How Snapmaker’s U1 Printer Makes Multicolor Prints Faster and Wastes Less Filament
Four Toolheads Cut Changeover
The U1’s central feature is a set of four separate toolheads. A single-toolhead printer must clip filament, clear excess material from the nozzle and feed in another color each time it switches.
Complex jobs can involve hundreds of such changes, adding idle time and wasted filament. The U1 can switch among a limited number of colors without changing filament, reducing both losses.
Testing Shows Practical Results
The tester logged more than 165 hours of use, printing everything from detailed miniatures to large vases and workshop accessories. The resulting prints were described as crisp and detailed, with little fuss.
For a comparison, the tester printed mirrored mask cheeks on the U1 and the Bambu P2S, identified as the current Best Overall printer. The article says the difference in print time and material was striking, even for a small, hand-sized job.
Full Spectrum and Filament Limits
Full spectrum printing blends colors by placing thin, semi-translucent filament layers over one another. The open-source technique works especially well with multiple toolheads, and Snapmaker’s slicer includes it at no extra cost.
The tested U1 lacked a top lid, though Snapmaker offers a lid and HEPA/activated carbon filter add-on for $150. Even with the lid, the printer has no active chamber heater, which can make ASA and ABS printing difficult; the account also describes the printer as tested for about a year while placing its launch in late 2025 and initial testing earlier this year.
Key points
- Testing included more than 165 hours of prints, from miniatures to large vases.
- Snapmaker’s slicer supports full spectrum printing at no extra cost.
- The U1 has no active chamber heater, making ASA and ABS printing difficult.