Last week, our team attended the Rapid+TCT event in Detroit to see the latest 3D printing equipment and software.
While we had many fascinating conversations with event participants, the event itself seemed more subdued than in past years. There appeared to be slightly fewer exhibitors and attendees, but most surprising was the almost complete lack of new product announcements.
There were a few, such as Stratasys’ new NEO 800+ resin 3D printer, and UltiMaker’s S8 Secure, and a few others, but in general, most 3D printer manufacturers had no big announcements and were simply attending the event to show their existing products and services to prospective buyers.
This, I believe, is a result of the ongoing dearth of investment money in the 3D print space. Due to some rather spectacular valuation catastrophes in the past three years, venture capital firms seem to have put “3D printing” on their blacklists. Companies, therefore, have less money to spend on events such as Rapid+TCT and even developing new products.
Normally, a wrap-up post like this one would highlight some of the new items seen at the show, but there really weren’t any major products that we won’t write about in other stories. Most companies showed off equipment previously announced, such as Bambu Lab’s new H2D system.
Compared to last year’s Rapid+TCT, there were multiple missing companies. Some, like Nexa3D, have suspended operations. Others, like Desktop Metal, have been absorbed by other companies. Finally, some simply didn’t attend at all, including Anycubic, one of the largest desktop 3D printer manufacturers.
While we did observe fewer 3D print companies at this event, we did see an increase in companies providing related products and services. These included many servicing metal 3D printing, including powder handling, gas provision, manufacturing automation systems, CNC milling services, etc. It would seem that these businesses are supporting existing metal AM operations, where much of the money remains in the industry.
Rapid+TCT featured a special “AeroDef” zone where vendors specifically addressed the military and aerospace sectors. These are among the growing application areas for AM technology.
There were some interesting sightings at Rapid+TCT 2025. Above is certainly the most unusual business card I’ve ever seen. It’s from Objex Unlimited, a Toronto-based 3D print service. CEO Steve Cory explained that the chip was scanned and then printed on a Mimaki full-color 3D printer. It’s extremely realistic to the point that I had to resist eating it.
There’s usually someone wearing 3D-printed fashions at these trade shows, typically footwear. I did see several people with 3D-printed soles, but the fellow above was a first: 3D-printed hair. I’m not sure this style will catch on, but at least you can choose the colour.
There were a few off-site events taking place during the event, and we attended one put on by Creality, which produced their eleventh anniversary livestream from Detroit. Their lengthy show included talks from company execs, application stories from users, and showing off their new equipment, mainly focusing on the new K2 Plus Combo.
Much of the chatter at the event involved the recent tariffs. Many attendees expressed concerns. We asked several 3D print companies for their thoughts on the situation, and inevitably received one of these three responses:
- “It does not affect us much because we have US domestic production and/or are part of a treaty.”
- “We are going to have to raise our US prices or eat some of the tariffs ourselves.”
- “We have no idea what is going on and how it affects us yet.”
The latter was the most frequently heard response, reflecting the unpredictable tariff changes that have recently been imposed or changed. Businesses require certainty, and that is definitely not the case with tariffs at the moment.
These are difficult times for many 3D print companies, and I’m hoping things will get sorted out soon.
