# Snapmaker U1 by Snapmaker

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/manufacturing/u1
Frontier: [Manufacturing](https://technooptimist.io/manufacturing.md) · Field: Desktop 3D printers · Company: [Snapmaker](https://technooptimist.io/companies/snapmaker.md)
Stage: Deploy (4 of 5: Research → Proto → Pilot → Deploy → Scaling)
Updated: last update 2025-12-23, facts checked 2026-10-11
Goal: 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.
Status: Kickstarter orders shipped by Dec 2025 (company); on retail sale in 2026.

## Milestones

| Status | Milestone | Date | Slip |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Done | Snapmaker Original (3-in-1) ships | 2017 |   |
| Done | J1 with two independent extruders | 2022 |   |
| Done | U1 Kickstarter: $20.6M, 20,680 backers | Sep 2025 |   |
| Done | All Kickstarter orders shipped (company) | 23 Dec 2025 |   |

## Most important updates

- **23 Dec 2025**: Snapmaker says all U1 Kickstarter orders have shipped. Snapmaker says every U1 Kickstarter order shipped by 23 December 2025, ahead of schedule. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/snapmaker-says-all-u1-kickstarter-orders-have-shipped-45fe6909.md) · [original source](https://www.snapmaker.com/en/about-us))
- **30 Sep 2025**: Snapmaker U1 tool changer becomes the most-funded 3D printer in Kickstarter history. The U1 campaign passed $20.1M from 20,206 backers by 30 September 2025, the most for any 3D printer on Kickstarter. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/snapmaker-u1-tool-changer-becomes-the-most-funded-3d-printer-in-1cbc60c9.md) · [original source](https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/snapmaker-u1-becomes-most-funded-3d-printer-in-kickstarter-history-244988/))

## Current obstacles

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

## Physics limits

- **Parked heads ooze and cool**: A 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 up**: Each 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

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

Provenance: reported = stated by the company; estimated = our estimate; sample = a sample figure.

## About Snapmaker

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.

- Founded: 2016
- Headquarters: CN
- Status: private
- Website: https://www.snapmaker.com
- Partners, customers, investors: Polymaker (partner)

Company page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/snapmaker.md

## Related programs

Everything in Manufacturing: https://technooptimist.io/manufacturing.md

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