Aug 10, 2025 
Thomas Forbes is a research scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, which advances critical measurement solutions and promotes equitable standards to stimulate innovation and industrial competitiveness. Tom is a member of the Materials Measurement Science Division, where he develops scientific and engineering solutions for areas such as human health and safety, additive manufacturing, and public safety, security, and forensics. Recent advancements in 3D printing, additive manufacturing, and continuous manufacturing have introduced a range of unique and agile instrumentation for pharmaceutical production, aimed at improving quality, addressing shortages, and reducing time-to-market. Tom leads a program at NIST investigating the measurement science and potential standards needs for a pharmaceutical production paradigm that shifts toward agile, distributed, and point-of-care manufacturing. Many of the advanced technologies entering this space are centered on additive manufacturing and 3D printing. Dr. Forbes will be speaking at our upcoming event, which focuses on 3D printed pharmaceuticals.
When was the first time you encountered 3D printing?
Thomas: My first encounters with 3D printing and additive manufacturing were in graduate school and my early career. These early experiences started with traditional microfabrication techniques to develop small-scale arrays of specific geometries for a piezoelectric droplet generator. 3D printing from digital geometries, using FDM and photopolymer printing, has provided me with the ability to produce unique assemblies and parts in support of nearly all of my past and present work.
What inspired you to start your journey?
Thomas: 3D printing has always played a role for rapid part design and production during my career, enabling components to be created to fit specific needs. It wasn’t until more recently that I’ve seen a transition to more production-level manufacturing with additive and 3D printing technologies. In the realm of pharmaceutical production (and even bio-printing), 3D printing provides unique capabilities that may enable personalized medicine, including specific dosing, production that excludes allergens, customizable polypills, and more. I’m inspired by the advancements we’re seeing in these technologies as well as in automated and autonomous systems, and excited to see where this field goes.
Who inspired you the most along this journey?
Thomas: I don’t know that I could point to individuals who have inspired the journey. The overall advancements in the science and engineering of 3D printing/additive manufacturing have been inspirational. We’ve gone beyond simple(r) polymer 3D printing into glass, ceramics, metals, biological materials, and composites.
What motivates you the most about your work?
Thomas: I’m motivated by the many and wide-ranging areas I get to work in to support high-impact societal and industrial needs. More specifically, I enjoy the highly interdisciplinary nature of the work. With advanced additive manufacturing, 3D printing, and bio-printing, we often find ourselves at the intersection of flow physics, materials science, rheology, chemical characterization/stability, and much more, all with a focus on patient needs and safety. There are always interesting things to learn and experts to learn from.
What do you think are the biggest challenges in 3D Printing/bio-printing? What do you think the potential solution(s) are?
Thomas: Just my opinion, but when we’re talking about a paradigm for pharmaceutical manufacturing or compounding that revolves around distributed and point-of-care facilities, ensuring reproducibility across all sites will be a challenge. A challenge not only for the technologies, instrumentation, vendors, but also in maintaining customer/user confidence in that reproducibility. Essentially, can we ensure that medicines produced on printers worldwide using the same ‘recipes’ will be the same, every time, all the time? And being from NIST, I hope that national metrology institutes can provide the necessary reference materials, reference data, and measurement science foundation for quality assurance and quality control.
What advice would you give to a bright, driven college student in the “real world”? What bad advice have you heard that they should ignore?
Thomas: There is probably a lot of advice given out, but one area that has served me well is being agile, adaptive, and generally open to the opportunities (and hurdles) that arise. The world is constantly changing, and technology is advancing in tandem. Often, these advancements progress in unexpected directions or as a result of unforeseen events. Regardless of your career choices and goals, you will undoubtedly face new challenges and opportunities. This is much more the rule than the exception. Don’t be afraid to learn new things and branch out from your core expertise. The ability to adapt to changing priorities for a future organization or future world is invaluable.
What’s your favorite book you read this year, and why? Alternatively, what’s your favorite book of all time you’ve read and why?
Thomas: I don’t know that it would be my ‘favorite’ from an entertainment standpoint, but, every few years I like to reread Mitch Albom’s “Tuesdays with Morrie”. It’s a memoir-style book with life lessons and views on various topics. I always take away different or new tidbits I can relate to or see in my own life as it progresses.
Related Links:
https://3dheals.com/3d-printed-drugs-guide/
https://3dheals.com/interview-with-dr-wei-jiang-goh-crafthealth/
https://3dheals.com/the-ultimate-resource-center-to-healthcare-3d-printing/
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