Independent Dual Extruders

The Snapmaker J1 comes with two separate direct print heads that move independently along the X-axis. This allows for dual-color or multi-material prints and even the use of soluble support structures. In general, having an IDEX setup beats out single-nozzle dual extruders in a few ways, such as being less prone to clogs, not requiring a purge tower, and enabling simultaneous printing for speedy batch production.

The J1 also features a special backup mode, in which the 3D printer uses a single print head, with the other standing by. Should the working extruder run into any problems, the stand-by should take over and finish the respective job. For professionals and businesses relying on seamless output, this could be a valuable safety net.

Besides the backup mode, the J1 also features modes to mirror and duplicate which enable you to run two prints simultaneously, effectively halving the production time and doubling your productivity.

In single extruder mode, the J1 offers a 300 x 200 x 200 mm build volume, in copy mode 160 x 200 x 200 mm, and 150 x 200 x 200 mm in mirror mode.

High-Temperature Print Head

The hot end on the J1’s print heads are all-metal, meaning they can reach temperatures up to 300 °C, which allows the J1 to print a broad palette of filaments, ranging from consumer filaments such as PLA, PETG, ABS, and flexibles, all the way up to more professional materials such as nylon composites and polycarbonates.

Exotic materials often need a strong and hot print bed to successfully print. The J1’s PEI-coated glass print bed can reach 100 °C, which should provide decent adhesion throughout the material selection, and its enclosed build chamber provides ambient conditions for a consistent and reliable output of high-temperature materials, such as ABS, which can other be prone to warping.

Potentially, the range of filaments paired with the J1’s IDEX and multi material mode also allows users to combine different material properties in one print, which is great for functional parts. Snapmaker’s example for this combines the strength of nylon with the flexibility of TPU. Also, with components being printed as a whole and requiring no assembly, these objects generally feature stronger connections, unlike assembled parts.

Whizzing Print Speeds

According to Snapmaker, the J1 is capable of printing speeds of up to 350 mm/s, and a maximum acceleration of 10,000 mm/s².

In order to do so, the J1 features vibration compensation technology. As its name implies, this technology employs algorithms to reduce the vibrations caused by high-speed movement, enhancing print quality and reducing effects such as ringing. Snapmaker claims that this allows the J1 to cut down on print time by as much as 66%. For example, a Benchy (or two, as it has two extruders) can be printed in just 24 minutes.

Sturdy Casing

Having the brains to conduct such F1-like print speeds is half the battle; the other is rigidity. As such, the J1 comes with an aluminum alloy frame and is fully enclosed. You’d hope that the boxy frame would make the J1 sturdy enough to print at those high speeds with minimal wobble and deformation, it’ll certainly be helped by the inclusion of industrial-grade linear rails, usually components like this go a long way to ensuring smoother, steadier movements.

Bed Leveling

Calibrating IDEX 3D printers can be tricky, especially for multi-material or color prints. You want the alternating nozzles to be spot on, continuing to print exactly where the other left off.

On that note, Snapmaker says the J1 comes with a special intelligent leveling process. Utilizing electrical conduction to locate the two hot ends and the heated bed and measure the distance between the three entities, it promises to reduce the number of errors and provide higher accuracy. This automated process should greatly help in achieving a perfect level, and can be completed in around 15 minutes when first setting up the printer. Once set up, the J1 is said to auto-compensates any offset between the nozzles.

Further Features

Additional features on the Snapmaker J1 include:

• 5-inch color touchscreen: Operating the J1 is done via the large color touchscreen located at the front of the printer. The printer runs on Android and houses 1 GB RAM and 8GB eMMC.
• Connectivity: The J1 comes with Wi-Fi connectivity to operate the printer remotely, as well as USB and USB-C connections.
• Slicer: A proprietary slicer is provided here, it’s called Lava Studio. According to Snapmaker though, the J1 can also be used via third-party slicers.