It’s time for an update on LOOP, “the world’s first desktop 3D filament maker”.
Back in 2024 there was a sudden announcement of a rather suspicious device claiming to be able to recycle 3D printer waste into usable filament.
At that time I was extremely skeptical for quite a number of reasons, mostly due to the inadequacy of the system design as compared to proper filament production lines. There were lots of red flag signals, such as claims of being the world’s first desktop 3D filament maker, which were obviously false. In addition, the documentation frequently used oddball terms for generally accepted 3D print wording, suggesting a lack of familiarity with the technology.
In addition, the documentation showed only renders and lacked anything that could provide some confidence that this was a real project.
The company asked interested parties to deposit US$100 to reserve a spot to get one of the early bird US$1500 (US$2499 MSRP) devices. That, combined with the other red flags, steered me away, as it could have been just a scam where US$100 would be collected from eager buyers.
In November 2024 the company published a 45m YouTube video interviewing the team behind the project, for their “Demo Day”. It then became clear that there was a real, US-based company behind the project, albeit a very small startup operation of four people.
Months later in 2025, I provided another update on the project. During those months media outlets picked up the story and it was widely publicized, in spite of the numerous questions raised by those knowledgeable on the technology.
Since then… crickets.
No additional videos. No public product announcements.
The website in 2024 sells US$100 deposits, and states that the launch is scheduled for January 2025, five months ago.
It appears the website was last updated in March of this year. I poked around the website and found that they have been constantly slipping their launch dates. I found this sequence of announcements:
- Launching soon
- Launching early 2025
- Launching March 2025
- Launching Q2 2025
- Launching Q3 2025
- Launching 2026
And “Launching 2026” is what is currently on the site.
My suspicion is that the project is effectively dead: no updates, no progress, lots of slipped dates. The company seems to be alive, but there is little confidence they will actually deliver something.
It is not clear what will happen to the countless individuals who spent US$100 on deposits for the machine that will in almost certainly never arrive. However, the website claims a refund guarantee:
“We guarantee a full refund for cancellations made before the project enters production.”
There’s another reason this project is effectively dead: Creality announced a machine with similar characteristics, and it actually does work. It’s also available for a far lower price. This means that even if the LOOP appears, it can’t compete against Creality.
The moral of the story here is to be skeptical of new products, especially those that claim to provide great benefits with limited proof.
Via MakeWithLoop
