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Hardware Drop
Bambu Lab's homepage has transformed

alerting us to a printer launch under the banner "Xcellence made simple." There have been leaks and speculation, and with the sunsetting of the X1 series the other week an X-shaped void which looks like it will be promptly filled. Could this be the X2D?

Probably. We see two hot ends, like the H2D, as well as a shape that sticks out like the X1's lidar unit. What else can we expect? At a guess, the chamber cooling and heating system introduced in the H2D, a 256mm³ build volume, plus the full camera suite for print quality monitoring. We'll know for sure come April 14, 10 AM EDT.

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 10, 2026
Source: Bambu Lab
Featured image of BigRep’s New One.5X Makes Big Parts Faster & Easier, Plus Introduces Pellet Extrusion
It's a Big One!
BigRep’s New One.5X Makes Big Parts Faster & Easier, Plus Introduces Pellet Extrusion

BigRep evolves its one-cubic-meter platform with full XYZ automation and a shift toward high-speed pellet extrusion to slash industrial material costs.

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 9, 2026
Keys and CAD
Keychron just released what appears to be all of its design files on GitHub.

Best known for its smart-looking mechanical keyboards, the brand's in-depth GitHub repo includes all the CAD for some 80+ products, giving you access to reference files to adapt, remix, and design around. The kicker? Personal use only – this is source available, not open source. It gives a fascinating look behind the curtain at a series of minimal looking peripherals, and for owners, an easier starting point to design your own 3D printable accessories.

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 9, 2026
Source: Keychron, via GitHub
Featured image of CNC Kitchen’s Free Browser Tool Lets You Texture 3D Models – No Blender Needed
Meshy Print
CNC Kitchen’s Free Browser Tool Lets You Texture 3D Models – No Blender Needed

YouTubing engineer CNC Kitchen’s open-source vibe-coded mesh displacement mapping tool lets you easily manipulate the surfaces of your prints. How does it work and what can you achieve with it?

by Moira Daly Apr 9, 2026
Featured image of Flashforge’s Creator 5 Toolchanger Takes Aim at the Snapmaker U1 – Starting at $649
Tooled Up
Flashforge’s Creator 5 Toolchanger Takes Aim at the Snapmaker U1 – Starting at $649

Flashforge’s new 3D printer, the Creator 5, ditches IDEX to go all-in with four toolhead toolchanging. Reservations are now open for delivery in May.

by Matthew Mensley Apr 9, 2026
AM on the Rise
The AM market’s plot twist: A second-half comeback to reach $16B.

After a slow start that echoed the struggles of the past two years, the additive manufacturing (AM) market staged a surprising comeback in the second half of 2025, according to new data from Additive Manufacturing Research. This pushed the industry to $16 billion in total revenue. AM Research also expects services to become the largest segment over time, as more companies rely on external providers rather than building everything in-house. Check out the company's free recorded webinar for more.

by  Carolyn Schwaar Apr 8, 2026
Source: AM Research
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
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