This week: a 4-independent-head multicolor FDM printer for $849, Warhammer 40K announces a new edition, and an OrcaSlicer fork that blends colors like magic. Let's dive in. 🔥
🔥 Featured
🖨️ Snapmaker U1: 4 Independent Multicolor Heads for $849
Snapmaker has opened pre-orders for the U1, an FDM printer featuring 4 independent print heads that swap in just 5 seconds. Print up to 4 colors or materials simultaneously — no purge tower required. Shipping starts April 10.
Pre-order price: $849. The multicolor FDM race is heating up fast: the Creality Hi Combo at $519, the Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 Combo at $449, and now Snapmaker enters the ring with 4 true independent heads (no AMS or purge system). If you're into FDM printing, check out our 3D printing filament store for everything you need to get the most out of your machine.
Is this finally the year multicolor FDM becomes truly accessible? Full details at 3D Printing Industry →
🎮 Hobby
⚔️ Warhammer 40K 11th Edition Confirmed: Armageddon Box Set Coming in June
Games Workshop made the announcement at AdeptiCon 2026. The "Armageddon" launch box will pit Space Marines (Blood Angels) against Orks, bringing back the legendary Commissar Yarrick and introducing the first official miniature of Wazdakka Gutsmek.
Major rules overhauls incoming: terrain-based objectives (goodbye round markers), multiple Detachments per army, and 70+ new Detachments. All 10th Edition codexes will remain valid.
If you paint minis, get your brushes ready. This is going to drive serious demand for resin — especially high-detail resin to capture every nuance of the new sculpts — and a whole lot of paint. For the latter, we've got Artis Opus brushes and Vallejo paint sets ready to go. Official announcement on Warhammer Community →
🤯 Maker Madness
🔥 From PLA to Cast Iron Using… a Microwave
Yes, you read that right. One maker has successfully turned a PLA-printed wrench into a real cast iron part using silicon carbide crucibles inside a standard household microwave.
The process: print your part in PLA, create a sand mold, burn out the PLA, then melt iron in the microwave using SiC crucibles. Real metal, straight from your desktop printer.
This is clearly experimental territory — and genuinely dangerous (don't try this at home unless you know exactly what you're doing) — but as a proof of concept, it's absolutely wild. See the full process on Hackaday →
💻 Software
🎨 FullSpectrum: HueForge-style color blending, but for real 3D models
You know HueForge — that software that blends filament colors to create 2.5D images. Well, FullSpectrum is an OrcaSlicer fork that takes that concept to full 3D models. You assign colors to zones of your model, and the slicer calculates the optimal blend across filaments.
You'll need a toolchanger or AMS-equipped printer. It's still experimental, but the results are seriously impressive. See examples on Hackaday →
🔬 Industry
⚖️ Pop Mart sues Bambu Lab over Labubu models on MakerWorld
Chinese art toy giant Pop Mart has sued Bambu Lab for allowing users to upload 3D models of their iconic Labubu figures to the MakerWorld platform. Bambu Lab, which recorded over 10 billion yuan in revenue in 2025, has since reached a settlement.
The message is clear: 3D printing and intellectual property is serious business now. Printing for personal use is one thing. Uploading or distributing models based on protected IPs is a completely different matter. Read the full coverage on Prism News →
💬 Our take this week
What a week. The Warhammer 40K 11th Edition announcement is going to send demand for resin-printed minis through the roof over the coming months — and we've got the resin and the paint to match 😉. On the FDM side, the multicolor arms race is heating up fast: 4 print heads for $849 would have sounded like science fiction a year ago.
And the microwave cast iron thing… this is what happens when you put makers with zero fear and maximum creativity in a room together. The 3D printer is starting to look more and more like a universal tool. From PLA to metal, from one color to four, from hobby to business. What a time to be a maker. 🚀
If any of this has sparked your curiosity and you're thinking about getting started — or upgrading your setup — we've just updated our best resin 3D printers guide for 2026, covering every category: compact, mid-range, large format, and professional. No fluff, just facts.