3D Printing Is About to Change Forever (Just Not How You Think)

In this video, myself and some of your favorite creators share whether we believe consumer 3D printing has reached it’s peak. Brought to you by PCBWay. Get $10 off your next order of $30 or more with coupon code “PCBWay-TheNextLayer-10”: https://jle.vi/pcbway

Consumer 3D printers have made an absolutely massive leap over the last five years. Faster machines, multicolor and multimaterial 3d printing, tool changers, heated chambers, engineering-grade materials, better software… the list goes on. And with companies pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the industry, new printers and new brands seem to show up every week. But how much further can FDM hardware actually go?

So, I’m taking a look at where consumer 3D printing stands today, where all that investment and innovation could take us next, and why some of the biggest breakthroughs of the next five years might not come from FDM at all. We’ll explain the progress that has been made since the SnapMaker U1 put Bambu Lab on their back foot, and explore what things like the xTool O1 Omni and the HeyGears G1X signal in 3D Printing… and the realization that struck me when I tested the FlashForge Creator 5 Pro. and And because I could be completely wrong, I also asked some of my fellow 3D printing creators where THEY think the industry is headed.

I’d also love to hear from YOU… do you think the best 3d printer of 2026 will be THAT much better than the best 3d printer of 2025? Or will it be an incremental evolution? I’ll see you down in the comments below.

Let’s get after it.

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🎥 IN THIS VIDEO: 🎥
00:00 Introduction
00:31 The State of the Industry
03:26 Investor Capital
04:40 Expiring Patents & Untapped Industrial Potential
07:11 Does It Matter?
10:07 So… What Now?
18:20 Conclusion

🔗 LINKS MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO: 🔗
👉  Snapmaker U1: https://jle.vi/snapmakerU1
👉 Sovol M1D: https://jle.vi/m1d
👉 Flashforge Creator 5 Pro: https://jle.vi/creator5pro
👉 Prusa Research and the Prusa Core ONE INDX: https://jle.vi/prusaindx
👉 Elegoo: https://jle.vi/elegoo
👉  HeyGears G1X UV Printer: https://jle.vi/heygears
👉 xTool O1 Omni UV Printer: https://jle.vi/xtool
👉 Denise of stlDenise3D: https://www.youtube.com/@stldenise
👉 Pete of TheLayeredWorkshop: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLayeredWorkshop
👉 Jan of JanTec Engineering: https://www.youtube.com/@JanTecEngineering
👉 Igor of My Tech Fun: https://www.youtube.com/@MyTechFun
👉 Stefan of CNC Kitchen: https://www.youtube.com/@CNCKitchen

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📍My favorite 3D printing “accessory”: https://jle.vi/magigoo
📍My recommended 3D printing filament: https://jle.vi/sunlu
📍Check out the official TNL merch: https://shop.thenextlayer.com/

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