Snapmaker U1

The Snapmaker U1 is a very interesting tool-changer 3D printer with four independent nozzles that I would love to get my hands on, but that has some issues that make me hesitant to pull the trigger.

• Faster and much less wasteful multi-material printing, with minimal color bleed
• Very appealing price point
• Supported in mainline OrcaSlicer (with caveats for now, since they supply their own fork)
• Nice design (even if the enclosure is mostly plastic)
• Runs a variant of Klipper, which Snapmaker has committed to releasing as OpenSource (so it should be maintainable for a long time)
• Has dynamic flow calibration
• Large build volume (270x270x270mm)

• Launched on Kickstarter (which is an immediate turn-off for me)
• Software seems to be Snapmaker’s weak point (as pointed out in many reviews, even if they have been running a beta program for months)
• Carbon fiber rod in the X axis (minor niggle, but has implications for long-term maintenance)
• Stainless steel (not hardened steel) nozzles, so no abrasive filament support
• Top cover is an extra (+US$140)
• External volume (584x499x730mm) is a bit too large for my current workspace
• Spool holders take a lot of additional space on the sides

I would love to get my hands on one and see how it performs in practice, but the Kickstarter launch alone makes me wary. I will likely wait for more user feedback before making a decision, even if I end up missing out on the initial low price.