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?
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.
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.
3DMakerPro’s recent lidar-powered pivot to surveyal applications isn't total. At Rapid + TCT, the company showed off two previously unannounced 3D scanners prioritizing affordability and flexibility.
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.
Two years and a whole alternate system later, Elegoo’s indeterminately delayed Canvas for the original Centauri Carbon printer is almost ready.
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.
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.
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.
At this year’s Rapid + TCT in Boston, SUNLU is displaying a broad range of products, including a large selection of engineering filaments, while also announcing a strategic collaboration with Inslogic.
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?
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.
We put the best online 3D printing services that print on demand to the test. Find the service provider that suits you best!
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.
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.
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.
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.
The B520 at $10K may represent a competitive alternative to the Formlabs Fuse Blast, focusing on automating the final finishing step for SLS parts.
From aerospace-grade ULTEM to high-heat resins, five new material additions and AI-driven software aim to eliminate warping and scale industrial production.