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Multimaterial extrusion 3D printing printheads

Nature Reviews Materials (2025)Cite this article

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Abstract

Printheads are the cornerstone of material extrusion 3D printing systems, now capable of processing virtually any material — organic or inorganic. Multimaterial capabilities have further expanded their versatility, enabling coextrusion, mixing and material switching. Advanced multifunctional printhead features allow for nozzle size and shape adjustments, printhead rotation and in situ property modulation. These improvements enable unprecedented design complexity, higher throughput and the fabrication of intricate material compositions across multiple length scales. Applications span from architected metamaterials with tunable properties to functional tissue from living cells and soft robotics with integrated sensing. This Review provides a comprehensive overview of this rapidly evolving field, introducing eight archetypal printhead categories and their hybrids. It explores their role in materials design, ability to overcome processing limitations and impact on emerging applications. Additionally, it identifies open challenges and offers an outlook on the future of multimaterial 3D printing.

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Fig. 1: Multimaterial extrusion additive manufacturing.
Fig. 2: Material printability and modification.
Fig. 3: Shape-modulation printheads.
Fig. 4: Property-modulation printheads.
Fig. 5: Multimaterial printheads.
Fig. 6: Hybrid printheads.
Fig. 7: Emerging applications in material extrusion additive manufacturing.

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Acknowledgements

J.M. discloses support for this work from the Jean-Jacques and Felicia Lopez-Loreta Foundation for Academic Excellence through the 2020 Prize.

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Nathan C. Brown, Daniel C. Ames.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Systems Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Nathan C. Brown, Daniel C. Ames & Jochen Mueller

  2. Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Jochen Mueller

Authors
  1. Nathan C. Brown
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  2. Daniel C. Ames
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  3. Jochen Mueller
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The authors contributed equally to all aspects of the article.

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Correspondence to Jochen Mueller.

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Nature Reviews Materials thanks Fergal Coulter, Michael Dickey, Qi Ge and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Brown, N.C., Ames, D.C. & Mueller, J. Multimaterial extrusion 3D printing printheads. Nat Rev Mater (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-025-00809-y

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