand. Looks like you’re going to have to make a trip to the hardware store and get a new one, right? Not necessarily, say the guys at Digital Trends. If 3D printing could make the leap from being used mainly for prototypes to the household for everyday use, you could print the wrench without ever leaving your house. Now that’s pretty cool. Digital Trends – Rob Enderle

New Kid on the Block
3D printing may be the industry that could threaten our current methods of production more than any other practice currently in existence. 3D Systems, which started being publicly traded in May 2011, has seen its stock jump 145.6% and acquired 31 companies since then. Investment site Seeking Alpha has the lowdown on how major players in 3D printing are performing. Seeking Alpha – Peter Pham

Fly Me to the Moon
China and the United States have always had an economic relationship, and the rise of 3D printing won’t change that. As the American market for 3D printing grows rapidly, helped by a $1 billion pledge by Barack Obama to incorporate the technology into the American economy, leading universities in China have joined forces to develop their country’s ability to successfully harness 3D printing’s power. China Daily – Zhao Gang