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Weekend Poll
Would you use AI to design practical objects if it actually worked?

Last week's poll confirmed that most of you are here for practical, problem-solving prints.

I've been testing some new AI generators recently, mostly selfie to model tools (article coming soon) and it's left me disappointed about the gap between what they are vs. what they could be.

If you could generate precise, functional parts via a text prompt, would you use it to speed up your workflow? Or is the manual design process part of why you love 3D printing?

by  Matthew Mensley Jan 18, 2026
Featured image of TPU 3D Prints: 30 Useful Designs Only Possible with Flexible Materials
Get Bendy
TPU 3D Prints: 30 Useful Designs Only Possible with Flexible Materials

Ready to make your own flexible TPU prints? Check out our list of cool things you can 3D print with TPU and other flexible filaments!

Jan 18, 2026
Featured image of Best 3D Scanners in 2026: Our Top Picks in 6 Categories
Scan-tastic
Best 3D Scanners in 2026: Our Top Picks in 6 Categories

Our updated guide to the best 3D scanners from entry-level to industrial includes picks in 6 categories – many backed by hands-on reviews.

Jan 17, 2026
Featured image of 154 Candidates per Job: Why Your 3D Printing Knowledge Isn’t the Magnet it Used to Be
Market Shift Alert
154 Candidates per Job: Why Your 3D Printing Knowledge Isn’t the Magnet it Used to Be

As the additive manufacturing job market matures, companies prize specific roles and production skills over general AM knowledge — creating an oversupply of talent and a shortage of openings.

by Carolyn Schwaar Jan 16, 2026
Featured image of Subaru Slashes Tooling Time Over 50% with New Higher Speed Stratasys Print Head
Auto Innovations
Subaru Slashes Tooling Time Over 50% with New Higher Speed Stratasys Print Head

A new Stratasys high-throughput T25 print head improves large-format FDM production, enabling Subaru to cut tooling development dramatically.

by Jonny Edge Jan 15, 2026
Featured image of Pre-Order Your Anycubic Kobra X Now: The Affordable Answer to Easy Multicolor 3D Printing
Sponsored Content
Pre-Order Your Anycubic Kobra X Now: The Affordable Answer to Easy Multicolor 3D Printing

Driven by Anycubic’s second-generation ACE (Anycubic Color Engine) architecture, the Kobra X aims to be an accessible FDM option for users looking to create using multiple colors or materials.

Jan 15, 2026
Featured image of The Genius Way to Print Metal on a Sub-$30K Sinterit Lisa X or Formlabs Fuse SLS
Make More Metal
The Genius Way to Print Metal on a Sub-$30K Sinterit Lisa X or Formlabs Fuse SLS

How Cold Metal Fusion turns more brands of SLS machines into real metal production tools — without the six-figure price tag.

by Carolyn Schwaar Jan 15, 2026
It's Shoe I'm Looking For
Bambu Lab x Formism by SCRY collab puts new printable shoes at your fingertips.

And there’s more to come. Right now, you can download and print the Formism Arc styles from MakerWorld. They are the free component of what will eventually be a nine-shoe collection.

Formism by SCRY’s ongoing crowdfunding campaign on MakerWorld offers an additional three "Persona" silhouettes, with files dropping to backers the day after the campaign ends on February 9. The final trio, the "Foam" series, will follow later in January.

The SCRY collection as showcased also gives us a sneak peek at a sleek new material – silver TPU 90A – which Bambu Lab expects to release in February.

by  Matthew Mensley Jan 14, 2026
Source: Bambu Lab
Fast & Filament-ous
Printed on a Bambu Lab, record breaking at 408 mph.

South African father-and-son engineering duo just 3D printed their way into the record books: their Peregreen V4 quadcopter, largely 3D printed on a Bambu Lab H2D, zoomed to a verified 657 km/h (408 mph) to reclaim the Guinness World Record for the fastest battery-powered remote-controlled quadcopter drone, edging past rivals and proving that high-speed UAV innovation isn’t just for aerospace labs anymore.

by  Carolyn Schwaar Jan 14, 2026
Featured image of Made-to-Order Organs: New $200M Program Aims to 3D Print Patient-Specific Livers
Printing Spare Parts
Made-to-Order Organs: New $200M Program Aims to 3D Print Patient-Specific Livers

By reprogramming a patient’s own cells into functional tissue, this multi-year research program aims to eliminate organ waitlists and the need for lifelong anti-rejection drugs forever.

by Carolyn Schwaar Jan 14, 2026
Featured image of Qidi Q2C: Linear Rails and 1.5GT Belts for Under $400
Budget Battler
Qidi Q2C: Linear Rails and 1.5GT Belts for Under $400

While most manufacturers were busy shouting about their holiday sales, Qidi Tech quietly slipped a new machine under the tree. The Qidi Q2C is officially out, stripping out some of the Q2’s features for a lower price tag.

by Matthew Mensley Jan 13, 2026
Featured image of Custom Tooling for Food Tech, This Nozzle Went from Design to 3D Print in a Day
Food Tech Focus
Custom Tooling for Food Tech, This Nozzle Went from Design to 3D Print in a Day

By eliminating complex assembly and traditional lead times, this food-safe, single-piece nozzle demonstrates how additive manufacturing is ready for food manufacturing.

by Carolyn Schwaar Jan 13, 2026
Featured image of The Reality of 3D Printing Aluminum: What You Need to Know Before You Start
Lightweight Your Metal
The Reality of 3D Printing Aluminum: What You Need to Know Before You Start

From aerospace-grade alloys to the hidden hurdles of metal FDM, discover why printing with aluminum is no longer just for industrial giants—and the critical steps you need to get it right.

by Carolyn Schwaar Jan 13, 2026
Boom! There it is.
Can you 3D print a 60 cm metal boom in free space? We're about to find out.

Last Sunday's SpaceX launch of its new Twilight rideshare program brought to orbit a range of products and experiments including one from Dcubed, a German company developing "in-space manufacturing" for solar arrays using "power-beaming and directed energy" technologies. The ARAQYS-D1 mission by Dcubed is to 3D print a 60 cm boom in free space as a proof of concept.

by  Carolyn Schwaar Jan 13, 2026
Source: Dcubed
Tour Ready
Laser powder bed fusion has never looked sexier

than in Cobra Golf's alluring video illustrating how the company's 3D printed irons are made. The newest clubs in the series came out just last week — the 3DP MB and 3DP X — and have already moved the narrative from “3D printing is neat” to “3D printing means performance." GolfDigest, GolfMonthly, and Amateur Golf are all swooning — with only a small wince at the $1,980 price tag for a 6-piece set.

by  Carolyn Schwaar Jan 12, 2026
Weekend Poll
I know what I'm printing this weekend, and it's about as mundane as it gets.

Coat hangers. Stacks and stacks of them.

It's an awkward shape for most print beds, but on a printer large enough, they work great when stacked high.

Most of my prints land on the dull/practical/convenience end of the spectrum, rather than anything artistic or aesthetic. But that's the beautiful thing about printing – it accommodates so much variety. So tell me: What are we all printing these days?

by  Matthew Mensley Jan 11, 2026
Flame Off
Prusa announced UL-certification for Core One series with PETG V0 filament this week.

This means that all of the Core One, Core One+, and Core One L join the MK3S+, MK4, and XL as validated to print compliant, self-extinguishing parts (provided they're printed according to basic criteria) using the company's Prusament PETG V0 material.

by  Matthew Mensley Jan 10, 2026
Featured image of Bambu Lab Buyer’s Guide: Which of These 9 Models Is Actually Right for You?
Lab Map
Bambu Lab Buyer’s Guide: Which of These 9 Models Is Actually Right for You?

Bambu Lab's series of 3D printers are among the most exciting creative tech on sale. Wondering which one is best for you? Our guide will lend a hand.

by Jonny Edge Jan 9, 2026
Featured image of Mastrex Debuts to Disrupt Metal 3D Printers with Sub-$40K Laser Powder Bed Fusion
Vulcan Rebrands & Merges
Mastrex Debuts to Disrupt Metal 3D Printers with Sub-$40K Laser Powder Bed Fusion

The newly formed Mastrex ecosystem launches with a versatile lineup of six machines, offering a scalable path from entry-level desktop metal printing to high-output industrial production.

by Carolyn Schwaar Jan 9, 2026
Featured image of New Year, New Deals: Save on 3D Printers this January
Saving Into 2026
New Year, New Deals: Save on 3D Printers this January

Turn your creative resolutions into reality. We’ve rounded up the best lingering sales on hardware and materials to help you start printing without paying full price.

by Tanuka Abayasekara Jan 8, 2026
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