TOKYO -- A new research association with members from Japanese industry, academia and the government was set up Tuesday to help develop and market high-performance 3-D printers for applications in medicine and aerospace.
Western companies now dominate the hot new market for 3-D printers, so the goal of the association is to put Japan in the game with machines that use powders of titanium and other metals for additive manufacturing of complicated parts, like artificial joints and airplane components.