I spent last weekend at Maryland’s 3DPrintopia, a celebration of all things 3D printing. The event is an eclectic mix of the latest tech, mixed with homebrew 3D printers, merchants, and geeks showing off their latest projects. Over 3000 visitors and hundreds of exhibitors gathered, from big company CEOs to Cub Scouts racing their first 3D printed (not-a-pinewood) derby car.
Started in 2018 as the East Coast RepRap Festival, the event has outgrown the community college basketball court it called home for the last several years. In 2026, 3DPrintopia will move to the massive Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, with 63,000 square feet of space to spread out on.
Josef Průša Announces Space Age Filament and Gets a Selfie with a Bot
Prusa Research CEO Josef Průša was seen at the festival, greeting old friends and checking out new makes, printed by fans of his 3D printers. Ryan Reid had quite the showstopper with his COREBot, a battery-powered CORE One printer mounted on remote-controlled treads that could print while being driven around the festival floor.
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Later in the festival, Průša announced a new “space age” filament, PC Space Grade Black, which was developed in cooperation with the Czech space company TRL Space. The material is ESD-safe and has low outgassing properties, and can be printed on a CORE One 3D printer. “We shared the spec sheet with our friends from NASA and their reaction for that it’s too good to be true,” he said. Here on Earth, the polycarbonate material is useful for 3D printing electronic cases and, in certain applications, can be used as an alternative to the costly and difficult-to-print PEEK.