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Featured image of Thingiverse Adds Open Source Hardware Licenses – Here’s Why Engineers Wanted It
Movers and Makers
Thingiverse Adds Open Source Hardware Licenses – Here’s Why Engineers Wanted It

A quiet expansion of licensing options on Thingiverse caught our eye recently, revealing one of the first moves to reposition the site as a space for engineers to post, collaborate on, and eventually even manufacture and monetize their projects.

by Matthew Mensley Apr 28, 2026
Featured image of Autodesk Inventor 2027: Free Download of the Full Version & New Features
And Alternatives
Autodesk Inventor 2027: Free Download of the Full Version & New Features

Looking for a full version of Autodesk Inventor to download for free? Check out our article to see what your options are.

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 27, 2026
Featured image of Prusa INDX Orders Are Open – But the Price Has Jumped $250 From Formnext Estimate
Now Available, but Not Available Now
Prusa INDX Orders Are Open – But the Price Has Jumped $250 From Formnext Estimate

The wait is over but, important to note, what's now available is more than previously shown, with faster calibration tech and massive material savings at nozzle priming. It also sold out near-immediately, so you may be in for a wait before you can get one.

by Matthew Mensley Apr 27, 2026
Weekend Poll
Thingiverse quietly expanded the license types it offers for uploads this last week.

The open-source hardware-minded CERN-OHL-v2 licenses are now an option there – we'll be covering that in a dedicated story soon (it's a pretty interesting development).

Looking into the regular licenses offered across repositories though, we see an awful lot of dense, difficult to parse and nearly identical options. How many of you are actually affected by them, though? So let's ask the question – are you uploading models for others to use, or simply browsing and downloading files to print?

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 26, 2026
Featured image of How to Build a 3D Printed DIY Drone That Actually Flies
Layered for Liftoff
How to Build a 3D Printed DIY Drone That Actually Flies

From quick weekend projects to high-performance FPV builds: This all-in-one guide helps you choose the right 3D printing files, mastering the best filaments, and successfully launching your first 3D printed drone.

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 25, 2026
Fully Connected
Prusa Connect power users' prayers have been answered

– a new Prusa subscription expands usage limits. Starting at $8.99 a month for the "Basic" tier, you get 20 GB of file storage plus HD camera streaming and longer slicing time using the EasyPrint cloud printing tool. A "Premium" tier adds even more of all three at $29.99. There are discounts for annual subscriptions.

Paid users will get access to the Prusa Connect Farm mode when it launches soon, too. Regular Prusa Connect can handle multiple printers already, but only in isolation. Farm mode treats them as nodes in a network for job assignment and other more productive usage.

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 24, 2026
Source: Prusa Research
Featured image of First Look at the Scrap 1: Desktop Metal Printing for Under $10K
Heavy Metal Lite
First Look at the Scrap 1: Desktop Metal Printing for Under $10K

This compact laser-powered system promises industrial-grade results for small shops, delivering metal parts from a scrappy little company with big ambitions.

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 24, 2026
Featured image of No Industrial Composting Needed: Is This $27 “Regenerative” PLA+ a Sustainability Game-Changer?
Print. Toss. Vanish.
No Industrial Composting Needed: Is This $27 “Regenerative” PLA+ a Sustainability Game-Changer?

Even plant-based PLA often marketed as "green" requires industrial composting facilities to truly decompose. This new material breaks down in ordinary landfills in under five years.

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 23, 2026
Melodic Making
Can 3D printed instruments sound good enough for music?

That's the fundamental question the immensely talented Super Valid Designs asks in a recent video on YouTube. The answer – an emphatic near four-minute long song – uses over a dozen fully 3D printed musical instruments with zero digital effects or post-processing. This video gives a peek behind the curtain at the process, but the main show starts at 21m 40s. Alternatively, you can listen to it on popular music streaming platforms, too.

Some of the instrument files are available on their Printables profile, should you feel inspired.

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 23, 2026
Release Notes
Is PrusaSlicer 3.0 coming soon?

Possibly. Buried in the release notes for the latest PrusaSlicer 2.9.5 beta is a frank note explaining recent delays – it suggests the long-awaited major update is just a matter of weeks away (though curiously, "maybe more than four").

Seven years after the launch of PrusaSlicer 2.0, version 3.0 is expected to bring a massive overhaul to the tool, freshening up the UI, expanding your workflow with tabbed projects and updating the engine under the hood.

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 23, 2026
Featured image of AutoCAD 2027: Free Download of the Full Version & What’s New
Use Pro CAD Software on a Budget
AutoCAD 2027: Free Download of the Full Version & What’s New

Looking for a full version of AutoCAD 2027 to download for free? Check out our guide to see what your options are.

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 22, 2026
Featured image of Two Printheads, One Part: The FDM Tech Promising 10X Faster Speeds
Dual-Simultaneous IDEX
Two Printheads, One Part: The FDM Tech Promising 10X Faster Speeds

A new Kickstarter project aims to shatter 3D printing speed limits by coordinating two printheads on a single object. We dive into the clever software making it possible—and why that massive speed claim comes with a catch.

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 22, 2026
Featured image of Finally More Affordable MJF & SLS Post-Processing Solutions for Low-Volume Workshops
DyeMansion Nov. Surprise
Finally More Affordable MJF & SLS Post-Processing Solutions for Low-Volume Workshops

DyeMansion’s upcoming compact Powershot aims to eliminate the manual labor bottleneck with automated PolyShot surfacing for smaller workshops adopting systems like the HP MJF 1200.

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 22, 2026
Featured image of Never Mind the X2D, New Bambu Studio Update Adds Filament Color Mixing Feature
Color Picker
Never Mind the X2D, New Bambu Studio Update Adds Filament Color Mixing Feature

All eyes were on Bambu Lab’s surprise hardware launch of the X2D last week, but a software update alongside introduced a familiar color-mixing feature that deserves some hype, too.

by Matthew Mensley Apr 21, 2026
Featured image of Atomform’s Palette 300 Promises 12-Nozzle Color Printing Without the Purge Waste – Closer Look
Dozen Düsen
Atomform’s Palette 300 Promises 12-Nozzle Color Printing Without the Purge Waste – Closer Look

Atomform's twelve-nozzle-changing 3D printer may be coming sooner than you think. We got up close to it at Rapid + TCT to find out how it works and what to expect.

by Matthew Mensley Apr 21, 2026
Featured image of UnionTech’s North American Strategic Milestone: MUEES430 PRO Metal 3D Printer Global Debut Shines at RAPID + TCT 2026
Sponsored Content
UnionTech’s North American Strategic Milestone: MUEES430 PRO Metal 3D Printer Global Debut Shines at RAPID + TCT 2026

At RAPID + TCT 2026, UnionTech officially entered the North American metal market with the global debut of the MUEES430 PRO, a quad-laser SLM 3D printer designed for high-efficiency batch production.

Apr 20, 2026
Featured image of Craftcloud & HP Launch New On-Demand 3D Printing Service to Accelerate MJF Part Sourcing
Press Release
Craftcloud & HP Launch New On-Demand 3D Printing Service to Accelerate MJF Part Sourcing

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 All3DP Apr 20, 2026
Weekend Poll
So the Bambu Lab X2D was indeed the new hardware headline-grabber this week.

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

by  Matthew Mensley Apr 19, 2026
Featured image of We Found 7 Game-Changing 3D Printers at Rapid + TCT 2026 & the Tech Trends That Actually Matter
Best in Show
We Found 7 Game-Changing 3D Printers at Rapid + TCT 2026 & the Tech Trends That Actually Matter

From Anycubic’s surprise reveals to HP’s new entry-level industrial power, we hit the Boston show floor to identify the machines—and the shift from speed to material mastery—shaping the next year of 3D printing.

Apr 18, 2026
Featured image of Beyond Bambu Lab and Creality: Inside the 53% Surge in Budget 3D Printer Sales
2025 Rebound
Beyond Bambu Lab and Creality: Inside the 53% Surge in Budget 3D Printer Sales

Market intelligence firm Context reports that the global 3D printing sector is finally shaking off its two-year slump, fueled almost entirely by an explosion in entry-level systems.

by Carolyn Schwaar Apr 18, 2026
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