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Nobody is a bad person here and both of your feelings are valid.
As others pointed out, your partner likely put significant effort into the gift and is hurt that the effort was in vain. Compounding that is the fact that you didn't seem to acknowledge their effort or treat their hurt as valid.
Your hurt is valid. You got given something you don't want and now you feel pressured to accept it to appease your partner. It's in certain ways worse than getting nothing.
The situation sucks and you'll both be hurt regardless of how you resolve it.
It's probably going to be very important for you two to work out gifts or gift giving occasions. What do you like to do, for yourself or with your partner. Maybe the answer to that question can be part of the solution.
For the time being you have a few options. You can keep the gift like the others have said, maybe as a backup. Or you can return it. I suggest that if you return it you spend the money on something you both enjoy, maybe a nice date to sooth the hurt.
Let your partner know that you appreciate the effort that went into this gift. Let them know that you know you're a hard person to buy for, especially because you're not very consumerist which means that the things typically for sale won't appeal to you. Let them know that it's important for you that you're both able to express love towards each other and that you want to make sure that the next time your partner expends significant effort for you that they're able to create a situation which is rewarding for the both of you.
Then sort out what you're going to do with this gift. Maybe explain your feelings about using the old device and how the new one can't do that for you.
Then make a plan to work out the line term goal of how you'll give each other gifts/experiences in the future. And actually do it. It might be a lot of work, but it will probably create a lot of joy in your relationship in the long run where there might have been even more pain.
Can you explain this? I was always taught to accept the sentiment and just receive the gift. I certainly wouldn't suggest returning a gift.
Fundamentally this gift is replacing something that has sentimental value to OP. That's not usually a desirable gift. If someone got you a gift that replaced your favorite [thing] in a way that replaces it you wouldn't want it either.
Cheerfully accepting a gift you don't like is dishonest. Other replies have great honest and tactful ways to accept or reject a gift you don't like. Op's approach was hurtful to their partner which isn't great.
Returning a gift is normal, that's why stores issue gift receipts. However, it is a situation that requires tact since it's easy to hurt someone if done poorly.
In the long term, it should be easy for you and your partner to do something special for each other where no one has to fake enjoyment. In OP's case, effort spent communicating now will bring a lot of enjoyment in the future and save a lot of pain.
The returning the gift is what normal people do when they get something that they don't want/like, AND when the person giving the gift isn't the spouse. You can return it, the person giving it will never know, and everyone goes away relatively happy.
OP is being reasonable from a certain perspective, in that he can't just return the gift because it's his spouse. She'll know. So he explained that he wants to return it, because it would be like being gifted a new car when you've just finished restoring the beautiful hot rod that has passed to you after your mother passed away, and it was the same hot rod that she used to take you driving in down the old country roads when she got home from work on a friday. You don't want to get rid of the hot rod, but you've only got space in the garage for one car. Should you just "receive the gift" and get rid of the hot rod? Of course not.
In the OP's case, if he doesn't just "receive the gift" then his spouse will be hurt, so there is a very large pressure there to accept the gift so his spouse won't get hurt. So to him, he's been put in a position that makes him hurt because whatever he does will hurt someone, either himself by getting rid of the sentimental 3d printer, or his spouse by not keeping the new gift.
The gift is an insult to OP. It's hurtful and savage to force them to accept something that causes them pain and suffering and then force them to make them responsible for the other person's feelings.
That's so fucked up you would blame op just because they didn't want this unsolicited gift