Formlabs' reformulated Flexible 80A Resin: 4x higher rebound (56%), 2x tear strength (28 kN/m), and 2x elongation at break (230%) vs. V1.1 -- now on par with Smooth-On Task 16 cast urethane. Parts survive 12,800 Ross Flex cycles. Single-part, tack-free matte black finish. Form 4 and Form 4L.

The fLEX device is a robotic kicking simulator from a UT/Michigan State team working with FIFA: a 3D printed foot inside a real football boot, loaded with high-precision sensors. It covers 77 zones per pitch in ~40 minutes, replicating a 165-lb player's impact. Every one of the 16 World Cup 2026 venues was tested with it ahead of Thursday's opening.

Formlabs Fuse X1: 330 × 330 × 565 mm SLS at $84,999. 7.5x the build volume of Fuse 1+, 3x throughput and 50% lower cost per part vs. legacy industrial SLS. AI Print Intelligence monitors every layer; 13-zone Adaptive Thermal Control enables 30%+ packing density. Ships Q4 2026.

University of Sharjah tested 30 mortar beams reinforced with FDM-printed PLA profiles. A triangular wavy plate reached ~80% of steel rebar's bending strength and matched its ductility. Surface geometry, not material, was the key factor. Published in Construction and Building Materials.

A 1989 Honda EF Civic sedan with lots of parts missing or cracked. The intact pieces were scanned with a Revopoint Pop 3 Plus, rebuilt in Fusion 360, then printed in ABS on a Centauri Carbon. Fuzzy skin + paint gets you to OEM texture. Top comment: "That looks OEM. Nice job!"

Consumer 3D printing is entering the tool changer era. Upcoming: two new toolchangers from LDO Motors and E3D, a BIQU 7-tool IDEX concept, Snapmaker U1 upgrades, Elegoo Centauri Carbon Canvas news, and more in The Next Layer's weekly roundup.

Six years in development, Parivas' Exo.1 is a monolithic 3D printed stainless steel watch built by two aerospace engineers. Metal binder jetting fuses bezel, body, lugs, and dial into one piece. Latticed lugs, tritium hour markers, skeleton movement. 30 units, ships Q1 2027.

Break-action BB blaster by Vostok Labs: BBs snap into reusable 3D-printed casings, load via break-action, snap shut, fire. Needs just rubber bands and BT3x8 screws. Crowdfunding didn't hit goal -- so it's free. Top MakerWorld download this week with nearly 2k likes.

Life-size Sonny from I, Robot -- fully articulated, ~300 hours split between a P1S and A1 Mini, 14kg of Sunlu PETG. The joints support his weight. He's already been deployed in the passenger seat.

Replaces the standard scroll wheel with a rotary dial to cut repetitive-motion finger strain. Shell is a PLA and resin combo, iterated through multiple versions until dial angle, size, and hand position felt natural. Fully functional for scrolling and timeline scrubbing. Tested and ergonomist-approved -- some early users called it "therapeutic."