Snapmaker concluded their record-breaking Kickstarter campaign, sort of.
I’m quite interested in Snapmaker’s progress because their U1 device is one that will cause gigantic change in the desktop FFF 3D print world.
Today that market is dominated by desktop machines that can print in multiple colors using a filament swapping accessory. That works well, except that vast amounts of waste material are produced, sometimes 5-10X that of the print itself. Sooner or later the industry would see this quite negatively, but did not because there was no other option at the same price point.
And then Snapmaker announced the U1, which offered a toolchanging system at about the same price point. This completely changes the market: those selling filament swapping machines have to rapidly convert into some sort of waste free technology. Operators will quickly realize that filament swapping machines means they will pay far more for materials than they would if using a waste free machine. The filament swapping market is therefore closing rapidly.
Interest is spectacularly high, as shown with Snapmaker’s Kickstarter campaign, which closed at the end of last month. They raised an astonishing US$20M, with over 20,000 orders. That is US$20M that is NOT going to be spent on filament swapping equipment.
The campaign was by far the largest ever on Kickstarter for a 3D printer launch. Here’s the comparison:
- Snapmaker U1 (2025): US$20.4M
- AnkerMake M5 (2022): US$8.9M (defunct)
- Snapmaker 2.0 (2019): US$7.8M
- Bambu Lab X1 (2022): US$7.0M
- Elegoo Jupiter (2022): US$4.7M
- Creality CR-6 SE (2020): US$4.4M
- The Micro (2014): US$3.4M (defunct)
- Elegoo Orangestorm Giga (2024): US$3.4M
Snapmaker has more than double the orders of the next most frequently backed project, the AnkerMake M5. That clearly shows that buyers absolutely want waste free 3D printers. Poop no more!
Incredibly, even though Snapmaker’s campaign ended, it actually hasn’t. On their campaign page they say:
“This project successfully funded on September 30, but you can still Late Pledge for available rewards.”
I’m now wondering if Kickstarter is changing from a launch platform to a sales platform.
Regardless, Snapmaker has most definitely changed the landscape for desktop 3D printing with the U1. At least two competitors, Prusa Research and Bambu Lab, have both announced or at least hinted that they are developing waste free 3D print solutions that should appear sometime later this year or next.
As for the other players in the industry, I am pretty certain they are scrambling to figure out a way to join the waste free party.
Via Kickstarter and Snapmaker
