Adjustable knobs for belt tensioning, mechanical and inductive bed leveling probes – heck, I even recall a period of getting excited about there being tool drawers integrated into some printers. I'm easily pleased.

The printers are all different now and with them, the roster of quality-of-life features the set them apart. What matters most to you - which feature do you check for first when investing in a new printer?

TPM3D used Formnext Asia Shenzhen to launch the CF250 and companion PPS250 powder-processing station, successors to the CF200 + PPS200 system we saw at Formnext Frankfurt in 2025. The CF250 is positioned as a compact alternative to systems like the Formlabs Fuse Fuse 1+ 30W. It now sports a larger chamber than before (250 × 250 × 320 mm) and raised productivity claims to 0.9–1.0 L/h. TPM3D has not announced pricing for the CF250 + PPS250.

The Kobra 3 Max V2 focuses on improvements at the hot end, upgrading the printer to use Anycubic's newer-style quick-release hardened steel nozzles as found in the Kobra 4 and Kobra X printers. Launching early next month, the change brings a higher max hot end temp of 350 °C  – 50 °C higher than the first-gen Kobra 3 Max. That's basically where the upgrade ends.

Available as the Kobra 3 Max V2 Combo, it'll ship with the company's newer ACE Pro 2 filament dryer and switcher. Baseline specs remain the same: 420 x 420 x 500 mm build volume, reaching 90 °C at the bed.

EasyMFG, a Chinese binder-jetting specialist that still sells most of its systems domestically but has recently expanded availability into Europe and North America, just launched the M400Ultra at Formnext Asia, according to Chinese 3D printing outlet Nanjixiong. The company's previous M400Pro made metal binder jetting more affordable (roughly $100K at the time) and suitable for small-batch production, while the new M400Ultra aims to make that same platform consistent enough for true serial manufacturing with a new vibrating powder-spreading system.

but the Core One+ (Gen 2) INDX swapping tools is just as nice to watch. For anyone paying attention since my last bulletin on this, about the regular Core One+ now being available with INDX, the Prusa team has just announced that the Core One L+ is now too, available with the INDX preassembled and calibrated out of the box. Shipping November 2026.

Chinese additive manufacturing equipment and materials company PollyPolymer just unveiled PollyAlign at Formnext Asia. This AI-assisted footwear customization system turns photos or short videos of feet into a 3D foot model upon which custom 3D printed PollyFab shoes are made for customers worldwide. Custom-fit shoe configurators have been tried before, but PollyPolymer may just have the full-workflow, machines, materials, and volume others have lacked. It already runs five fully automated factories for an annual production capacity of 3.5 million pairs of shoes.

iSun3D, the hardware sister company to filament maker eSun, just unveiled the Next series of three industrial-size FDM 3D printers at Formnext Asia, designed for both elastomers (TPU, TPE, PEBA) and engineering materials, with configurations reaching build volumes of up to 520 x 520 x 1,200 mm. The move suggests iSun3D is putting its experience in specialized production into a broader industrial FDM offering, pairing hardware with eSun’s extensive materials portfolio. There is currently no indication that Next will be marketed outside China, but the shift is one worth keeping on the radar.