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Out From the Shadows
Well well well, what do we have here?

Posted earlier this week to the company's social media accounts, Sovol has teased what appears to be a new multi-filament, multicolor 3D printer that's "unmistakably Sovol". What does that mean, exactly?

Well, we have a couple of ideas. The company's recent printing hardware has been based on the Voron project – open-source, and supportive of it financially, with some proceeds from sales going directly to the project.

Running with that idea, could it be a toolchanger upgrade for the SV08 or SV08 Max based on a community design? Seems plausible.

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 8, 2026
Source: Sovol, via Reddit
Bigger Box
Polymaker's nifty modular filament storage and dryer box just got bigger.

The PolyDryer Box now comes in an XL variant, designed to hold 3 kg spools. The system incorporates user feedback from the original PolyDryer, with changes including a new carry handle and latch, as well as color-changing desiccant as standard.

It loses the combined, clean silhouette of the original – the Dryer module matches the original 1 kg spool box footprint, not the XL's larger outline – but like that system, also benefits from community designs and mods.

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 7, 2026
Featured image of Artec’s New “Jet” 3D Scanner Digitizes Entire Sites via Drone-Mounted or Handheld LiDAR
Expanding Mobile Mapping
Artec’s New “Jet” 3D Scanner Digitizes Entire Sites via Drone-Mounted or Handheld LiDAR

Forget stationary tripods and GPS limits: Artec 3D’s first SLAM-based mobile mapping system delivers rapid digital twins of almost any environment.

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 6, 2026
Weekend Poll
Bambu Lab sunset the X1 series this week,

leaving a big, metal-clad "flagship" shaped hole in its offering. For some, the P2S mostly fits the bill, whereas others are likely more than satisfied by the larger and more capable H2 series. Does Bambu Lab need a new printer to replace the X1-series?

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 5, 2026
Featured image of 9x Faster Micro 3D Printing: Inside BMF’s New MicroArch S150 Ultra
Small, Yet Zoomy
9x Faster Micro 3D Printing: Inside BMF’s New MicroArch S150 Ultra

BMF announced the MicroArch S150 Series, pairing a new S150 Ultra with the existing S150 to create a two-tier accessible entry point into 25-micron-resolution resin printing.

by Matthew Mensley Apr 2, 2026
Four Play
Anycubic teases a quad-nozzle printer, claiming zero purge waste and two-second color changes.

A video released on April 1 with the title "Happy April Fools' Day!" (make of that what you will) shows off something the company calls ACE Gen 3. This third generation of its "color engine" filament switching tech, mounted on what appears to be its Kobra S1 platform, shows four nozzles in a two-by-two arrangement. Amid the renders, one clip appears to be a genuine time lapse of such a printer in action. A parting "stay tuned" leads us to believe it might be real.

People expect silly things on April 1, but if you're trying to fool them, maybe don't announce it in the title.

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 2, 2026
Water You Doing?!
It wouldn't be April Fools' Day without a fake Prusa product launch

that's simultaneously plausible and absurd. This year it's the Prusa Pro Active Conditioning Unit (ACU), a filament rehydration accessory for the just-launched USS Drybox. Designed to reintroduce moisture to your filament for optimum printability, just saturate some silica or fill it up with water and choose a "precision operating mode". It'll even go so far as to cook your material to a nice al dente texture. You can actually print it, too: files are available on Printables.

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 1, 2026
Featured image of Prusa Launches a Filament Drybox With ‘Museum-Grade’ Sealing for Under $35
Boxed Up
Prusa Launches a Filament Drybox With ‘Museum-Grade’ Sealing for Under $35

Available now, Prusa’s Universal Storage System (USS) drybox looks like a “Swiss Army” box for filament storage, allowing external switching of desiccant, direct printing, as well as a hygrometer and thermometer for condition monitoring.

by Matthew Mensley Apr 1, 2026
Featured image of Bambu Lab Stops Making X1-Series Printers, Details End-of-Life Service Phase
X1C-Ya
Bambu Lab Stops Making X1-Series Printers, Details End-of-Life Service Phase

Bambu Lab's X1 3D printer line-up has entered its end-of-life service plan, effective today. Owners of any of the X1, X1C, and X1E can expect firmware and feature updates through to May 2027 and security patches through May 2029.

by Matthew Mensley Mar 31, 2026
Featured image of Snapmaker Open-Sources Its U1 Klipper Code With a Day to Spare
Sourcey
Snapmaker Open-Sources Its U1 Klipper Code With a Day to Spare

Snapmaker has released the modified source code for the three open-source projects that underpin the Snapmaker U1's firmware: Klipper, Moonraker, and Fluidd. The repositories went live on GitHub on March 30 – the final day before a deadline the company set for itself.

by Matthew Mensley Mar 31, 2026
Featured image of Why Additive Manufacturing Needs a New Breed of Engineer
Are you ready?
Why Additive Manufacturing Needs a New Breed of Engineer

While machines have reached industrial maturity, a critical "competency gap" is stalling production lines—and traditional engineering degrees aren’t providing the fix.

Mar 30, 2026
Weekend Poll
OrcaSlicer fixed a long overlooked vulnerability this week,

recommending all of its users update to ensure they're not at risk. That's a pretty big deal, considering the software – a fork of Bambu Lab's Bambu Studio – is the go-to slicer for most folks looking beyond the slicer that ships with their printer. But how many of you actually do look beyond the manufacturer's recommended slicer?

by  Matthew Mensley Mar 29, 2026
Supply Chain Solutions
AML3D lands AU$2.6M deal to supply U.S. Navy submarines.

Commencing late 2026 and running through 2027, the contract sees the company's metal WAM-based tech printing five high-demand, non-safety critical components for live service trials. Printed in a Navy-qualified Nickel-Aluminum-Bronze (NAB) alloy, originals of the parts in question are no longer available or supported by the original manufacturer.

by  Matthew Mensley Mar 27, 2026
Source: AML3D
Sláinte!
It's almost the weekend

– close enough to dream of a crisp, cold pint in the hand, no? We missed St. Patrick's day by a minute, but Guinness' "Stoutie Experience" personalized pints have crossed our feeds recently. The company has been printing picture on pints for some 10 years using Ripples Maker food-safe printing tech, but it reminds us that we're still waiting on an interpretation that lands closer to home: the Biqu Panda Treat.

Shown at Formnext last year, the Panda Treat is an attachment for Bambu Lab 3D printers that lets you customize cold ones, and other foodstuffs, at home.

by  Matthew Mensley Mar 27, 2026
Source: Ripples
Featured image of OrcaSlicer Patches a Flaw That Let Malicious 3MF Files Overwrite Your Data
Just Keep Printin'
OrcaSlicer Patches a Flaw That Let Malicious 3MF Files Overwrite Your Data

OrcaSlicer version 2.3.2 landed this week, with a hefty list of improvements and fixes including, critically, a fix to a safety vulnerability related to 3MF files, plus a wide set of quality-of-life improvements for Linux users of the software.

Mar 26, 2026
Featured image of Alveo3D Expands into Shop Fume Extraction with FE150 & FE350
Breathe Easy
Alveo3D Expands into Shop Fume Extraction with FE150 & FE350

Alveo3D, the French 3D printing air filtration specialist, has released two new workshop-class fume extractors. FE150 and FE350 join the company's smaller, enclosure-specific solutions and mark an expansion into general purpose extraction suitable for heavier duty tasks and environments.

by Matthew Mensley Mar 26, 2026
Impossible Works? It Sure Does
At what point does function influence form

– the act of 3D printing affect the aesthetics? That’s exactly what Impossible Works: The Book of 3D Printed Art, by respected industry journalist Michael Molitch-Hou, sets out to document.

Over some 350+ pages, Molitch-Hou shows 3D printing’s influence on sculpture, architecture, fashion, and industry, “documenting the geometry, materials, and ideas that define this movement.” Available to back now on Kickstarter, with early signed-editions as well as an extremely limited run of 75 with 3D printed covers. A digital edition arrives this year, with physical copies following in 2027.

by  Matthew Mensley Mar 25, 2026
Source: Michael Molitch-Hou
Featured image of Anycubic’s Spring Sale Drops the Multicolor-Printing Kobra X to $279
Springing Sales
Anycubic’s Spring Sale Drops the Multicolor-Printing Kobra X to $279

Anycubic's expansive Spring Event and "Fantastic Weeks" sales include a varied mix of discounts on 3D printers, materials, and bundles, including a drop that sees the new purge-saving multicolor printer, the Kobra X, down to $279.

by Moira Daly Mar 25, 2026
Featured image of Prusa’s MMU3 Gets a Farewell Firmware Boost, Shifts to DIY Path for Core One L
One for the Road
Prusa’s MMU3 Gets a Farewell Firmware Boost, Shifts to DIY Path for Core One L

Prusa has delivered a firmware update for the MMU3 that cuts filament change times by up to nine seconds per swap – enough to shave hours off complex multicolor prints.

by Matthew Mensley Mar 24, 2026
3D print your own Ryan Gosling!

Or rather, Rocky's version of him. If you've read or watched Project Hail Mary (both book and movie are great, thank you for coming to my TED Talk), you'll know I'm talking about the alien with whom Gosling's Ryland Grace attempts to save a couple of planets.

But back to 3D printing.

The movie's promo material includes a 3D printable version of the model that Rocky creates to communicate with Grace. You can download two versions of the file, as well as a guide in case you're looking for tips.

Our version, with Prusament's Galaxy Black, manages the xenonite effect quite well.

by  Moira Daly Mar 24, 2026
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