Another 3D printer manufacturer seems to have exited the business.
Ankermake, the “maker” brand of tech giant Anker, launched the M5C desktop 3D printer a few years ago. At the time, it was an intriguing device, able to print at very high speeds (for the time), and offering a unique smartphone interface. It was easy to use and also inexpensive, as you will see in our 2023 review.
Today, the device does not appear on their website at all. Under their “Products/3D Printers” section, we see only sales of filament and certain spare parts for the M5C.
In fact, I’ve read threads indicating some M5C operators are having trouble obtaining parts for their equipment from Ankermake, leaving the long-term viability of the M5C in serious doubt.
What’s going on?
There are two factors that certainly had a lot to do with Ankermake exiting the 3D printer business.
The first was the incredible success of Bambu Lab, which appeared on the market about the same time as the M5C. The Bambu equipment was even more powerful, carried a good price, and was more reliable and easier to use than the M5C. Ankermake didn’t have much opportunity to succeed.
The second and perhaps more important development was Ankermake’s launch of the eufyMake E1 UV printer. This is not a 3D printer, but more of a 2D printer that can produce textures. It uses a resin process that creates full-colour, slightly 3D surfaces. These can be applied to paper or other objects.
Ankermake launched the product on Kickstarter, where it collected an astounding US$47M in orders, vastly more cash than the company would ever generate from desktop 3D printer sales. They gathered almost 18,000 orders for the device.
Clearly, the company has thrown their resources at the UV printer and abandoned 3D printers. In fact, if you go to ankermake.com, it now lands on eufymake.com. The Ankermake brand seems to be mostly gone.
Because of intense competition in the desktop 3D printer market, they’ve shifted to another product area — and apparently quite successfully.
This is yet another desktop 3D printer manufacturer that has stepped out of the scene, like Kingroon and no doubt a number of others. The industry is clearly in consolidation mode, and we will now see other competitors gradually fade away, leaving only a few large companies remaining in a few years.
The question is, which companies will they be?
Via Ankermake
