This year, CES was all about AI-powered gadgets and home assistant robots, which meant 3D printing and laser technologies fit right in. Creality, Snapmaker, AtomForm, and Protopasta each showed off the latest trends in the world of consumer 3D printing.
Creality
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
Creality emerged as the show’s clear winner, earning Tom’s Hardware’s Best 3D Printer of CES 2026 award for its new Creality SPARKX i7. The SPARKX i7 is an easy-to-use multicolor printer with AI-assisted features aimed at reducing friction for new users. While reviewing the SPARKX i7, we were impressed with its super-simple CFS Lite and quick-swap hotend. The programmable RGB lights along the bottom aren’t just for bling; they’re also a cheerful status indicator. When paired with the Creality Cloud app, users can pre-select files from the Creality library and send them directly to the printer, making the SPARKX truly plug and play.
Creality’s booth also showcased an updated Ender-3 V4, the Falcon T1 Laser Engraver with five swappable laser modules, and the Sermoon 3D scanner, all reinforcing the company’s push toward a consumer home fabrication ecosystem.
AtomForm
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
Newcomer AtomForm debuted the Palette 300 3D printer at parent company MOVA Group’s booth. MOVA is known for making robot vacuum cleaners, and they themselves are a sub-brand of Dreame, maker of premium household appliances, which is part of the Xiaomi Ecosystem, who are known for their smartphones and consumer electronics. TL’DR is AtomForm is not just a couple of dudes in a garage making cool stuff; they have some serious backers in the world of Chinese consumer electronics.
The Palette 300 is a fairly large, fully enclosed Core XY 3D printer with 12 nozzles stored on a wheel that it can swap like a mini tool changer. It can handle up to 36 colors and has a 300x300x300mm build volume. We’ve been hearing about this machine since last August, but this is the first time we’ve been in the same room with one. Unfortunately, this was a static display, so we can only assume they’re using a nozzle swapping method similar to Bambu Lab’s H2C or Bondtech’s INDX that will soon be featured on the Prusa CORE One.
The OmniElement automatic nozzle-swapping system is intended to dramatically reduce purge waste while maintaining print speed and quality through the use of four internal cameras and 50 sensors. The company claims the printer can hit speeds of 800mm/s with a 25,000 mm/s² acceleration speed. We’ll report back once we get a test unit if the AtomForm lives up to the hype.
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