3D printer The Snapmaker 2.0 surpasses the Snapmaker Original
The Snapmaker 2.0 surpasses the Snapmaker Original in many ways, not least for the mind-boggling ~$8-million it raised on Kickstarter, smashing records, and setting expectations sky-high.
Available in three sizes, the smaller A150 could be considered the direct replacement for the Snapmaker Original, superseding the itty bitty 125 x 125 x 125mm build volume with a 160 x 160 x 145 mm, space plus all of the improvements the Snapmaker 2.0 system brings. Three primary tool heads – 3D printing, laser engraving, and CNC cutting – making use of Snapmaker’s modular architecture are the main show. Once Kickstarter obligations are complete, the company will focus on bringing further tool heads and add-ons to the machine.
We tested the larger A350 variant and found it to be exceptionally slick with bags of potential. It’d be negligent of us to say it was perfect – check out our review – but testing a new product so early on in its lifecycle was bound to throw up problems. We wouldn’t rely on it in the professional environment yet, but it’s ideal for personal projects.
The Snapmaker 2.0 is the 3-in-1 with the best bang-to-buck ratio, especially the A350, which offers a staggering 320 x 330 x 350 mm build volume for printing, lasering and CNC cutting.
Wrangling all of the Snapmaker 2.0’s functions comes in the Snapmaker Luban software. At the time of publishing this piece, the 3D printing portion is a little inflexible when held against contemporary slicers. But, the integration of laser and CNC control and job preparation tools – camera-assisted job placement for laser engraving, for example – make up for some of the shortcomings.