Desktop Metal, a billion-dollar start-up, promised to revolutionize manufacturing. It went bankrupt, and now has much humbler ambitions as the 3-D printing industry takes a sober turn.

Sometimes when an innovative technology is introduced, its potential impact isn’t initially recognized. Take 3-D printing, which has been around since the 1980s. It was originally dismissed as a niche ...

Advances in additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing, now make it easier and less expensive for companies to manufacture products. With 3-D printing, the time and expense needed to design and produce ...