From the Editor's Desk
Letters and missives from readers like you.Page 06
Make: Volume 96 — Change It Up!
At Make: we’ve cheered, and sometimes steered, two decades of rapid evolution in digital fabrication tools for home, hobby, and business use. But this year is an astonishing one.
Multi-material 3D printing is finally legit, with smart, tool-changing machines that don’t waste filament on purges and poops. In this issue we review Snapmaker’s U1 tool changer, plus new 3D printers from Elegoo, Flashforge, and Prusa that are packed with advanced features at plummeting prices. We also go hands-on with new lasers from xTool — the burly MetalFab metal cutter/welder and petite MOPA F2 Ultra engraver — and with desktop CNC mini mills that have achieved the trifecta of power, price, and software that doesn’t suck.
Tool makers are innovating outside the big categories, too. For the first time ever, you can do UV printing at home! Why not try a full-sheet CNC router that stows on a shelf? Or new category-mashers like the LatheEngraver or Saltgator soft-gel injection molder? It’s a good time to succumb to your tool temptations.
On the cover: Sleek new Snapmaker U1 and Jumbo Prusa XL tool-changers nail multi-material 3D printing. Photos: Mark Madeo, sky-guided
Table of Contents
Columns
Welcome: Working on Your 3D Printer
Dale Dougherty
Voron builders keep tinkering at the forefront.Page 07
Made on Earth
Listening to the Wood
Marshall Piros
A multidisciplinary wood artist and immersive installation designer from the Adirondack Mountains of New York, Tyler Schrader intricate and dazzling wood sculptures that combine handmade skills with electronics know-how.Page 08
Upcycled Retro Art
Jennifer Strand
German artist Juergen Kloeck’s assemblages combine vintage devices and found objects to create retro-futuristic delights.Page 10
Tabletop Strike
Marshall Piros
YouTuber Danny Lum built an entirely 3D-printable automatic bowling alley — complete with a mechanical pinsetter, ball return, camera-based scoring system, and LED animations — that can sit on your kitchen table.Page 11
Features
Maker Faire Around the Globe
A year of inspiring creations from makers everywherePage 12
Cave Radio
Mike Bedford
Learn the secrets of underground radio, and you can talk through solid rock.Page 14
The Weird Wonders of Warped Worlds
Justin Andarza
Designing immersive experiences — “video games in real life” — one world at a time.Page 20
3D Printing for the People
Dale Dougherty
Alder Riley of Itemfarm persists in his quest to put 3D printing kiosks in malls, schools, and storesPage 24
Workshop: Pinball Journey
Geoff Butterfield
Geoff Butterfield’s workshop reflects a life of pinball tinkering and much more.Page 30
Fabrication Nation
Change It Up
Keith Hammond
2026 is a good year to give into your tool temptations.Page 32
Time for a Change
Matt Stultz
New tool changers and nozzle swappers finally deliver on multi-material 3D printing, without the waste.Page 34
Price Break
David J. Groom and Matt Stultz
Excellent entry-level FFF printers are now shockingly affordable; Prusa’s Core One L hits the sweet spot.Page 40
Never Break the Chain
Bradley Woods with Austin Triggs
3D print real metal chainmail with The Virtual Foundry.Page 44
The Stone Must Flow
Melodie Yashar
A maker’s guide to concrete 3D printing.Page 48
Amazing Lasers
Matt Stultz and Sam Freeman
Cut, weld, engrave — xTool debuts three incredibly capable laser tools, small and (very) large.Page 54
Mighty Micro Machines
Sam Freeman and David J. Groom
Desktop CNC mills bring pro materials to hobbyistsPage 58
The Spacemakers
Matt Stultz
Stowable full-sheet CNC routers that won’t take your whole garage.Page 62
The Duplicators
Matt Stultz, David J. Groom, and Keith Hammond
Hands-on with new 3D scanners: IR, laser, and photo.Page 64
UV Printing at Home
David J. Groom
The groundbreaking eufyMake E1 makes it easy to add custom art and 3D textures to your stuff.Page 67
Ones to Watch
Matt Stultz
Innovative and unique digi-fab tools we wanna try.Page 68
Projects
Plasma Toroid Generator
sky-guided
Finally — you can DIY the holy grail of mad-scientist, high-energy plasma toys.Page 70
ISS Tracker Globe
Will Dana
Use servos and magnets to animate the space station’s path in real time.Page 82
Squishy Tech: Feast Your Eyes
Lee Wilkins
Using WLED to light up a pop-up noodle bar.Page 88
Beyond Tetris
Charles Platt
Surpass the classic 2D video game with a third dimension of play.Page 94
The Spiker-Man Web Flinger
Alex Hatch
Sling like Spidey with this electrifying neuro-engineering mashup.Page 100
Discover Smart Servos with the Oxocard Connect
Thomas Garaio
Serial servos are far more capable than PWM hobby servos. Learn how to use them with our Oxocard microcontroller!Page 102
Toy Inventor’s Notebook: Mini Tongue Maze Fun
Bob Knetzger
Create and solve a mini-maze on a tiny tongue!Page 110
1+2+3: Wax Wraps
Sam Freeman
Ditch disposable plastic with your own reusable beeswax food storage.Page 114
Skill Builder
LED Color Tips
Sam Freeman
Move beyond the rainbow for better LED color palettes.Page 116
Virtual Building Blocks
Dennis Conner
Learn CAD the Tinkertoy way, by playing with assemblies and mates in Onshape.Page 118
Toolbox
Framework 13
Sam Freeman
Page 122
The Pinouts Book by NODE and Baptiste
Sam Freeman
Page 123
Albatross Kinetic Build Kit
Sam Freeman
Page 123
OutIn Nano
David J. Groom
Page 124
M5Stack Cardputer Adv Version (ESP32-S3)
David J. Groom
Page 126
Over the Top
Ten Hundred Word Keyboard
Craig Couden
One keystroke, one word of text. What could go wrong?Page 128
