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That's a Lot of Cheese
Sovol's IDEX-toolchanger M1D 3D printer hit a milestone fairly quickly yesterday.

In an update on its campaign page, the company celebrated netting $2-million in pledges over the 130-minute window immediately following its launch. Things have slowed since then – 24 hours later and the total currently sits just north of $2.8-million. Putting things into perspective, the Snapmaker U1 netted $7-million in the same timeframe.

by  Matthew Mensley Jul 29, 2026
Source: Sovol, via Kickstarter
Featured image of Coming Soon, a Double-IDEX 3D Printer That’s Not a Toolchanger
IQEX? IDIDEX? What Is This Thing?
Coming Soon, a Double-IDEX 3D Printer That’s Not a Toolchanger

Launching soon on Kickstarter, the LightMake L4 is a large, quad-printhead 3D printer packing linear motors, print farm-friendly features and, exotically, OpenClaw integration.

by Matthew Mensley Jul 29, 2026
Featured image of US Navy Bets on Meltio-Equipped Hybrid DED-CNC Systems with 12 Machine Order
Fleet Readiness, Built In
US Navy Bets on Meltio-Equipped Hybrid DED-CNC Systems with 12 Machine Order

The Phillips Hybrid machines integrate Meltio wire-laser metal deposition technology with Haas CNC platforms, enabling sailors to add and machine metal using a single system.

by Carolyn Schwaar Jul 29, 2026
Rally Hard, Sit Soft
Alpine’s rally car seat has a soft spot for 3D printing

Lacoste and Alpine are giving their one-off electric rally car the full French-performance treatment, right down to where the "Crocopilot" parks his derrière. Parts of the rally seats are 3D printed using lattice structures designed to balance light weight, comfort, and performance. In rallying, where every kilogram counts, it’s a nice example of additive manufacturing doing delivering less material, useful cushioning, and function baked into the geometry.

by  Carolyn Schwaar Jul 28, 2026
Source: Lacoste/Alpine
Featured image of Prusa’s New PA11 Nylon Filament Promises Its Strongest Layer Bonding Yet
Layers That Last
Prusa’s New PA11 Nylon Filament Promises Its Strongest Layer Bonding Yet

Prusa’s castor oil-derived PA11 filament combines unusually strong interlayer adhesion with low friction, impact resistance, and the durability needed for demanding moving parts.

by Carolyn Schwaar Jul 27, 2026
Featured image of Elegoo Launches its First Filament Dryer, a Single-Spool Box that Heats to 85°C
Moisture Mitigator
Elegoo Launches its First Filament Dryer, a Single-Spool Box that Heats to 85°C

Priced at $70 and capable of drying the vast majority of filaments for desktop printing, the H1 HT is a standalone complement to Elegoo (and other) 3D printers.

by Matthew Mensley Jul 27, 2026
Weekend Poll
I asked you all about your 3D printer maintenance routine a couple of weeks ago.

For a majority it was a case of waiting for the printer to prompt you (I can relate!) But how often is that happening? The rate of needing to do something is going to be wildly different between a 24/7 demon and someone who has to dust off their printer before they use. So tell me, All3DPeers, what's the quotient – how often are you actually using your printer?

by  Matthew Mensley Jul 26, 2026
Hard Luck
Big trouble in Bondtech town this last week.

INDX Founders Edition units shipped with "hardened" steel nozzles that turned out to be... well, only kinda hardened – approx. 30 HRC on the Rockwell hardness scale compared to the 60 that's typical for heavy-duty abrasives-resistant printing. Basically, not up to the task of "zero fear of wear" as initially advertised.

After a wave of quiet product page edits and Bondtech and Prusa community discontent, Bondtech fessed up, admitting to bungling the messaging. It has promised to do better on that front, and is currently putting together a plan for redress for affected early adopters.

by  Matthew Mensley Jul 24, 2026
StAI Away
Some interesting data from CGTrader this week.

The 3D model marketplace has put out a report (PDF) charting the growth of its userbase and platform over the last year, and it shows demand for 3D printable models outpaced that for general 3D (CG) models. A (small) portion of that boom was powered by AI generation – approximately 1 in 6 uploads – but the value of such models is muted, representing only approx. 1 in 90 dollars of revenue. Only 1 in 25 buyers of AI-created models to 3D print think they "work well" – 72% haven't touched an AI model at all.

by  Matthew Mensley Jul 23, 2026
Featured image of Polymaker Says Its New HT-PLA Pro Is the Best Filament It’s Ever Made
Desert Island Picks
Polymaker Says Its New HT-PLA Pro Is the Best Filament It’s Ever Made

The new material boasts impressive fatigue, strength and temperature resistance, says Polymaker, with all of the easy printability of PLA.

by Matthew Mensley Jul 23, 2026
Featured image of A Maker Spent Nine Months Building the Core One Mini Prusa Won’t Make
Upgrade, Downsize
A Maker Spent Nine Months Building the Core One Mini Prusa Won’t Make

Normally an upgrade in the universe of Prusa means upcycling parts from your printer into a newer, more capable (or bigger) printer. An industrious maker has flipped this concept on its head and repurposed a Core One kit into an on-brand-looking Core One Mini. Why? To prove they could.

by Matthew Mensley Jul 22, 2026
Featured image of Chinese Aerospace Supplier Plans 100-Machine Metal 3D Printer Expansion
China’s Upstream AM Push
Chinese Aerospace Supplier Plans 100-Machine Metal 3D Printer Expansion

Chinese Academy of Sciences spinout is reportedly investing more than $14M in aerospace additive manufacturing, with plans to acquire over 100 large-format metal 3D printers.

by Carolyn Schwaar Jul 22, 2026
Fortunate 500
RatRig is discontinuing the 300 and 400 size versions of the V-Core 3D printer.

The company tells us the 500 (500 mm³ build volume) version of its open source, configurable 3D printer has long been the most popular size, and that production costs and keeping full inventory for the less popular 300 and 400 versions no longer made sense.

Right now, those models are up to 10% off on the RatRig webstore. Owners of 300 and 400 will continue to benefit from all warranties, support, and software compatibility, the company tells us, with spare parts remaining available for the foreseeable future.

by  Matthew Mensley Jul 22, 2026
Source: RatRig (remixed)
Laser, camera, action
Creality wants to make laser engraving less scary.

Creality just opened pre-orders for the Falcon A1C, a compact, fully enclosed laser engraver aimed squarely at first-time makers, and anyone who prefers their lasers without the supervillain goggles. The approachable machine starts at $199 and features automatic positioning, autofocus, a 150 × 150 mm work area, and tool-free 5W, 10W, or 1.2W infrared laser modules. AI-camera versions add material recognition, contour extraction, background removal, and smart layout tools. Claim 15% off with code LAUNCH10 through July 31 (U.S. & EU only).

by  Carolyn Schwaar Jul 21, 2026
Source: Creality
Featured image of Skyroot’s Vikram-1 Makes Its Orbital Debut with a 50% Lighter 3D Printed Engine
Printed Propulsion
Skyroot’s Vikram-1 Makes Its Orbital Debut with a 50% Lighter 3D Printed Engine

Vikram-1’s successful maiden flight takes Skyroot’s additively manufactured propulsion technology beyond the test stand, although the Indian startup has yet to reveal exactly how the engine is printed.

by Carolyn Schwaar Jul 21, 2026
Featured image of Can Palm Leaf-Filled PLA Filament Compost in Your Backyard?
Leaf it Unproven
Can Palm Leaf-Filled PLA Filament Compost in Your Backyard?

Hembased says its plant-based FDM material is designed to break down in open-air compost, yet scientific analysis and certification details remain unclear.

by Carolyn Schwaar Jul 20, 2026
Weekend Poll
There are many reasons to 3D print.

What's yours?

by  Matthew Mensley Jul 19, 2026
Cut, Fold, Print
The Snapmaker U1's official enclosure is a $150 add-on.

And won't ship for a few months still. This DIY alternative by Printables user cmh probably costs all of a few dollars, with zero 3D printing necessary. The project is hosted on Printables but the key file is a JPG image, not a 3D model. Scroll on through the project's gallery and you find a JPG with the dimensions and pattern for cutting a foldable bucket lid from a flat sheet of cardboard or corrugated plastic. Super smart. Credit to Hackaday for flagging.

by  Matthew Mensley Jul 17, 2026
Source: cmh, via Printables (remixed)
Featured image of 3D Printed Seawall Startup Rides a $21M Wave of Investment
Kind Designs’ Rapid Rise
3D Printed Seawall Startup Rides a $21M Wave of Investment

Investors are betting millions on Kind Designs, a startup using large-format concrete printing to turn ordinarily flat coastal barriers into customized infrastructure with habitat features and architectural appeal.

by Carolyn Schwaar Jul 17, 2026
The Shape of Pru
Shapr3D users just got a neat, export-to-slicer option for their models.

The tablet-centric design app (but also available on desktop,) Shapr3D now lets you export your 3D models directly to PrusaSlicer and EasyPrint, for an immediate design-to-print workflow. This is great news not just for owners of Prusa's 3D printers – EasyPrint is Prusa's cloud-based slicer, and it can send prints to many non-Prusa 3D printers via LAN, too. It offers all the essential controls needed to set up and send jobs to your printer, cutting full slicing software out of the picture.

by  Matthew Mensley Jul 17, 2026
Source: Shapr3D (remixed)
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