I spent last weekend at Maryland’s 3DPrintopia, a celebration of all things 3D printing. The event is an eclectic mix of the latest tech, mixed with homebrew 3D printers, merchants, and geeks showing off their latest projects. Over 3000 visitors and hundreds of exhibitors gathered, from big company CEOs to Cub Scouts racing their first 3D printed (not-a-pinewood) derby car.
Started in 2018 as the East Coast RepRap Festival, the event has outgrown the community college basketball court it called home for the last several years. In 2026, 3DPrintopia will move to the massive Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, with 63,000 square feet of space to spread out on.
Josef Průša Announces Space Age Filament and Gets a Selfie with a Bot
Prusa Research CEO Josef Průša was seen at the festival, greeting old friends and checking out new makes, printed by fans of his 3D printers. Ryan Reid had quite the showstopper with his COREBot, a battery-powered CORE One printer mounted on remote-controlled treads that could print while being driven around the festival floor.
Later in the festival, Průša announced a new “space age” filament, PC Space Grade Black, which was developed in cooperation with the Czech space company TRL Space. The material is ESD-safe and has low outgassing properties, and can be printed on a CORE One 3D printer. “We shared the spec sheet with our friends from NASA and their reaction for that it’s too good to be true,” he said. Here on Earth, the polycarbonate material is useful for 3D printing electronic cases and, in certain applications, can be used as an alternative to the costly and difficult-to-print PEEK.
Blast from the Past
Not everyone wants the latest 3D printer. Jeff from RainMotorsports started printing in 2021, but found the old, wooden-framed Ultimaker Cupcakes fascinating. He picked up one, then another, until finally he brought a van-load of retro 3D printers to 3DPrintopia. He gives them a bit of love and tuning – and new firmware – in order to get them running again. Keep an eye on his new website, ThisOld3dPrinter.com for more on fixing up old machines with modern firmware.
3D Printed Shoes for Everyone
David Tobin, Executive Producer for 3D Printing Nerd YouTube channel, has added a new title to his name: Shoe Designer. David showed off a pair of shoes that he designed and is selling on the Zellerfeld platform, a German company that manufactures 3D-printed shoes with custom TPU pellet-fed FDM printers.
“You’ve seen 3D printed shoes, they’re zany, they’re wild. I didn’t want any of that," Tobin said. "I wanted to use additive manufacturing for functionality. I wanted these to be shoes that you could wear and no one knows you’re wearing 3D printed shoes.” His shoes are designed with skateboarding in mind, have plenty of air flow, and are also machine washable. (Just keep them out of the dryer.)
Unlike other 3D printed shoes we’ve been seeing around convention halls in 2025, these are professionally 3D printed by Zellerfeld, which also makes the NIKE Air Max 1000. The website has dozens of designs, from sandals to sneakers, all custom printed to fit your foot. Zellerfeld also welcomes new designers to join the platform and gives detailed instructions on how to digitally cobble a perfect pair of TPU shoes.
Accessibility in Every Color
CookieCAD launched “CookieCAD Cares” at the event, an initiative to support accessibility and inclusion in the 3D printing community. Co-owner Melissa Kaye said CookieCad will kick off 2025 by donating 500 spools of colorful filament to partner organizations like MakeGood, the Controller Project and the Sanjay Mortimer Foundation. She said the company has plans to increase donations as more partners join the program.
Controller Project founder Caleb Kraft said accessibility tools too often look medical and boring. CookieCAD makes PLA, PETG, ABS, and TPU in fun, sparkly colors, which is even more important for MakeGood, which creates kids’ mobility devices. Philip Dunham, a designer from MakeGood, said it's amazing how modern 3D printers allow him to print customized adaptive devices for users that would never be commercially viable with injection molding.
At the CookieCad booth, Dunham showed off a fully 3D printed toddler mobility trainer printed in bright pink PETG with a neon yellow TPU seat and wheels.
To apply to become a CookieCAD Cares partner, organizations must be a registered nonprofit, community-based group, or accredited school. For more information, go to Cares.Cookiecad.com.
Painting with Filament goes Flat
The HueForge team announced a new feature of its amazing “painting with filament” app called “FlatForge”. The $15 plugin will allow uses to unlock the power of multicolor machines and create prints that are smooth to the touch. No longer limited to just stacking layers of filament, the new technique can put several colors on the same layer. It can be used by Bambu AMS-style systems, or tool changers like the Prusa XL and Snapmaker U1.
The new method allows users to print face down on holographic plates or print thin, doubled-sided items like bookmarks. They can also be more easily added to the top of ordinary 3D prints.
A Bigger, Battery Powered, Folding Printer
The Positron Team announced a new 3D printer project dubbed the Proton. The compact foldable printer will have a much larger 300 x 260 x 260 mm build volume. The printer is still under development and will be updated with full nozzle probing, an all-metal heat break, the flexibility to support several brands of boards, and be run from a USB-C power bank.
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