With  AMA: Energy 2026  just around the corner, 3D Printing Industry is taking a closer look at the role of additive manufacturing in the energy sector. Lithium demand is accelerating as electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage become pillars of the global energy transiton. Yet much of today’s lithium supply still depends on brine extraction methods that rely on vast evaporation ponds, land-intensive systems that encroach on sensitive ecosystems, disrupt local water tables, and require months or even years to concentrate lithium salts. After this lengthy process, lithium-rich brine is often transported across continents to centralized processing facilities, compounding energy consumption, carbon emissions, and logistical complexity. Dependence on distant refining hubs also concentrates geopolitical and commercial risk. “So, why are we relying on 19th-century production methods for 21st-century technology?” said Johannes Homa, CEO, Lithoz.…