Snapmaker U1: status and timeline · The Techno Optimist

Snapmaker U1

Make multicolour and multi-material printing fast and low-waste at hobbyist prices, by swapping whole print heads instead of purging one nozzle at every colour change.

DeployStage 4 of 5

Kickstarter orders shipped by Dec 2025 (company); on retail sale in 2026.

Updated 23 Dec 2025Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

No announced next step

Snapmaker Original (3-in-1) ships2017Complete.
J1 with two independent extruders2022Complete.
U1 Kickstarter: $20.6M, 20,680 backersSep 2025Complete.
All Kickstarter orders shipped (company)23 Dec 2025Complete.

Most important updates

Current obstacles

Open top by defaultThe base model has no lid; an optional top cover is needed for warmer chambers and warp-prone materials.

Physics limits

Parked heads ooze and coolA waiting hotend must be kept hot or reheated before use, and molten plastic drips from it, so tool changers trade purge waste for reheating time and wiping.
Four nozzles must line upEach head must land within a fraction of a layer height of the others or colours misalign, so every swap depends on precise mechanical docking and calibration.

How it works

3 parts

Four parked heads

A head per colour

Each colour has its own hotend and filament path; the carriage picks up one head at a time while the others wait parked.

No purge

Why less waste

A new colour never passes through the old colour's nozzle, so there's no need to flush filament into a purge pile.

Fast frame

CoreXY motion

CoreXY motion at up to 20,000 mm/s², running Klipper firmware and an OrcaSlicer-based slicer.

Spec sheet

Spec	Snapmaker U1
Print heads	4^R (reported)
Tool swap (company)	About 5 s^R (reported)
Build volume	270 × 270 × 270 mm^R (reported)
Max print speed	500 mm/s^R (reported)
Max acceleration	20,000 mm/s²^R (reported)
Nozzle temperature	Up to 300 °C^R (reported)
Waste vs filament swapping	80% less (company claim)^R (reported)
Kickstarter raise	$20.6M from 20,680 backers^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

2 updates

Tue 23 Dec 2025

Minor: Snapmaker says all U1 Kickstarter orders have shippedBlogManufacturing

Tue 30 Sep 2025

Major: Snapmaker U1 tool changer becomes the most-funded 3D printer in Kickstarter historyPressFunding

About Snapmaker

The team behind Snapmaker U1

Snapmaker

Desktop 3D printers, U1 tool changer

Shenzhen maker of desktop fabrication machines, from 3-in-1 printer/laser/CNC tools to the U1, a four-head tool-changing 3D printer that is Kickstarter's most-funded 3D printer.

U1 raised $20.6M from 20,680 backers in 2025, the most-funded 3D printer on Kickstarter.
Swaps among four separate print heads instead of purging one nozzle between colours.
Says every U1 Kickstarter order shipped by 23 December 2025.

snapmaker.com (opens snapmaker.com)Company profile →

Founded: 201610 yrs
Headquarters: China
Status: Private
Valuation: private
Works in: ManufacturingDesktop 3D printers
Coverage: 1 program · 2 updateslatest 23 Dec 2025checked 11 Oct
Partners: Polymaker

Spec

Snapmaker U1

Print heads

4^R (reported)

Tool swap (company)

About 5 s^R (reported)

Build volume

270 × 270 × 270 mm^R (reported)

Max print speed

500 mm/s^R (reported)

Max acceleration

20,000 mm/s²^R (reported)

Nozzle temperature

Up to 300 °C^R (reported)

Waste vs filament swapping

80% less (company claim)^R (reported)

Kickstarter raise

$20.6M from 20,680 backers^R (reported)