Good week for science. Swiss researchers have created a printable material up to 15 times stronger, a market report confirms what we already suspected (budget printers have taken over), Games Workshop drops dinosaur-riding Aeldari, someone has bioprinted kidney tissue in space, and Adidas releases a 3D printed basketball shoe. Let's go. 🔥
🔥 Featured
🧪 EPFL develops a printable material up to 15 times tougher
We're starting with some serious European science. The Soft Materials Laboratory at EPFL (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne) has published a new type of elastomer in Science Advances that solves the age-old weak point of flexible printed parts: they crack where you least expect it and don't hold up under repeated use.
They're called double-network granular elastomers (DNGEs), and the numbers are impressive: up to 15 times greater fracture toughness and up to 3 times better fatigue resistance compared to similar elastomers. The key is in the internal architecture: two elastomeric networks that distribute stress between rigid particles and soft zones, so that when a crack appears, the material absorbs it instead of letting it propagate. As lab director Esther Amstad puts it, the material can absorb energy over and over again without breaking down irreversibly.
So why does this matter to you? Because these materials were designed from the ground up as 3D printing inks. This isn't a lab plastic that might someday be printable — it was engineered to come out of a nozzle. Think gaskets, shock absorbers, prosthetics, parts that flex thousands of times a day... everything you currently print in TPU and hope for the best.
There's a sustainability bonus too: the team is already working on biodegradable and recycled-material versions. This fits perfectly with the direction we've been tracking since Prusa reformulated their resin to remove ACMO and TPO and since Spanish brand 3Dresyn launched their circular resin: the materials of the future will be tougher and cleaner. Interestingly, EPFL already made an appearance in issue #011 with their holographic light-printed ear. These Swiss researchers just don't stop. Read the full coverage on VoxelMatters →
💵 Industry
💵 Budget printers have taken over the market (and that's actually good news)
Fresh data from analyst firm CONTEXT on Q1 2026 confirms what many of us already suspected: global 3D printing hardware revenue grew 32% year-over-year, and the entry-level segment is driving all of it.
Machines under $2,500 grew 39% in units and 54% in revenue, and now account for more than half (54%) of all system revenue in the sector. Four manufacturers — Bambu Lab, Creality, Elegoo, and Anycubic — control 88% of all printers shipped. The fastest-growing brand by percentage was Flashforge, with a remarkable +120%.
The flip side: the professional segment ($2,500–$20,000) is collapsing, with shipments down 22% and revenue down 31%. Analysts are calling it the "squeezed middle" — desktop machines have improved so much they're eating into the professional segment from below, while industrial machines hold their ground at the top.
What does this mean for you? The reason your $300 printer can do things today that would have required a $3,000 machine five years ago isn't a coincidence — it's the result of a brutal battle for the entry-level market. More competition, better machines, lower prices. This is exactly the dynamic we covered in the launch wars we reported on in issue #011. The maker wins. Read the full report at TCT Magazine →
🎲 Miniatures
🎲 The Aeldari dinosaur riders are back (and there's new terrain so you print less)
In the Sunday Preview on July 19th, Games Workshop confirmed that Kill Team: Exodite goes up for pre-order on July 25th. And it's a treat: after decades lurking in the background lore, the Exodites — the Aeldari who turned their backs on decadence to live on feral worlds, riding dinosaurs — finally have plastic miniatures.
The box includes three Dragon Masters and two Drakolithes, pitted against a Beast Snagga Ork warband. And it's not coming alone: that same day sees pre-orders open for a 15-piece Combat Patrol Battlezone terrain set, six Kill Team kits previously only available in larger boxes, and MkIV Marines for Horus Heresy.
The terrain is worth a mention for anyone who prints: 15 official plastic pieces is a solid haul, but it's also exactly the kind of thing where 3D printing shines — ruins, barricades, containers, platforms. If you already have a printer, the question is always the same: do I buy the box, or do I print the whole battlefield myself? We're not here to tell you what to do, but we'll leave you some detail resin, paint, and brushes just in case. This continues the steady stream of 10th Edition releases we've been tracking since the Orks Codex in issue #016. Read the preview on Warhammer Community →
🤖 WTF Science
🤖 They bioprinted kidney and liver tissue… in space
This week's mind-blowing science section comes with a record-breaking altitude: 400 kilometers. Auxilium Biotechnologies (San Diego) has announced that during its AXLM-3 mission aboard the International Space Station, it successfully bioprinted kidney and liver tissue in orbit for the first time.
The team used their AMP-1 bioprinter for the mission — which launched on SpaceX CRS-34 and splashed down on June 17 — setting another record in the process: it's the first mission to manufacture three different tissue types on a single flight (kidney, liver, and cartilage), along with 28 NeuroSpan Bridge implants for nerve repair. The cells and designs come from the institute led by Dr. Anthony Atala, one of the biggest names in regenerative medicine.
Why do it in space? Because in microgravity, soft tissues don't collapse under their own weight during printing, enabling more delicate and accurate structures. Down here on Earth, scaffolding and support gels are required; up there, the structure holds itself together.
An honest note before anyone gets too excited: these are not transplantable organs — they're tissue samples for research purposes, and the announcement comes from the company itself, not a peer-reviewed study. That said, it's another step along the path we've been following all year, from the 3D-printed cornea in issue #010 to the circuits printed on living tissue in issue #015. The same core idea behind your printer — building layer by layer — pushed to its absolute limit. Read the full story at 3D Printing Industry →
🎨 Hobby
👟 Adidas Drops the World's First 3D-Printed Basketball Shoe
We're closing out with a consumer story. On July 14, Adidas released the BB.01, which it's billing as the world's first 3D-printed basketball shoe. It's part of their Project R.A.P. platform, and the standout feature is the construction: a 3D-printed lattice mesh that wraps the entire foot, replacing the traditional layered foam and stitched fabric construction.
It weighs 428 grams and retailed for $250 — for the lucky few who actually got a pair, that is, since only 169 pairs were made available worldwide: 50 at the Las Vegas flagship store, 89 through the CONFIRMED app, and 30 in China. Rookie Mikel Brown Jr. debuted them on-court at the NBA Summer League.
With numbers like that, it's clear this is more of a tech showcase than a real consumer product. But there's something relatable about Adidas basketball VP Max Staiger's comment about the early prototypes: you should have seen the first version — it was way heavier. Anyone who's iterated a design on their own printer knows exactly what he means. The difference is he had the NBA watching.
💬 Our Take of the Week
The bigger picture is worth sitting with. On one hand, the CONTEXT report confirms that budget hardware has won the market: entry-level machines dominate while the professional segment continues to bleed out. On the other, the real innovation is migrating toward materials — like the EPFL elastomer — and extreme applications, like bioprinting tissue in orbit.
The race is no longer just about who makes the fastest printer — it's about what you put inside it and what you use it for. And that's a race where resin, with its precision and versatile chemistry, has a lot to offer. On our end, we're still in the trenches: resin, filaments, paint, free tools, and this newsletter every Monday. 💪
❓ This Week's Frequently Asked Questions
What is a double-network elastomer and how does it differ from regular TPU?
A double-network elastomer combines two interlocking internal structures: a rigid one that provides strength and a soft one that absorbs energy. When a crack forms, the soft network dissipates it rather than letting it spread. Compared to conventional TPU, the EPFL material achieves up to 15 times greater fracture toughness and 3 times better fatigue resistance, making it far more durable in parts that flex repeatedly. For now, this is research — not a filament you can buy.
Why are budget 3D printers getting so much better?
Pure competition. According to CONTEXT's Q1 2026 report, the entry-level segment (under $2,500) grew 39% in units and now accounts for 54% of industry revenue, with Bambu Lab, Creality, Elegoo, and Anycubic capturing 88% of machines shipped. That competitive pressure is forcing features once reserved for high-end machines — auto bed leveling, faster print speeds, advanced sensors — into increasingly affordable printers.
Can human organs be 3D printed?
Not fully functional, transplantable organs — not yet. What's achievable today are simple tissues and structures for research purposes, such as the kidney and liver tissues that Auxilium Biotechnologies bioprinted aboard the International Space Station, or the cornea printed by Korean researchers. Microgravity helps because soft tissues don't deform under their own weight during printing. Fully functional transplantable organs remain a long-term goal.
Is it worth 3D printing Warhammer terrain instead of buying it?
It depends on how much you value your time versus your budget. Printing terrain is significantly cheaper per piece and gives you complete creative control, plus the ability to reprint anything that breaks. The trade-off is print time, cleanup, assembly, and painting. For large battlefield surfaces, printing usually makes sense — but for specific official pieces with precise fit requirements, buying the plastic kit saves a lot of headaches.