Snapmaker 2.0 Rotary Module Coming This Winter
over 3 years ago – Thu, Oct 01, 2020 at 09:49:26 PM

Hi all, we are pleased to announce that the Snapmaker 2.0 rotary module is coming this winter. In this last update, we will show you a sneak peak of the Snapmaker 2.0 rotary module and a quick demo.

Snapmaker 2.0 Rotary Module

The Snapmaker 2.0 rotary module has finally arrived. Imagine adding a fourth axis to your Snapmaker 2.0. You are essentially enabling a more advanced CNC technology on your Snapmaker. The rotary module comes in 3 pieces and the installation is super simple. Simply fix the module to the MDF waste board and connect the module to the main controller with the 8-pin connector, which allows for extremely low latency and a high synchronization rate, and then you are all set.

Once you have set up the rotary module, you can start working in a "new" dimension. This opens up endless possibilities and you can machine in ways you couldn't before. For instance, CNC machining 3D models such as wooden statues and tabletop miniatures can be achieved easily with the new rotary module, and the works that come out of it are more complicated and have more depth as compared to using regular 3-dimensional CNC machining. 4-axis rotary machine is the leading CNC technology and it is great for people that want to carve lively creations.

The rotary module is compatible with the Snapmaker 2.0 A250 and A350. It is also integrated with the touchscreen and the Snapmaker Luban. Everything will work together as it should to improve your workflow and users will get an update on the touchscreen when the rotary module is launched. We will also release Origin Assistant, an application on the touchscreen, to ease your setup process for the rotary module.

The Snapmaker 2.0 rotary module is going to be available on our website this winter. You can sign up for our newsletter to get the latest release information.

Beta Version Showcase

To ensure that the quality of the rotary module meets our standard and is as premium as the Snapmaker 2.0, we use the same manufacturing technology from the Snapmaker 2.0 for durability. The rotary module has the same characteristically sleek design and performs with high precision. The minimum angle of rotation is 0.05° and the gear ratio is 1:100, which is much more precise than industrial grade CNC machining. The rotary module is engineered for desktop applications for hobbyists and non-production purposes.

Rotary Module Demo

Here we will show you a quick demo of the Snapmaker 2.0 Rotary Module. All samples shown in the picture were done in the past two weeks using the beta versions of the Snapmaker Luban and Origin Assistant. What we were trying to test was the accuracy of the rotary module and if the results were consistent. Also, we were trying to get the print to have as many details as possible, so we CNC carved three figures with different levels of detail. We also monitored the printing speed for each model. The Formula One racing car, astronaut, and trophy were each printed under 15 hours.

This is a just sneak peak of the Snapmaker 2.0 rotary module. We will release more addons and accessories later this year. More information will be released in our newsletter and blog. Please subscribe so you can learn about our progress. You can also join our Facebook groups and forum to participate in the ongoing conversations. Thank you all, and we will see you in our newsletter and blog.

All the best,

Team Snapmaker

Thank You, All Backers
over 3 years ago – Thu, Oct 01, 2020 at 09:47:46 PM

Hi all, we are extremely happy to announce that the Snapmaker 2.0 campaign has finally come to an end. Looking back, we’ve gone through many ups and downs but the end result proves it is all worth it. We’ve fulfilled our commitment to our backers and we wanted to thank you all for your continued support from the bottom of our hearts. We’ve made a Thank You Page solely for you guys and let’s do a quick recap of our journey together.

Thank You Page Made Just for You

To celebrate the fulfilment of our second Kickstarter campaign, we’ve made a Thank You Page for you. We sincerely thank you all for your support over the years. Without you, we wouldn’t be where we are today. And you guys have a special place in our hearts. For that reason alone, you are worth a dedicated Thank You Page and much more. We hope that you will continue to support us and we will continue to deliver services that would aid you on your making journey.

We Started Off Strong, Super Strong

On May 7, 2019, Snapmaker came back to its origin, where it all started, Kickstarter. We decided to make a comeback after our first extremely successful campaign, the Snapmaker Original, in the hopes that this time we can bring something even better to the 3D printing community. The Snapmaker 2.0 was better than its predecessor in almost every way, with greater modularity, larger print volume, more advanced features, and better design. The Snapmaker 2.0 eventually broke a number of records, including becoming the fastest project ever to reach $1M on Kickstarter in just 7 minutes and the most funded technology project on Kickstarter history, raising more than 7.8M USD for the campaign.

Pre-Production Went Smoothly

We had been designing and refining the Snapmaker 2.0 and its components throughout our campaign and performed countless hours of testing on the Snapmaker 2.0. We knew that’s what it takes to build an ultimate maker tool. Eight different major types of tests were carried out, including the dimension measurement, appearance inspection, assembly test, function and performance test, reliability test, environmental adaptability test, safety test and user experience test on the linear module, 3D printing module, laser module, CNC module, touchscreen, controller, power module, and converter. All components were made with precision and we wanted to deliver the utmost user experience to our customers.

We had two pilot production runs before we ramped up our production. We did that so we could identify any unforeseen issues and had them resolved before we went into the main production phase. Down the road we improved the assembly methods and communicated with our suppliers to further ensure a consistent production for our components. We took an extremely safe approach to build your machines. And the quality of the Snapmaker 2.0 speaks for itself.

The First Batch Was Shipped in December 2019

After months of testing and evaluation, we started shipping the Snapmaker 2.0 in December 2019. More than 900 units of Snapmaker 2.0s were shipped and some of our engineers spent days and nights at the warehouse to monitor the production process. Our early bird backers received their machines and claimed that the unboxing experience was “Apple” like. At the same time, we were trying to increase our production capacity to the best of our abilities, and tried to avoid any potential delays. We wanted to deliver more machines to our customers so that they could get their rewards sooner, which was also why we wanted to relocate our warehouse.

But Then COVID-19 Hit

As we just started to ship the Snapmaker 2.0 for barely a month, a virus, now known as the COVID-19, broke out in central China and soon spread across the whole country. We were hit hard and couldn’t resume office for seemingly an indefinite amount of time. All Chinese self-isolated in order to stop the virus and we had to work from home for quite some time. It was really unfortunate, even more so that the fight is still ongoing as of this writing. Our production had to be further pushed back so we had to search for new solutions. We had to change our shipping methods and carriers in order to amend the situation while following the safety guidelines recommended by the World Health Organization. There were shipping delays but our community showed us unbelievable support and trust. It was really heart-warming and we wanted to help the maker community to fight back the pandemic as well. We helped share all the resources we had gathered from our community and reached out to our distributors to provide assistance where we can. We donated hundreds to a thousand face masks to each distributor in various countries and we believed that every little bit helps.

In the End, We Fulfilled Our Commitment in August 2020

In the face of adversity, we still stuck to our plan and moved our warehouse to a new place. Because of this, the production capacity was increased by 3 to 4 times. The production line was refined and improved, which was also one of the main reasons how we could effectively negate the problems caused by COVID-19. Over the last three months of the campaign, we shipped more than half of the total orders. That was more than the number of machines we shipped for six months prior. On August 27, 2020, the last batch of Snapmaker 2.0 was fulfilled. We were really fortunate that our community showed tremendous support in the hard times.

September marks the end of this Kickstarter campaign. It has been a memorable ride and we are forever grateful to people that have been supporting us since day one. Even though this campaign has come to an end, it doesn’t mean we are going to stop here. For us and our community, this is just the beginning. We mentioned that we are going to bring you the most modular 3D printer and we stick to our claim. So, in the future, there will be addons and accessories being rolled out and you would be able to create in more ways you can imagine. We are looking forward to your feedback and we are sure you are going to love the addons. We can’t wait to show you something exciting tomorrow. 😊

See you soon,

Team Snapmaker

Last Batch Shipped and Exciting News in September
over 3 years ago – Sat, Aug 29, 2020 at 09:29:58 PM

Hi all, it’s been almost too long. We are thrilled to announce that we have finished shipping all Kickstarter orders. The last batch #6 was fulfilled on 8/27/20 and we are moving on to pre-orders now. But this is not the end of the campaign. We have got some more exciting news to share with you in the next update and we will unveil something big on 9/29/20.

Batch #6 Fulfilled

First thing first, no this is not a click bait. We really did it. We’ve finished shipping all the remaining orders from batch #5 and batch #6, which are in total 3437 machines along with enclosures. To backers that have purchased the enclosure, whether you purchase it at the time of the survey or through the second offer in June, all of your enclosures have been shipped out either by sea or by air and you can expect their deliveries soon.

One thing to note is that for backers in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, your orders were shipped by sea, so the shipping might take a little bit longer. The transit time is approximately 30 days and you can expect a shipping notification and a tracking number when your package arrives in the destination country. To backers that are in the other regions, you should’ve received a shipping notification and a tracking number by now. Please let us know if you have any questions. You can reach us at [email protected] and we will help address your issue as quickly as possible.

One Important notice: there are some backers that haven’t submitted their surveys. Please fill out your surveys as soon as possible. While your machines are not going anywhere and we will help reserve your spots for 2 years, we want to send you your machines as quickly and early as possible.

Snapmaker 2.0 Firmware and Snapmaker Luban New Features

In case you missed it, we added some frequently requested features to the Snapmaker 2.0 firmware and the Snapmaker Luban. What did we achieve? Well, because we listen to our backers and we are constantly improving, both our hardware and software got better and will continue to do so. Besides the regular bugfixes and improvements implemented in each firmware and software updates, there are at least 3 key features added to the firmware that are especially worth-mentioning.

1.) The controller firmware code got completely refactored. The Z-offset will be reset when you re-calibrate in 3D printing and it will be memorized even after your Snapmaker 2.0 reboots.

2.) You can check for or change the Z-offset value before starting your print on the preview page or the printing page by swiping left.

3.) We’ve also added a feature where you can update the firmware wirelessly through Wi-Fi on the touchscreen directly by going to Settings --> Firmware Update. Continuous updates will be pushed out to your devices periodically to improve your user experience.

For the Snapmaker Luban, we’ve made a list below as well.

1.) We added a basic SVG editor. You can draw simple shapes and create a text box.

2.) We also added Object List in the Laser and CNC generators. You can hide or unhide an object by clicking on its eye icon. This helps with handling multiple projects at the same time.

3.) Manual IP input is also enabled for wireless connection.

4.) You can now save your files by going to File --> Save or Save As or upon closing the program.

What’s Next

As we are moving on to the next phase of the Snapmaker 2.0, we have some huge announcements to make in the next update(s). Many users value and enjoy the modularity and features offered on our Snapmaker products, and we know what our users want. That’s why we are going to release something that would excite our users (especially our CNC maker community). We can’t wait to show you what’s coming on 9/29/20.

This is a milestone for us. We are extremely happy that we have shipped all Kickstarter orders. This is not the end but instead merely a new beginning. We will see you all in September. 😊

Sincerely,

Team Snapmaker

Batch #5 Almost Fulfilled and One Last Batch to Go
over 3 years ago – Tue, Aug 04, 2020 at 12:18:59 AM

Hi backers, thank you all for your continuous support. Unfortunately, there are still 133 machines we haven’t fulfilled from batch #5 due to a shortage of accessories. The good news is that we will finish shipping the rest in the next couple of days. And to users in batch #6, we are sorry that we have kept you guys waiting for so long, but worry no more, we are already preparing the shipment for batch #6 while waiting for the accessories for batch #5. Without further ado, let’s do a quick recap of what happened in July.

Batch #5 Almost Fulfilled

• Batch 5 – Original Delivery: Feb.
• Batch 6 – Original Delivery: Mar.

The shipping progress has been decent. We have finished shipping almost all the orders from batch #5 and there were 1681 machines shipped in total! There are 133 machines left to fulfill. Out of those 133 machines, there are 41 machines that are ready to go and the rest is waiting for accessories. We will finish shipping the 133 orders in the next couple of days. However, the production didn’t stop because of the missing accessories and has moved on to batch #6. We are preparing the shipment for batch #6 while waiting for the accessories for batch #5. Please know that the same shipping schedule for the machine posted in Update #20 still applies, as the estimated shipping dates shouldn’t vary much from the actual shipping dates. We are still expecting to fulfill all Kickstarter orders before September.

The shipping of the new enclosure has been on track. We are now shipping enclosures along with machines, which means backers and future users will get their enclosures along with their machines at the same time. We are in the process of shipping the enclosures along with batch #5 of the machine. From now on, the new enclosure shipping schedule will follow that of the machine.

New Accessories on the Snapmaker Website and Filament on Amazon

We are fully aware that many people want us to release accessories and addons (coming soon) on our online store. We heard your voice and we did just that. Whether you are a Kickstarter backer or a regular user, you can purchase Snapmaker 2.0 accessories on the Snapmaker website with discounted pricing for a limited time before pre-order ends.

The new accessories that are available now on our official store are the Snapmaker 2.0 enclosure, PLA filament, Snapmaker 2.0 extruder hot end kit, Snapmaker 2.0 CNC platform, CNC bits, PETG filament, Snapmaker 2.0 material bundle, and Snapmaker 2.0 print sheet with double sided printing stickers. They are also available on the Snapmaker EU store.

Moreover, our filament, which is made from cornstarch, is also available on the U.S. Amazon currently. Please look for our U.S. official Amazon store with the name Snapmaker US, so you know you are getting the real deal.

Thank you all for your support as always. We’ve almost fulfilled batch #5 and to users in batch #5 that still haven’t received their machines, please wait patiently as the transit time on sea can be as long as a month. By then, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected]. We will answer any questions you have regarding the machine as promptly as possible. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Team Snapmaker

Delivery Update for Mid-July
almost 4 years ago – Tue, Jul 21, 2020 at 11:08:40 PM

Hi all, in this update we will bring you the latest shipping information, along with a reminder about what you should do when you receive your enclosure and some frequently asked questions.

Machine and Enclosure Shipping Progress

• Batch 5 – Estimated Delivery: July – Original Delivery: Feb
• Batch 6 – Estimated Delivery: August – Original Delivery: Mar

We are already in the process of fulfilling batch #5 of the Kickstarter orders. As of today, we’ve shipped out 456 machines from batch #5 to countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. That’s approximately 25 percent of the total orders in batch #5. As more machines are packaged and allocated and are ready to go, the shipping efficiency will increase near the end of the batch shipping cycle. For the new Snapmaker 2.0 enclosure, we’ve shipped out 1183 units, which is about 60 percent of the second batch. It is still expected that we can fulfill batch #5 of the machine and batch #2 of the enclosure by August.

Again, if your order is shipped by sea, you will receive a shipping notification and a tracking number once the package has arrived in the destination country. This applies to both the machine and the new enclosure and to backers in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

Neat Feature Added to the Snapmaker 2.0 Touchscreen

In Snapmaker 2.0 firmware version v.1.7.0.0, we’ve added support for the new enclosure on the touchscreen of the machine. You can access the enclosure management page by swiping left on the status page and turn on the LED strips or the exhaust fan with a single tap. The LED strips offers better lighting and the exhaust fan helps emit fume created by the laser module. The Door Detection feature is set to on automatically and activates if one or both of the side panels are opened. This helps reduce the chance of an accident. With every update, the workflow integration of the machine is getting better and better.

FAQs

1. Why hasn’t Snapmaker shipped my order yet, but they have shipped orders for backers with higher backer numbers?

We ship orders based on reward tiers but not on backer numbers. We would always ship orders with higher reward tiers first. So, if a backer with a higher backer number receives his or her machine before another backer does, that is because he is in a higher reward tier than the other backer.

2. How can a backer with a higher backer number be in a higher reward tier than a backer with a lower backer number?

A backer number usually indicates its reward tier, but sometimes there are exceptions. For example, if the 8000th backer backed us right after backer #1000 quit the campaign, the 8000th backer would become backer #8000 and actually take the spot of backer #1000, putting himself in a higher reward tier.

3. Why haven’t I received any tracking information such as a tracking number even though it says “machine shipped” on the Google Docs.?

For backers in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, due to shipping restrictions, we ship your orders by sea. The transit time is approximately a month and there wouldn’t be any tracking information available when packages are in transit. You will receive shipping notifications and tracking numbers once the packages have arrived in the destination countries.

We apologize for the previous delays. But things are getting back on track with the aid of increased production capacity and less strict shipping restrictions. Therefore, we don’t see the need to post a Kickstarter update very 2 weeks and will resume to the previous schedule, which is to release a Kickstarter update every month. Thank you all for your patience and happy making!

Sincerely,

Team Snapmaker