Your daily 3D printing news in plain, simple words. Today: Bambu Lab’s new color-mixing PLA set, Elegoo’s early Black Friday sale, 3D printed tungsten tiles for a fusion reactor, a giant metal printer for Navy parts, Snapmaker at Formnext, prints that sense their own motion, and more. Each story links to its original source.
1. Bambu Lab’s new PLA Palette: five colors that mix into 180+
Bambu Lab started selling PLA Palette CMYKW, a box of five filaments (cyan, magenta, yellow, white and a see-through black) made for mixing colors layer by layer. Bambu says the five spools can make more than 180 color blends, and Bambu Studio shows you the mixed color before you print. It works on all Bambu Lab printers.
Source: Bambu Lab
Shop related: Love printing in color? Start with a solid everyday spool: Matte PLA Filament 1.75 mm, 1 kg →
2. Elegoo’s Black Friday sale is already live, up to 54% off
Elegoo kicked off its Black Friday sale early, with discounts of up to 54% on 3D printers, filament and resin. Some bundles add a full kilo of filament or resin for just $1, like the Centauri Carbon 2 combo. The sale runs until December 1, but popular printers may sell out sooner.
Source: Tom’s Hardware
Shop related: Stocking up on filament this season? Keep it dry and fresh: Filament Vacuum Storage Kit: 10 Bags + Hand Pump + Desiccant →
3. 3D printed tungsten tiles pass a real fusion reactor test
NC State University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and JEOL 3D printed full-size tungsten tiles for the inside of a fusion reactor in San Diego. Tungsten handles extreme heat but cracks easily, so the team used an electron-beam printer that keeps the metal hot while it prints. The tiles came through 74 high-power plasma runs in one piece.
Source: VoxelMatters
Shop related: Printing tough, abrasive materials at home? Hardened nozzles last much longer: DLC-Coated Hardened Bimetal Nozzles 0.4 mm (5-Pack), V6 & MK8 Thread →
4. Northrop Grumman orders a giant metal 3D printer for Navy parts
Australian company AML3D got an order worth about $2.2 million from Northrop Grumman for its large ARCEMY X metal printer. It will be installed in Sunnyvale, California, to help make parts for U.S. Navy submarines. Northrop is the fifth Navy contractor to pick this kind of machine.
Source: 3DPrint.com
Shop related: Need a sturdy home for your own printer? Built for heavy machines: 60" Heavy-Duty 3D Printing Workstation with Power Strip →
5. Snapmaker brings its U1 toolchanger to Formnext
Snapmaker will show its U1 toolchanger 3D printer at Formnext in Frankfurt, along with the new add-ons, filaments and software it released this year. Radu, the maker behind the Full Spectrum color-mixing method, will be at the booth too. Visitors can also donate to the Sanjay Mortimer Foundation, a charity remembering the E3D co-founder.
Source: VoxelMatters
Shop related: Smooth filament paths matter on multi-color printers: Star-Bore Low-Friction PTFE Tube 4 mm OD, 5 m, for 1.75 mm Filament →
6. MIT’s X-Hinges: 3D prints that can feel how they move
Researchers at MIT and Tianjin University made X-Hinges, a design tool that builds motion sensors right into a 3D print. It uses two different filaments, one for the sensors and one for the wires, so the signals don’t get mixed up. Parts can bend in up to three directions and record each one at the same time, like a smart glove.
Source: VoxelMatters
Shop related: Want to print bendy, flexible parts? TPU 95A Flexible Filament 1.75 mm, 1 kg, Black →
7. A paper patch with 3D printed microneedles that checks your sweat
Scientists at Jeonbuk National University in Korea built a skin patch on traditional Korean mulberry paper called hanji. Tiny 3D printed needles deliver medicine slowly, while printed sensors read uric acid in sweat, which helps people with gout. The paper breathes and wicks sweat away, so it’s gentler on skin than plastic patches.
Source: 3D Printing Industry
Shop related: Setting up your own maker or lab corner? A solid, adjustable bench helps: Adjustable 3D Printer Workbench with Pegboard & Power Strip →
8. StandardFlow launches AI to speed up approval of 3D printed parts
New company StandardFlow released AI software that checks a 3D printed part’s paperwork against industry standards for aerospace, medical, defense and ship parts. It points out missing documents and conflicts early, with links back to the source files. Engineers still make the final call.
Source: VoxelMatters
Shop related: Consistent prints start with good parts. Upgrade to a hardened hotend: Hardened Steel Hotend 0.4 mm for Bambu Lab P1P, P1S, X1C & X1E →
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