High precision and material flexibility are its thing, but at $649 for the standalone printer there's another recent hardware launch at $649 that drifts into view: Flashforge's Creator 5. That printer is a four-tool toolchanger, albeit an open frame one, but it offers many of the advantages the X2D claims, too.

In last week's poll we asked if dual-extrusion was enough in a new X-series machine – 44% of you said no. Is a full toolchanger in at the same price point more attractive?

Up close, it looks very feasible for quick(ish) filament experimentation. The air-cooled line looked to largely achieve the 0.05 mm tolerance, though we did see it dip below from time to time. Estimated to achieve up to 1 kg of filament spooled an hour as is, we're told larger spools sizes and weights are on the roadmap. The system is now available for backing on IndieGoGo.

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.

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.

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.