Back in 2017, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of desktop manufacturing solutions Snapmaker, based in Shenzhen, China, launched its flagship product on Kickstarter: a system that could be purchased as a standalone 3D printer for $300, or as a combination 3D printer, CNC machine, and laser engraver for just under $450. The company then launched the Snapmaker 2.0 a couple of years later, far surpassing the already impressive haul of over $2 million reached in 2017 with a nearly $8 million crowdfunding campaign — at the time, the most successful tech product in Kickstarter’s history.

As the company recently announced it would be, it’s back once again on Kickstarter to launch the Snapmaker U1, a color 3D printer that the company claims is five times faster than comparable color printers. The main reason that Snapmaker is able to achieve that faster output rate is due to the use of just one-fifth of the filament required by color 3D printers currently on the market.

The standard price for the U1 will be $899, but thanks to an Early Bird reward offering on Kickstarter, customers have a brief window to get the machine for just $749. Snapmaker expects to start shipping its latest release from Shenzhen in October of this year.

Snapmaker U1. Image courtesy of Snapmaker.

While 3D printers have always been quite popular on Kickstarter, their popularity has been especially resurgent lately. Anker’s EufyMake E1, launched back in April, became the most successful crowdfunding campaign ever — on Kickstarter or any other platform — bringing in an incredible $46 million. Beyond 3D printers, a desktop injection molding machine I wrote about recently, the SALTGATOR, has so far beat its $15,000 funding goal by over $400,000, with more than two weeks still left in its campaign.

It’s not surprising that 3D printer OEMs would be continuously drawn to Kickstarter, given the close philosophical fit between 3D printing, especially in the desktop market, and the crowdfunding model. And as is frequently pointed out, the fact that Kickstarter helped launch a company like Formlabs, now one of the world’s most successful industrial 3D printer brands, means that no founder should ever feel like they’re somehow settling by turning to crowdfunding.

Tiger designed for Snapmaker U1.

Further, while I often see commenters take issue with established brands launching their products on the platform, I think it’s justified in certain cases. I agree that it wouldn’t make sense as a way for, like, Coca-Cola to launch a new flavor. However, for a brand like Anker, which was exiting FDM printer sales due to component shortages, and entering a new market with its E1 UV printer, I think Kickstarter is an almost ideal way to help de-risk a still fairly young company’s entry into a new market.

The same can be said about Snapmaker’s utilization of Kickstarter to enter the market for color 3D printers. That’s a market that still continues to face significant challenges, despite persistent signals suggesting the vast demand potential that’s out there, mainly owing to the precise problems that Snapmaker is attempting to address: slow output, and material waste.

Thus, in addition to providing insight into Snapmaker’s appeal, and demonstrating the extent to which the latest surge in Kickstarter desktop manufacturing solutions has legs, the U1 launch should be highly instructive to the whole 3D printing industry concerning the state of consumer demand for color 3D printers. What will be even more instructive are the reviews that come out once the first machines start to be delivered a couple of months from now.

Images courtesy of Snapmaker