We may have lamented the shrinking of the 3D printing marketplace at CES, but for those with a keen additive-eye on the ground in Las Vegas earlier this month, 3D printing was still very much present at one of the world's largest technology events.
From Formlabs' recently launched large-format 3D printer to robots serving coffee, Anne Pauley, Technical Program Manager at Google, and an avid user of additive manufacturing, provides a snapshot on the 3D printing hardware and applications spotted at CES 2025.
Creality puts multi-colour 3D printing front and centre
Creality launched its new “Creality Hi”, a budget CoreXY 3D printer with multi-colour capabilities and a 260 × 260 × 300 mm build volume. The multi-colour combo includes Creality’s new CFS (Creality Filament System), a separate filament handling unit that can be retrofit onto some printer models including the K1C enclosed printer shown on the CES floor.
The company, which is currently leading the market in its price class in terms of machine shipments, also demonstrated its Otter 3D Scanner, a stereo-vision colour handheld scanner priced at 899 USD alongside a 200 mm wide belt printer, and desktop laser engravers. In addition, a CoPrint KCM multi-colour upgrade kit could also be seen installed on an Ender 3 V3m retrofitting a single-colour printer to multi-colour.
Creality’s extensive booth showed that the company is digging in on CES as a place to showcase new products aimed at the consumer 3D printing market, focusing on budget-conscious hardware and colourful filaments.
Formlabs highlights large-format SLA and new materials
Recent launches featured at the Formlabs booth included the Form 4L launched in October 2024, “the fastest large-format SLA 3D printer”, with a build volume 353 x 196 x 350 mm (vs. 200 x 125 x 210 mm for the Form 4). Two recently launched materials included a clear resin with better clarity and resistance to yellowing, and the Nylon 12 Tough Powder for the Fuse SLS system.
Formlabs maintains a presence at CES every year, doing live demos of SLA printing and showcasing 3D printing as a solution for consumer hardware prototyping.
Nex resin printer
Nex, a producer of power protection equipment, displayed its T2000 resin 3D printer, an MSLA machine with a 13.6 x 7.65 x 16 in build volume priced at 3899 USD, equipped with a cross-platform slicer software that allows for printing from a Mac, Windows, or a smartphone.
Nex was also named a CES Innovation Award Honoree in the Gaming and eSports category for its single-hand video game controller design for players with disabilities, pitched as "the world's most accessible controller."
Xiamen Goofoo Technology shows OEM Printers
Goofoo, a Chinese printer manufacturer, presented a wide range of printers from very small low-cost machines aimed at kids to desktop machines for prototyping. The company says it also offers industrial-level machines, including larger format polymer FDM systems and even metal powder bed.
SpaceHealthcare medical 3D printer
In the Convention Center, far away from the 3D printing area in the Venetian, SpaceHealthcare showed 3D printing for healthcare. The Korean company is developing 3D printing hardware and materials for the manufacture of personalised medical devices, with a long-term goal of offering cell-printing and organ printing.
3D printing in action: Product prototyping and robotic tooling
3D printing at CES wasn't all about the 3D printers themselves. In the Venetian expo hall, two companies stood out for putting 3D printing front and centre in their displays: Chefman and Artly Coffee.
Chefman’s booth was an homage to product prototyping, featuring dozens of 3D printed parts to reinforce its emphasis on engineering as the backbone of its company ethos. Bravo to them for taking a unique approach in a sea of polished booths, and showcasing the critical role 3D printing plays in their engineering process.
Artly Coffee used 3D printed robotic end of arm tooling and fixtures to retrofit standard barista equipment to be fully automated. Unlike many automated coffee setups, this strategy meant that my latte looked and tasted like one from a real coffee shop, down to the latte art! The company already has several locations open and serving.
Anne Pauley is a Technical Program Manager at Google working on the Pixel line of products. She works with engineering and operations teams to optimise product assemblies during the design process. Outside Google, Anne leads the San Francisco chapter of Women in 3D Printing, is a technology resident at Autodesk Pier 9 working on 3D printing for automotive with Girl Gang Garage, and is a faculty member at The Crucible teaching 3D printing. She also has a 3D printing studio in Oakland, supporting art and material development projects (particularly recycled plastics).
