Kupros Cu29 V2 Brings Embedded Electronics to Desktop 3D Printers

What changed with Cu29 V2

Kupros, an Indiana-based materials company, has shipped the second generation of its all-metal conductive filament. Cu29 V2 is a tin-copper composite that prints on ordinary desktop FFF and FDM machines. The company says an initial batch of 90 kilograms sold out quickly, which is notable given the filament costs between $250 and $3,500 depending on weight.

The bigger news is the workflow. Kupros is developing a patent-pending process that goes beyond printing simple conductive traces. The goal is to let users embed circuits, antennas, sensors, and other electronic components directly into a standard FDM print. The company calls it a shift from mechanical manufacturing to electronics manufacturing on the same machine.

Why desktop embedded electronics matter now

Copper prices hit all-time highs earlier this year, and supply uncertainty has pushed manufacturers to look for alternative production methods. Conductive filament is one answer, but earlier versions required post-processing or worked only on industrial machines. Cu29 is designed to work on printers that cost less than $400.

The material is validated at 12,500 volts and over 300 amps, with a resistivity of 1.226 times 10 to the minus 5 ohm-centimeters. That is roughly 48,000 percent more conductive than polymer-based conductive filaments. Traces as fine as 0.2 mm are possible, and the filament can be printed into non-planar parts.

Military and aerospace interest

Kupros says NASA, Northrop Grumman Space, Boeing, the U.S. Army Devcom Army Research Lab, and KBR are already using Cu29. Applications include CubeSat avionics, conformal RF shielding, defense-grade sensors, and flexible electronics. The company has sent sensor test articles to Oak Ridge National Laboratory for evaluation.

At RIMPAC 2026, the U.S. Marines ran a drone repair challenge that highlighted demand for low-cost, rugged electronics maintenance tools. Kupros could be a candidate for that space, since its sister company Sciperio partnered with nScrypt on the same exercise.

The education angle

Kupros founder Ian Ramsdell sees schools as a natural fit. Getting students interested in manufacturing is hard, but electronics consistently grabs attention. If conductive printing becomes a standard part of a school lab, it could channel that interest into practical skills.

What this means for makers

The first version of Cu29 proved the concept. The second version is about reducing friction. Early adopters reported workflow problems, and Kupros spent a year printing, breaking things, and rebuilding to figure out where the process slowed them down. The result is a more polished path from slicer to working circuit.

Cu29 is not a drop-in replacement for PLA. It requires specific nozzle temperatures between 232 and 260 degrees Celsius, and it is not cheap. But for anyone prototyping antennas, sensors, or custom circuits at home, it is the closest thing yet to printing a functional electronic device on a standard printer.