Snapmaker U1 Blasts Past the $7-Million Mark in Under a Day on Kickstarter
Snapmaker's U1 toolchanging 3D printer is finally live on Kickstarter for backing, and the initial reception suggests it's a hot ticket, surpassing all previous Snapmaker campaigns in a single day.
We’ve been keeping tabs on Snapmaker’s U1 toolchanger ever since a photograph of it, then co-branded with xTool, leaked back in March. xTool is no longer involved, and Snapmaker confirmed the U1’s existence as recently as July and pegged August as the month to watch for the machine’s launch on Kickstarter.
Ultimately, August 19 was the day, and now after less than 24 hours of being live and available for backing on Kickstarter, the U1 has leapfrogged Snapmaker’s two other campaigns both for backers and pledges. At the time of writing this article, the U1 has 8,056 backers pledging $7,391,239 between them.
Kickstarter campaigns in numbers
Recapping the core specs, most of which we’ve known since July, the U1 offers four toolheads using Snapmaker’s so-called SnapSwap toolchange mechanism. The hot ends reach 300 °C, the bed 100 °C, and you have 270 x 270 x 270 mm build volume to print in. Automatic filament feeding is one thing we’re particularly excited about. Significant material and time savings over single-nozzle systems are the key selling point Snapmaker is pushing for the U1. The Kickstarter campaign page illustrates the kind of savings you could make with the printer compared to single-nozzle material changer systems, including up to $859 of savings in a year printing “life hacks.”
Unhelpfully generic examples aside, the point Snapmaker is making which we know to be true, is that toolchangers are vastly more efficient at multicolor and multi-material printing, reducing the need to purge as a single-nozzle system would.
We’re sure the devil in the detail for the U1 will lie with calibration and how exactly the U1 manages to keep four nozzles aligned in all axes of movement. Helpfully, an animation on the Kickstarter campaign page hints at this, with a touch-off nozzle calibration not dissimilar to how the company’s J1 independent dual extrusion 3D printer aligns its nozzles. The animation suggests the U1 dips the nozzle into a circular recess on the print bed, touching off against the sides and bottom to log the offsets and, we assume, compensate the differences when printing.
Further modern conveniences will come with the U1 it seems, including app-based control, full multicolor control via the Snapmaker Orca slicer, plus a print monitoring camera and the ability to detect spaghetti and foreign objects on the build plate.
The temps are there for spicier filaments like polycarbonate, though the standard U1 is not fully enclosed, nor does it have a heated chamber. Snapmaker does list an optional hood accessory with air filter alongside a claim of a chamber temperature up to 50 °C, though it’s unclear if this is active heating or an indication of what the hood can passively help achieve. Likewise, a hardened steel hot end accessory pack is listed, again suggesting the standard U1 is not really suitable for tougher engineering-grade prints.
Early bird pledges at $749 (MSRP $999) are still available, though given the campaign’s current trajectory and with 41 days left to run, that’s unlikely to be the case for long. Check it out on Kickstarter for more.
Editor's Note – This article highlights a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. Kickstarter is not a shop; campaigns are under no legal obligation to deliver on crowdfunding promises, nor offer refunds on unfulfilled campaign rewards. For more insight, read our article 8 Things to Watch for When Backing a 3D Printing Kickstarter.
Stay Informed, Save Big, Make More
Get our bi-weekly newsletter for the latest 3D printing news, deals, and guides.
We do not share your information! You can unsubscribe at any time.
By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy.
Read more recent news:
License: The text of "Snapmaker U1 Blasts Past the $7-Million Mark in Under a Day on Kickstarter" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.