# 154. The 3D Printer That Teaches Itself To Print

- Show: [The Next Byte Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast)
- Published: 2023-12-26
- Length: 14m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-12-26-154-the-3d-printer-that-teaches-itself-to-print
- Listen: https://the-next-byte-wevolver.simplecast.com/episodes/154-the-3d-printer-that-teaches-itself-to-print-1aKgMKV5

## Summary

Daniel and Forbode discuss a collaborative project between MIT, ETH Zurich, and the startup Inkbit that adds a vision-controlled feedback loop to 3D printing. The system uses an inkjet printer with 16,000 nozzles to monitor the print in real-time, allowing for course corrections and the use of materials that smear or don't harden quickly. This innovation enables multimaterial printing of complex geometries like robot hands and heart models at speeds up to 660 times faster than state-of-the-art inkjet printers.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-12-26-154-the-3d-printer-that-teaches-itself-to-print#t=0) Introduction and Sponsor Read
- [3:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-12-26-154-the-3d-printer-that-teaches-itself-to-print#t=200) The Problem with Traditional 3D Printing
- [4:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-12-26-154-the-3d-printer-that-teaches-itself-to-print#t=281) Inkbit's Vision-Controlled System
- [6:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-12-26-154-the-3d-printer-that-teaches-itself-to-print#t=375) Analogy: Decorating Without Eyes
- [10:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-12-26-154-the-3d-printer-that-teaches-itself-to-print#t=659) Multimaterial Printing and Speed Gains

## Topics

- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- MIT (company)
- ETH Zurich (company)
- Inkbit (company)
- Mouser Electronics (company)
- Formlabs (product)
- Stratasys (product)
- HP (company)
- Smile Direct Club (company)
- Makina (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Ep 217: The Unintentional Space and 3D Printing Episode](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2023-05-05-ep-217-the-unintentional-space-and-3d-printing-episode) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Ep 328: Benchies, Beanies, and Back to the Future](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2025-07-11-ep-328-benchies-beanies-and-back-to-the-future) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Ep 217: The Unintentional Space and 3D Printing Episode](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2023-05-05-ep-217-the-unintentional-space-and-3d-printing-episode-eaccf4fe) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [Latest Advancements in AI for AM Monitoring & Quality Assurance with Interspectral](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2025-03-18-latest-advancements-in-ai-for-am-monitoring-quality-assurance-with-interspectral) (Additive Snack)
- [Ep 368: A Pencil that Draws Against You, 3D Printing Stuff, and Tablet, Shmablet!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-05-01-ep-368-a-pencil-that-draws-against-you-3d-printing-stuff-and-tablet-shmablet) (Hackaday Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-12-26-154-the-3d-printer-that-teaches-itself-to-print. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Next Byte Podcast.