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Rock and Rolls of Filament
Polymaker’s booth at Rapid + TCT offered a signature sound this year,

courtesy of Voxel Percussion. The Akron, Ohio-based design studio prints custom snare drums with a distinct profile, using printed internal geometries and inserts to alter the acoustic characteristic of each set. Each drum takes several weeks to produce, with post processing and finishing stages that remove the layer lines and toughens the piece to withstand a beating. The drums look and sound incredible – expect to see more from this collab in the future.

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 17, 2026
Two-Tone
While HP’s new MJF launch stole the headlines this week,

smaller product updates are quietly adding more value for existing users. We got a look at the new "two-tone" MJF process, which allows for different shades on the surface of a monomaterial print. Arriving later this year – initially for the 5600 machine – this free upgrade enables serialization, QR codes, and custom branding via textures or images directly in the print job. Because the finish survives the dyeing process, it opens up a world of flexibility for manufacturers without additional process steps.

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 17, 2026
Source: All3DP
Featured image of Sourcing HP MJF Parts Just Got Faster with Craftcloud’s New On-Demand Printing Service
MJF On Demand
Sourcing HP MJF Parts Just Got Faster with Craftcloud’s New On-Demand Printing Service

The new HP 3D Printing Service, powered by Craftcloud's marketplace technology provides a single interface for instant quotes and orders from HP’s global production partners.

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 16, 2026
Racked Up
Rapid + TCT saw the U.S. debut of the Prusa Pro AFS automated farm system,

a modular 3D printer comprising many of the company's Pro iX headless 3D printer. Each Pro AFS is overseen by a robotic “harvester” that can remove completed prints and load clean plates for subsequent jobs.

It's a deployable system the company has demoed many times, memorably for me at a music festival in Prague, facilitating a living 3D printed art exhibit of scanned festival goers. The system is currently built in Prague, so you need to really want one to get one this side of the Atlantic. As Prusa's U.S. factory grows, this will surely change.

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 15, 2026
Source: All3DP
Featured image of A 40,000-Hour Life & 4 Lasers: A Look at UnionTech’s New Metal LPBF the Muees430 Pro
More Than Lasers
A 40,000-Hour Life & 4 Lasers: A Look at UnionTech’s New Metal LPBF the Muees430 Pro

UnionTech’s new quad-laser system promises a 20% efficiency leap for industrial batch production, but how does it stack up to the flood of four-laser systems on the market?

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 15, 2026
One Sugar or Two?
Snapmaker's presence at Rapid + TCT is refreshing this year, but not in the way you might expect.

It's a standard thing at trade fair booths to be offered a coffee while you chat, but to have the product itself serve it up is just delightful. Among the drones and defense-minded booths, Snapmaker's modified U1 toolchanger served a fresh cup of coffee, programmed on the spot to pour with your preferred ratio of cream.

This modified U1 is the work of Ellie Rose, founder and CTO of Cocoa Press. The machine was one of a few open works expanding the capabilities of the machine, including the impressive project Sidecar multi-MMU mod.

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 15, 2026
Source: All3DP
Featured image of Elegoo Jupiter 2 Finally Goes on Sale, Launching at Rapid+TCT
Intergalactic
Elegoo Jupiter 2 Finally Goes on Sale, Launching at Rapid+TCT

The Elegoo Jupiter 2, a large-format resin printer first shown publicly at Rapid+TCT 2025 in Detroit, is finally ready to launch, getting its final preview at Rapid+TCT 2026, Boston and available to buy now.

by Matthew Mensley Apr 14, 2026
Featured image of HP’s New MJF 1200 Is Smaller, Faster, Cheaper & Built for Every Workshop
MJF For All
HP’s New MJF 1200 Is Smaller, Faster, Cheaper & Built for Every Workshop

Alongside the compact MJF 1200 hardware, HP’s new 3D printing portal powered by Craftcloud offers instant, professional MJF parts to everyone—even those without a printer.

Apr 14, 2026
Featured image of Bambu Lab X2D Brings Dual Extrusion & Heated Chamber for Half the H2D’s Price
A New Flagship X
Bambu Lab X2D Brings Dual Extrusion & Heated Chamber for Half the H2D’s Price

Bambu Lab disrupts its own lineup with the new $649 X2D, packing pro-tier thermal control and nozzle switching into a compact frame that effectively makes high-end engineering far more accessible.

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 14, 2026
Featured image of Gefertec’s New Arc 10X: Large-Scale WAAM Printing Without the Massive Footprint
Big Metal Energy
Gefertec’s New Arc 10X: Large-Scale WAAM Printing Without the Massive Footprint

With no cloud connection required and a modular design, the new 5-axis system lowers the investment hurdle for industries prioritizing data sovereignty and accessible metal production.

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 14, 2026
Featured image of For SLS Part Finishing, Raise3D’s New B520 is Challenging Formlabs Fuse Blast
Sandblasted Parts
For SLS Part Finishing, Raise3D’s New B520 is Challenging Formlabs Fuse Blast

The B520 at $10K may represent a competitive alternative to the Formlabs Fuse Blast, focusing on automating the final finishing step for SLS parts.

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 14, 2026
Featured image of Stratasys Just Unlocked a Massive Material Upgrade for FDM, PolyJet & SLA
Industrial Grade Materials
Stratasys Just Unlocked a Massive Material Upgrade for FDM, PolyJet & SLA

From aerospace-grade ULTEM to high-heat resins, five new material additions and AI-driven software aim to eliminate warping and scale industrial production.

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 13, 2026
Weekend Poll
Well that didn't take long.

A fortnight after sunsetting the X1 series, Bambu Lab is back teasing the next X-series machine. The company indicates we'll learn more on April 14 – but there's enough out there to guess what's coming, not least because the company sent out a specific sign-up-for-updates note to its newsletter subscribers.

Last week's poll asked whether the P2S was enough in place of the X1 series. A little over 50% of you said no. Now we can see what's coming is dual extrusion with an H2D-style nozzle shifter, plus what looks like the Lidar unit, we can ask the follow-up – is that enough?

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 12, 2026
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
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