On Tuesday 6th September, General Electric caused a stir in the 3D printing industry by announcing plans to buy Arcam and SLM Solutions, for a total of $1.4 billion.

The new IDTechEx Research report 3D Printing Materials 2016-2016 has highlighted the growing market for professionals using desktop thermoplastic extrusion 3D printers.

Following the progress of MakerBot, it is easy to be despondent about the whole desktop 3D printing industry.

The unique new IDTechEx Research report, Microcontrollers and Single-board Computers 2016-2026, is the first to reveal the big picture developing from the close relationship between these devices. It provides newly researched forecasts leading to figures such as $300bn in 2026 for SBC alone.

To date, attendee registrations are up by 17% and exhibiting organizations are up by 27% on last year.

The conductive inks and paste business will generate a demand of 1800 tonnes. IDTechEx Research forecasts that this will grow to 2200 by 2026. This business has come alive again and is now a business where literally everything is changing.

Siemens has opened a production facility for metal 3D printed components in Finspång. The investment of around 200 million Swedish Krona (€21.4 million) is the first step in the company's plans for the mass manufacture and repair of metal parts with additive manufacturing.

German industrial machining and tooling equipment manufacturer, Trumpf, has added another type of metal 3D printing technology to its portfolio. This makes Trumpf the only manufacturer to offer all of the major laser 3D printing technologies.

Ten short years ago 3D printing was almost the exclusive remit of rapid prototyping. Nobody was putting 3D printing into mass production back then.

Two of the leading names in thermoplastic filament manufacturing have formed a powerful partnership, hoping to play an essential role in the industry. There are now over 300,000 thermoplastic extrusion printers in the world, with a total annual filament market of $250m in 2015.

In anticipation of 3D Printing USA 2015, IDTechEx Technology Analyst, Rachel Gordon, interviewed the founder of Divergent Microfactories, Kevin Czinger, about his company and their 3D printed supercar, The Blade, which will be exhibited next week at the Santa Clara Convention Centre.

Jetting binder on layers of plastic powder was originally developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1993. This binder-on-powder process was the first to be known as 3D Printing technology.

IDTechEx 3D printing research has focussed on materials requirements for several years now, and this allows us to bring together some of the most knowledgeable people to talk about the state of the industry, new developments and future innovations across the whole spectrum of 3D Printing Materials.

Thought leaders IDTechEx were among the first to identify three new megatrends in the world of technology: Structural Electronics (SE); 3D Printed Electronics (3DPE); Energy Independent Electric Vehicles (EIVs).

The 3D printing industry is still going from strength to strength. According to the IDTechEx report 3D Printing 2015-2025: Technologies, Markets, Players this industry is set to grow from $1bn in 2012 to $20bn in 2025.

A new wave of printers targeting printed circuit boards are enabling rapid, local prototyping while protecting company IP, finds IDTechEx Research.

Plastic 3D printing has its place in prototyping and education, but 3D printing in metal is being used to manufacture parts in a wide variety of industries. Metals are the fastest-growing segment of 3D printing, with printer sales growing at 48% and material sales growing at 32%, according to the brand new IDTechEx report 3D Printing of Metals 2015-2025.

In 2012 a tsunami of media hype began around consumer 3D printing that turned a lacklustre 30-year-old technology into a household name and created massive growth in the industry even among large established players.

The 3D printing industry continues to go from strength to strength. So much so that, depending upon your definition of "robot", half of the market value for industrial robotics will be robots working as 3D printers by 2026.

Consumer goods giant, Procter & Gamble, has today announced they are pursuing 3D bioprinting.