The last Atomic Layers like this...
After 330 editions, we’re changing the format - starting next week, instead of one newsletter, you’ll receive two, and one of them will be entirely dedicated to China!
This is the last Atomic Layers in its current form. Starting next week, everything changes...
In an industry that announces a revolution roughly every two weeks, changing the format of a newsletter is hardly headline news. But if you’ve stuck with this series through 330 editions, you deserve an honest explanation of why we’re making the change.
So here’s the honest answer: Atomic Layers stopped being fun for me in its current format. It needed a refresh.
Alongside 3DP War Journal and RECODE.AM, Atomic Layers has been the third pillar of The 3D Printing Journal. It launched in August 2024 and ran every single day for the next 300 days.
Then came a six-month hiatus, forced by my contractual commitments to Bambu Lab Europe, followed by its return earlier this year as a weekly publication.
The structure remained the same: a main story of the day (later, of the week), a historical note, and a roundup of other news and industry gossip.
Back in 2024, this was something new in the AM industry, and it worked.
It also had one flaw that only becomes apparent after dozens of editions: publishing every day slowly eats you alive, while the 3D printing industry simply doesn’t produce enough meaningful news to justify sending an email every single day.
Switching to a weekly schedule seemed like a sensible compromise, and for several months, it was.
But then... well... uhm…
Freshness gradually gave way to routine, and routine is where media projects begin to die. I went through exactly the same process between 2021 and 2023 with my Polish publication Centrum Druku 3D, which I eventually sold.
I hadn’t reached that point here yet.
But I could already see it on the horizon.
So I’m changing everything at once.
What’s changing
Anna Slusarczyk is taking over the stewardship of the series.
Many of you already know my wife from The 3D Printing World Guide and several other projects. She has spent well over a decade in additive manufacturing and helped me build the foundations of the Polish AM market back when the phrase “3D printer” in Poland was still a curiosity rather than a machine on a factory floor.
We’re splitting the newsletter into two publication days and several dedicated sections.
Every Thursday: China Watch
This is an addition the industry needs the most.
Think of it as Atomic Layers focused exclusively on the Chinese market.
Pay attention to the word exclusively, because we’re not talking about Chinese stories that already have global relevance. Those will eventually reach Western media anyway - usually with a two-week delay.
We’re talking about local news.
What’s happening inside China’s domestic AM market. The companies, technologies, and market segments nobody in Europe is talking about yet.
We have good sources. We’ve decided it’s time to start sharing them.
Every Friday: Western Report
An expanded version of today’s Atomic Layers, divided into dedicated sections.
Mainstream Report - the biggest news of the week, just as before.
AM Software Report - a sector where over the past two years, more has happened than in hardware, despite generating only a fraction of the noise.
CEE Report - Central Europe is a region consistently ignored in global industry coverage, despite the fact that an extraordinary amount is happening here.
AM HR Corner - this in my opinion, is the single most important part of this entire overhaul.
AM HR Corner will cover recruitment, layoffs, and executive moves across the Western side of the industry. Our industry loves talking about technology, yet stays remarkably quiet about who just lost their job - even though, over the past three years, workforce movements have been the most honest indicator of a company’s actual health.
Layoffs in the R&D department tell you more about a company’s future than its roadmap.
A departing CTO tells you more than a quarterly earnings report.
So we’re going to start writing about it.
But be a little patient, ok… 🥺
The first few editions will inevitably involve a bit of trial and error. We’re launching in the middle of the summer holiday season, which is such a poorly timed decision that it’s almost refreshingly honest.
But waiting until September would mean introducing the change when it was convenient - not when the decision was actually made.
So I ask for a little patience.
By autumn, everything should be running like a well-oiled machine.
And if it isn’t...
You’ll read about it in AM HR Corner 😅
This is the last Atomic Layers of its kind.
Starting next Thursday, we’ll see each other in its new form.
Atomic Layer from the Past:
7 years ago, BASF launched Ultrafuse 316L: steel powder in a polymer binder, spooled for ordinary FDM machines. IGO3D, MatterHackers and Ultimaker distributed first; Prusa, Raise3D, 3DGence and BCN3D followed. You print it normally - then you need catalytic debinding and a sintering furnace, neither of which fits on a desk.
The product outlived its maker’s name: BASF 3D Printing Solutions became Forward AM, which went independent in July 2024. But only to declare insolvency a year later, and got acquired by Stratasys.
Read all:
News & Gossip:
#1
This week’s top news is once more Nano Dimension and - damn, you won’t believe it - another CEO swap. Murchinson - damn, you won’t believe it - takes control again and installs its own people on the board.
My daughter Roksana wrote about it here; now the update: Nano Dimension has appointed Moshe Rozenbaum as Interim Chief Executive Officer.
I’d like to write something more, offer congratulations and stuff, but I’m afraid it’ll all be out of date again in a moment.
#2
Beehive has announced a $70 million Southwest Ohio expansion, unveiled at Farnborough with Governor DeWine, JobsOhio and REDI Cincinnati in attendance.
The project is expected to create more than 200 jobs. But what makes it even more interesting is the sequence of investments: 30 EOS M 400-4 ONYX systems last month (believed to be the largest single metal AM purchase from EOS ever), followed by two Nikon SLM NXG 600E machines, and then the acquisition of the assets of Able Tool and Planet Products to establish production-ready machining capabilities.
#3
And here are the winners of the great AI gold rush!
Meshy has raised nearly $400 million in Series B, valuing the generative 3D model company at $1.5 billion. Text, image or sketch goes in - FBX, OBJ, GLB and STL come out.
The claim is that up to 97% of generated models process successfully in slicing software.
Which slicers, which model classes, under what test conditions, unspecified
Also, Meshy reports twelve million registered users, 100 million models, and ARR up roughly twelvefold year-on-year.
Yeah. $400 mil… Nice one.
#4
HeyGears G1 Series launched on Kickstarter! Full-color 3D, UV texture reliefs up to 5 mm, and 2D direct-to-object printing at 1440 x 2400 DPI across 400+ substrates, in one box.
The G1X uses an Epson i3200 head, water-soluble supports, a 420 x 330 x 130 mm build volume, and starts at $3299 against a $4999 MSRP. The hardware looks serious. If it really works as advertised, SSYS may have another another worry to add to the list…
#5
Sinterit starts reselling DyeMansion's VX1 vapour smoothing system and the DM60 colouring unit alongside its BIANCO2 SLS platform. Good and safe choice. I only wish it could help…
#6
And finally, some tough drama from the wonderful world of trüe makers and open-source fundamentalists. I won’t get into the details here - just click the links below and enjoy the read...