First up in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs: registration is officially open for the 2026 AMUG Conference, which will be held in a new location this year. Then, it’s on to news about 3D models from Microsoft Copilot and Iteration3D. Finally, we’ll end with 3D printing in the water industry and research on water droplets to make 3D printing more precise.
Registration for AMUG Conference 2026 is Officially Open
First-time attendees gather at the New Member Welcome to kick-start engagement, networking, and learning.
Yesterday, online registration officially opened for the 2026 Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) Education and Training Conference, which will be held March 15-19. Open to owners and operators of industrial AM for professional purposes, the AMUG Conference gathers users of all experience levels to share their expertise, best practices, challenges, and results during both informal conversations and formal presentations. The event is focused on promoting participation, from workshops, educational sessions, the Innovators Showcase, and networking breaks to the AMUGexpo, presentations, Start-Up Launchpad, and evening activities, like the annual Family Dinner. The 2026 AMUG Conference is incorporating some modifications based on member feedback, including relocating the event from Chicago, Illinois to Reno, Nevada, modifying its topical session tracks, and adding more immersive training, such as new Training Labs.
“We are very excited about AMUG 2026. It will blend staples that have made the conference so impactful for additive manufacturing users with changes that will elevate the experience,” said AMUG President Shannon VanDeren. “Every aspect of the conference is devised to help users grow and operations excel.”
The all-inclusive registration fee for the 2026 AMUG Conference is $1,295 through December 12th, 2025.
AI-Powered Copilot 3D Turns 2D Images into 3D Models in One Click
Microsoft is making it easier and more accessible to create 3D models with Copilot 3D. The AI-powered tool is exclusive to Copilot Labs, and Microsoft says it can transform a single 2D image into a fully rendered, usable 3D model. You can then print the model, or integrate it with animation, games, design, digital content, art projects, AR/VR, and more. The idea is to support “imaginative experimentation,” without having to learn 3D software, whether you’re testing out a concept, guiding hands-on learning, or just exploring some new ideas. Paid subscriptions are not required, but users must sign in with a personal Microsoft account to access Copilot 3D; just navigate to Copilot.com on any modern browser. All of your creations are saved to your Copilot library for 28 days, and the tool supports downloads in GLB format, which is compatible with many design tools, 3D viewers, and game engines. Copilot 3D supports JPG and PNG files under 10MB, but make sure you’re only uploading content that you have permission to use.
“Curious minds shouldn’t be held back by complex tools. Copilot 3D makes 3D creation more accessible. With just a single image anyone can start shaping ideas into three dimensions. No steep learning curve. No intimidating software. Just a new way to bring imagination to life. Whether you’re experimenting, teaching, or testing out something new, Copilot 3D makes it easy to get started,” the website says.
Iteration3D’s Platform for On-Demand Generation of 3D Printable Models
France-based 3D printing web project Iteration3D has launched an online platform for free, on-demand generation of 3D printable models. It already offers more than 600 STL models for download, but expects its number of available templates to steadily increase, in hopes of building up to become the industry’s largest repository of parametric 3D models. The platform’s model generation is powered by open source technology based on Build123d, which itself leverages the Open Cascade Technology (OCCT) framework. Rather than just providing static files, Iteration3D generates models based on user-defined parameters. A wide range of customizable design templates is available for users to look at, including round boxes with lids, enclosures, O-rings, tube adapters, and more. Just input your dimensions or features, and if something with those specifications doesn’t already exist, the platform’s backend engine will automatically create it and add the model to the online library. This enables users to get a perfectly-sized part, without having to settle for something that’s almost perfect or designing it from scratch. Iteration3D also offers advanced multi-part and multi-color support.
“Our goal with iteration3D is to remove the design hurdles when you need a just-right part. Whether you’re a professional engineer or a weekend maker, you can now generate a bespoke 3D model in minutes,” said Iteration3D Founder Sylvain Judeaux. “We provide a fast and easy way to get exactly the part you need – dimensions, features, and even colors – without diving into complex CAD tools.”
Jacobs Assesses Viability & Savings of 3D Printed Assets in Water Industry
3D printed concrete circular CSO chamber by Changemaker 3D
The two-year Water Industry Printfrastructure (WIP) project, led by United Utilities, ChangeMaker3D, the PrintCity hub at Manchester Metropolitan University, and Scottish Water, recently wrapped up. The £1.5 million Ofwat Innovation Fund WIP project explored the potential of both concrete and polymer 3D printing in the water sector, and demonstrated how feasible it was to use 3D printing for infrastructure and operational components as opposed to sourcing pre-cast or cast-in-place assets. The water industry is maintaining aging infrastructure while also delivering environmental improvements, and it’s under pressure to evolve. So United Utilities chose Jacobs to assess the societal benefits, commercial viability, and carbon savings of using 3D printed products. In terms of societal benefits, the project had 164 young people engaged in career engagement activities and skills development, provided 52 weeks of apprenticeship, and created six new jobs across the partner organizations.
The assessed 3D printed assets also offered a benefit to the water sector of 50,000 tonnes of CO2e, or the equivalent of planting 50,000 trees. Jacobs completed a detailed whole life carbon assessment (WLCA), studying the carbon impacts for the 3D printed products in comparison to their benchmarks from creation to end of life. The results showed carbon savings for the concrete Industrial Emissions Directive Printed Wall and circular CSO chamber, as well as the polymer-printed water quality instrumentation reservoir, wastewater treatment jet nozzle, and CCTV camera protective skid plate. These savings were due to less material, which led to less embodied carbon, as well as reduced energy in use and maintenance. Finally, Jacobs developed a commercialization plan to transition 3D printing to real-world applications, including a strategic roadmap, legal and regulatory guidance, and a model with funding strategies to support adoption. Pilot trial data was used to complete a cost-benefit analysis, which showed that 3D printed concrete and polymer products can reduce costs and carbon, improve service quality, and strengthen resilience across operations.
Water Droplet Research Could Make Inkjet 3D Printers More Precise
Xiaoyu Tang, Northeastern professor of mechanical and industrial engineering and chemical engineering, performs research on liquid droplets. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University
3D inkjet printing, or material jetting, deposits drops of liquid material onto a substrate; the drops are then solidified by UV light or another curing method, and a 3D object is built up layer by layer this way. Xiaoyu Tang, a mechanical and industrial engineering professor at Northeastern University, is working in the Multiphase Transport Research Lab as a principal investigator to develop a new framework for better understanding fluid dynamics when particle-filled droplets of water are dropped into bodies of liquid. The hope is to help engineers design stronger, more optimized ink processes, and more resilient print hardware, to make inkjet 3D printers more precise. This can hopefully happen by controlling the interaction between droplets and the substrate. The team will use high-speed cameras to capture 10,000 images per second of droplets hitting the water. During analysis of the images, Tang and the other researchers will focus on the droplet’s particle distributions, the morphology of the droplet on impact, and its velocity field. They specifically want to see how the established physics of water droplets impacting a larger body of water change when the droplets are filled with materials like silica particles and corn starch.
“Adding a lot of particles into liquid makes things more complicated because the viscosity of the liquid is not constant anymore and the mixture can even jam to behave like a solid, especially during the droplet impact process. A good example is the ‘Oobleck effect,’ where people can run on a pool of cornstarch particles in water, but will sink if they stand,” explained Tang.
The researchers plan to develop a platform that can be expanded upon by other research teams.