From Theory To Practice
Sometimes, Nobel Prize attribution goes to research that might be a little abstract for the greater public. This was the case for the 2011 Nobel Prize In Chemistry, which rewarded the discovery of “quasicrystals”.
This is because a lot of materials in nature, as well as man-made are organized in “normal” crystals. What defines them is a simple 3D structure at the atomic level that repeats millions of times, up to the macroscopic scale. These structures are what give the properties to various metals, as well as other materials like the silicon going into computer chips and solar panels.
There are only 230 possible ways for atoms to form repeating crystal patterns, something that was previously thought to be a rigid rule of nature.
Source: Nobel Prize
However, it appeared that other structures were possible, where a few basic shapes can be assembled to organize regular molecular structures, while also not having a repeating pattern. This discovery was made by a researcher mostly working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Source: NIST
Andrew Iams, a researcher at NIST might have found practical applications for such quasicrystals, as they are formed during 3D printing of aluminum. As aluminum is a very useful metal in aerospace applications, but also notably hard to 3D print, this could represent a major breakthrough.
(You can read an overview of the 3D printing industry in our article “3D Printing Consolidating Into The Future Of Manufacturing”).
These results1, performed by researchers at the NIST, HRL Laboratories LLC, and L.A. Giannuzzi & Associates LLC, were published in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds, under the title “Microstructural features and metastable phase formation in a high-strength aluminum alloy fabricated using additive manufacturing”.
Why Do Crystals Matter?
While a crystalline structure can give special properties to a material, it also comes with weaknesses.
As the structure is extremely regular, it can be easy for the atoms to slide past each other. When done on a large scale, this creates microfractures or even large cracks in the material, overall making it weaker than it could theoretically be.
This problem is magnified with 3D printing because the metal is melting in small amounts and then cooled down many times. And for both 3d printing and traditional forging, aluminum is especially vulnerable to so-called solidification cracks, or hot tearing.
This happens when the remaining liquid metal fails to compensate for the contraction of the cooling, already solid metal. Such cracks compromise the structural integrity of the aluminum parts, potentially leading to weaker materials that are more prone to failure.
The Need For Better Aluminum 3D Printing
Much More Extreme Temperatures
When casting in aluminum in the traditional way, the liquid metal temperatures range between 690 °C to 725 °C (1274 °F – 1337 °F), and solidification cooling rates typically between 0.4 °C/s to 10 °C/s.
In contrast, additive manufacturing (3D printing) for metallic materials uses laser-powder bed fusion, where metal powder is deposited and then melted by a laser (follow the link to see it in video).
This generates liquid metal temperatures beyond 3000 °C (5430 °F), past the metal boiling point instead of just melting it, and ultra-fast solidification cooling rates exceeding 1 million °C/s.
These higher temperatures and much higher cooling speeds magnify the problem of solidification cracks.
“High-strength aluminum alloys are almost impossible to print. They tend to develop cracks, which make them unusable.”
Fan Zhang – NIST physicist
The Promises Of 3D Printed Aluminum
Despite the technical difficulties, 3D printing aluminum is very promising, as it can create shapes and parts that other forging techniques could not create.
For example, parts of rocket engines or fuel nozzles for airplane engines are now often made with 3D printing, turning up to 20 parts needing assembly into just one and reducing its weight.
In 2017, a team of HRL Laboratories (who contributed to the research discussed here) discovered that adding zirconium to the aluminum powder prevented the 3D-printed parts from cracking, resulting in a strong alloy.
Source: Journal of Alloys and Compounds
However, why this works was still pretty much not understood until strange structures were observed in the atomic metal structure.
“In order to trust this new metal enough to use in critical components such as military aircraft parts, we need a deep understanding of how the atoms fit together.”
Fan Zhang – NIST physicist
Finding And Making Quasicrystals
The researchers had to use an electron microscope to analyze the material at the smallest possible image resolution. It reveals that the atoms were arranged in novel, strange patterns exhibiting fivefold, threefold, and twofold rotational symmetry that could not be caused by the crystals normally found in aluminum alloy.
“That’s when I started to get excited. Because I thought I might be looking at a quasicrystal.”
Andrew Iams, materials research engineer at NIST
Besides the areas with fine grains of aluminum-zircon alloy, the researchers observed icosahedral quasicrystals, in the shape of 20 sides dice.
Source: Math Stack Exchange
This breaks the regular crystal structure normally found, reducing the potential for cracks to form. So quasicrystals break up the regular pattern of the aluminum crystals, causing defects that make the metal stronger.
Source: Journal of Alloys and Compounds
Computer simulation then provided insights into the formation of the quasicrystals. It appeared that there is a secondary phase during the cooling process, which is favorable to quasicrystal formation.
From cores made of quasicrystal, ramifications of quasicrystal line break patterns in the metal, making it overall stronger and less likely to crack during cooling or under mechanical stress.
Source: NIST
Future Developments
This new type of 3D printed aluminum alloy displays a hardness comparable to peak-aged AA7075, an established aluminum alloy with high resistance to corrosion and extensively used in aircraft structural parts.
These initial tests suggest that precipitation-hardening heat treatment could make this alloy even harder, although it still needs to be proven experimentally.
It also creates a framework in which the production of even stronger aluminum could be possible. Now that material scientists can partially predict the formation of quasicrystals during additive manufacturing, they could focus on improving their occurrence to enhance mechanical performance.
Investing In 3D Printing
3D printing is only now reaching technological maturity, as well as market consolidation. This gives investors a little more visibility than in the past and confirms that this technology is far from a fad but is here to stay.
You can invest in 3D-printing-related companies through many brokers, and you can find on this website our recommendations for the best brokers in the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK, as well as many other countries.
Besides the companies discussed below, you can also find potential investing ideas in our article “Top 10 Nanotechnology Stocks”.
If you are not interested in picking specific 3D printing companies, you can also look into ETFs like ARK Invest 3D Printing ETF (PRNT) to capitalize on the growth of the additive manufacturing sector as a whole.
An Innovative Example
(Besides the companies discussed below, you can read about others in our article “Top 10 Additive Manufacturing And 3D Printing Stock to Watch”)
Nano Dimension
Nano Dimension Ltd. (NNDM -0.67%)
Most additive manufacturing companies focus on metal and plastic, with an eye for complex mechanical parts. Nano Dimension was instead focused on 3D-printed electronics. This includes very specialized technologies like conductive or dielectric inks & ceramics. These can for example be used for building optical or radio components.
This is one of the possible applications of 3D printing to the nanoscale, which we explored further in “Nanoscale 3D Printing Looks Primed for Commercialization”.
Nano Dimension has grown through a mix of acquisitions and internal R&D.
Source: Nano Dimensions
This strategy reached a new high with the acquisition of Desktop Metal announced in 2024 and finalized in 2025. Together, the 2 companies will have a much stronger position in metal and ceramics 3D printing at all scales, from electronics to large industrial equipment and aerospace.
This also creates economies of scale by merging the customer base that includes SpaceX, Tesla, GE, Honeywell, Emerson, Raytheon, NASA, Medtronics, etc.
Lastly, the two companies were mostly active in different geographic areas, with Nano Dimension in Europe and Desktop Metal in the US, allowing for synergy by merging their sales teams.
Source: Nano Dimension
The company claims it can reduce the ecological footprint of manufacturing, with a reduction of 94% in CO2 emissions, 100% in water, 98% in materials, and 82% in chemicals. Overall, we can expect Nano Dimension to emerge as one of the technology’s leaders.
Source: Nano Dimensions
The merged companies are very well positioned to leverage new discoveries in 3D printing and how to make a stronger aluminum alloy, with these innovations likely to expand the addressable market.
However, investors need to be aware that both per-acquisition Nano Dimension and per-acquisition Desktop Metal were cash flow negative, so the resulting company will need to cut costs or grow sufficiently to turn a profit in the future.
Latest on Nano Dimension
Studies Referenced:
1. Andrew D. Iamset al. (2025). Rapid manufacturing of high-permittivity dielectric elastomer actuator fibers. Journal of Alloys and Compounds. Volume 1025, 25 April 2025, 180281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.180281