Elegoo and emoji® team up for a more expressive Centauri Carbon 2

A new special-edition printer brings digital icons into the physical world through a fresh collaboration.

Putting personality on the build plate: The new Elegoo x emoji® Centauri Carbon 2 Combo Edition, featuring a premium silver-white finish and exclusive brand accents. Picture: Elegoo

I remember testing the original Elegoo Centauri Carbon 2 a few months ago. It’s an excellent 3D printer, but while it works brilliantly, it lacked a bit of personality. It was all about the technical side of things, which is great if you live for calibration, but perhaps a little less "fun" for the rest of us.

That changes with the new Centauri Carbon 2 Combo Edition. Elegoo is teaming up with the emoji® brand to create something that feels much more approachable. The machine has undergone a proper makeover, ditching the standard look for a premium silver-white body design finished with exclusive emoji® visual accents. Even the software gets a facelift, featuring a custom UI with playful layouts to make the experience more immersive. You even get official emoji® 3D G-code model files saved into the new printer's internal memory, so you can print those familiar digital expressions instantly. As the campaign slogan says: "Your Vibe, Now in 3D."

The aim here is to move 3D printing away from being just a workshop hobby and into the realm of everyday lifestyle technology. Kevin Wang, VP of Elegoo, notes that "The emoji® brand has always represented emotions and connection, while Elegoo stands for empowering creativity through technology... This partnership reflects our shared belief that self-expression should be joyful, simple, and accessible to everyone. We're excited to bring that spirit into the world of 3D printing and help users turn feelings into something real."

It is a clever way to make the hobby feel much more personal. Marco Hüsges, CEO and Founder of the emoji company, says: "We're incredibly excited to partner with Elegoo on the very first collaboration between the emoji® brand and a 3D printing brand... Together, we're bringing digital self-expression into the physical world in a fun, creative, and completely new way."

The emoji® Centauri Carbon 2 Combo has all the same features as the original, so if you're looking for an excellent 3D printer at a great price and you're a fan of the styling, this edition might just convince you that a 3D printer belongs on a desk next to your coffee, rather than tucked away in a dark corner of the garage.

Pre-order €479 Elegoo