Don't buy a snapmaker it is of poor quality

Hello,

I think I need to share this.

I bought a Snapmaker in the summer of 2022, an F350 model, equipped with both a laser and a print head.

Soon after, I had to replace the bed drivers. I spent hours testing!


See details here: F350 layer shift 3D print - #2 by noviceiii

It was under warranty.

Not long after, I had to replace the top-down moving drivers. That was also under warranty.

But it was a hassle anyways because I had to pay import fees due to incorrect customs declarations each time. They should have declared it as a replacement part, not as new. Even though I mentioned this in the ticket and shipping notes the second occasion.

Stupid me bought a dual extruder. You may now it has its limits with the feeders.
Did I mention the cabling already? It is so dilettante that the cables lock themselves if the printer moves.

In December 2024, suddenly the display went black. I had to replace the controller unit, but it was out of warranty by then, so I had to pay for the new controller. I did get a small discount, however.
Snapmaker shipped it to the wrong country, but I finally received the replacement today.

The display is working again but now shows an error message.

The support people are fantastic but honestly, Iā€™m tired of it and have decided to throw it in the bin. Never again Snapmaker.

Your experience does not seem to match that of most other users.

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I think your usage and knowledge is the problem. Making spaghetti is what happened because you werenā€™t watching the process carefully.

Itā€™s not that the Snapmaker machine is bad, itā€™s just that the settings donā€™t match.

Itā€™s broken, but did you unplug it while it was still on?

I use five Snapmaker A250s for daily production. I use them as dedicated machines for CNC, Laser 10w 2wIR, and 3D PRINTER, but if you study and use them properly, they rarely break down and there are no problems with the accuracy of the products you create.

Please search for and read past forum posts. I think there are many people who are saying the same thing as you.

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Your experience does not seem to match that of most other users.

This is probably and hopefully true. However, many people do have issues with snapmakers quality: this with the linear motors (quick tear down leads to jumps), the controller (display not connecting, display error, blank display), the cables (short cuts), extruder (filament wear; slipping).

e. g. some random google picks:

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I think your usage and knowledge is the problem. Making spaghetti is what happened because you werenā€™t watching the process carefully.

That is nonsensense.

As snapmaker is very honest about its flaws, the issues with the linear motors, possibility of controller failure, cable shortcut and early dual extruder issues where confirmed for particular manufacturing generations and repleacements offered in many cases. Which I consider as very professional.

For me this was the main point. You are not using your machine with the necessary care.
The cables do not get blocked if the Snapmaker is mounted correctly and there is enough space.
The only thing you could check is whether the heatbed cable gets caught on the axles.
I have been using many Snapmakers (A150, A250, A350, Artisan) for several years and I only know the heatbed cable problem from the forum. Unfortunately, I was stupid enough to buy two heatbeds in stock, which only take up space here :wink:

Snapmaker is very accommodating in the event of problems during the warranty period. Even in the case of clear misuse, things are replaced.
After the warranty period, they make a lot possible via support. So even individual parts that you canā€™t officially buy are often available on request for a reasonable price.

All in all, I canā€™t agree with the points. The running times of the machines and the necessary maintenance have not yet been a problem for me. Snapmaker could really do something about cable management, but only because it is chaotic and invites errors in assembly and less because it doesnā€™t do its job.

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That nickname tho :slight_smile:

Weā€™ve been through this so many times. I wish people who have success with snapmaker products on a daily basis were as loud as the negative crowd.

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[ā€¦] I wish people who have success with snapmaker products on a daily basis were as loud as the negative crowd.

This thread has no other negative comment but many positive voices who take strong position for Snapmaker. I donā€™t understand your compliant.

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For me this was the main point. You are not using your machine with the necessary care.

The machine is in good hands. Has plenty of space, a solid standing, room temperature, dry, no direct sunlight and hasenā€™t been moved or touched (beside filament change) sinse September 2022. The controller stopped working mid printing.

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After the warranty period, they make a lot possible via support. So even individual parts that you canā€™t officially buy are often available on request for a reasonable price.

I have made that good experience.
Altough I had wished to have to parts working a bit longer than a few months after the waranty period.

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Snapmaker could really do something about cable management, but only because it is chaotic and invites errors in assembly and less because it doesnā€™t do its job.

Voilaā€¦

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All in all, I canā€™t agree with the points.

You donā€™t have to agree!
And I once was a very pro too. See here: Humble improvement ideas F350 (3D Print) - Snapmaker 2.0 - Snapmaker: where creation happens

But however, this isnā€™t a post about the good things: it is about my machine that obviously never was of strong health.

It is absolutely okay to do that. It is absolutely okay to try to warn people. But here are also users without Hardware problems who will wrote that also :wink:
There are obviously Problems on 2.0 with unsecured USB cable connection for touchscreen for example. That are bad design desicions, but snapmaker is still learning. In Artisan there is no touchscreen anymore and i think this is also a result of the problems of the 2.0 machines.

And when you hate the 2.0 cable management, please do not buy an Artisan. It is much worse there.

That is the nature of all support forums worldwide.
The majority of users is there because of problems. This brings a wrong view to the products.

When i am buying a product, the last thing i check is the support forum. Even if there are several complaints, you simply cannot compare it to the total number of sold units.
But that would be required to get a realistic view to the quality of a product.

Even if 10 users complain, it would make a difference if 100 units are sold or 100.000

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The display is working again but now shows an error message.

I did investigate on that issue. It happens only, if the dual extruder is connected.
Very well then, I have a dual extruder that isnā€™t working any longer to after around two years of moderate use. Just out of the blue.
I gonna open a new ticket and start the hassle again. It IS a tiny bit frustrating. Sorry, I am obviously not adult enough to just accept it.

I donā€™t know man ā€¦

And before the good people complain about my post: Yes, many many others have issues with dual extruder

Iā€™ve been getting that lately and I donā€™t have the dual extruder, just the single. Not sure what is going on yet. Havenā€™t had that before and Iā€™m over 2 years on the SM2. Iā€™m doing usb transfers. After it gives me that message, it does seem fine, but it bothers me to see it. I have had a couple cheaper USBs die but they didnā€™t do that.

I have read and followed this thread with interest. I own 6 snapmaker machines including F350T, 1 A350, 3x 350T, and A150 and have been using them for about 3 years for 3d printing, cnc and laser. I have all modules including 10w and 40w laser and the dual extruder. I consider myself an experienced snapmaker user and have created many succesful designs. I have had some issues and mechanical failures but have always found the techical support team to be very helpful. With respect to the 40w laser, despite many different trials and settings, it will only operate if i turn off the fire detection sensor. It works fine without the sensor but i always keep a close watch on the job. With respect to the dual extruder, on the very first attempt of calibration the machine drove the extruder into the base plate because of a faulty sensor. Snapmaker replaced the sensor under warranty and they aldo teplaced the door and other bits and pieces. However no matter what i try ive never been able to successfully 3d print an object in dual colour. For this reason i bought a Bambu A1 printer with AMS. I was so impressed with this printer i bought another a week laterā€¦ ive had the 2 bambu printers for aboit 4 months and have literally printed hundreds of multicoloured, multi-material designs. From my expreience the bambu A1 printer is far superior to any Snapmaker printer. It is more accurate, much faster and much cheaper. I also found the Bambu studio software to be much better than Luban. I still retain all 6 snapmaker machines but i use one for parts and the others for Laser cutting, engraving and 2d and 3d cnc carving. I use the bambu printers for 3d printing. So my recommendation is that if you are only interested in 3D printing, a bambu printer will give you far better results at a much cheaper cost. I would very much like to hear others that may have moved to other machines.

Avoid Bambu Labs. Theyā€™re trying to lock down their ecosystem and prevent third-party modifications/improvements. If you care about open hardware and software, donā€™t go down the BambuLabs route.

That said, they do make good 3D printers but also you canā€™t really compare a single function machine with the Snapmaker. Yeah, Snapmaker is not the best 3D printer, but it can do 3D printing, laser cutting, and CNC.

Iā€™m impressed that you have 6 Snapmaker machines, but if you have the room to house 6 Snapmakers, I donā€™t think the Snapmaker was designed with you in mind. It shines most for people who have limited workspace who want to do all three functions.

If you have that much space you can get 3 separate machines all of which will probably better operate on their single function than the Snapmaker. But for those like myself who donā€™t have that room, the Snapmaker is the best option.

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100% right. If I had the place (and money) . I buy a Sorotec Alu Line 0610 for CNC. 100W CO2 laser 900mm*600mm and resin printer.

I have been using three 2.0 series for 2.5 years and had little problems that were not my lack of reading. I have about 4500 hours between the 3 and have made over 1000s parts for drone lighting and accessory mounts. Prior to that I had 5 other 3D printers which arent even close to the 2.0 series. I had several of the linear motors go bad thats about it. As a old journeyman Tool and Die maker I like the beam contruction. Very nice design.

I unfortunately just discovered that my prints are failing if it goes above 220 mm. I fear what I might discover when investigating this.

I must have had very bad luck with my machine. Itā€™s a never ending chain of issues. I fix something, something new breaksā€¦

@me

The display is working again but now shows an error message.

I was able to clear the message be reinstalling the firmware from USB.
Yes, this might imply that the display doesnā€™t know the firmware of the controller.

A ā€œforce reinstall firmwareā€ button would be handy on the screen.

@fkjm1b

I would very much like to hear others that may have moved to other machines.

I have the intention to sell my Snapmaker and to buy separate machines for 3D Printing and laser related things.

Bambu would be among my new favorites if there was not their recent change in software strategy.

However, Iā€™ll wait 3-4 months. Until then, other vendors might have catched up with Bambu. And I can imagine that Bambu may have reconsidered their software strategy. Or Octoprint might work with Bambu.

And yes: I like the design and overall stability of my Snapmaker too. And the F350 is rather silent and quick too. I am just frustrated to replace failing parts over again - and to pay for them.

However no matter what i try ive never been able to successfully 3d print an object in dual colour.

I never had a successfull dual-extruder print neither.
But I have high hopes in the new slicer software ā€œOrcaā€. It looks pretty promising on single extrusion - it makes fast and clean prints - and Iā€™ll do some testing with the dual extruder soon.

@IronSky

Prior to that I had 5 other 3D printers which arenā€™t even close to the 2.0 series. I had several of the linear motors go bad thatā€™s about it.

You are probably more patient or forgiving than me regarding the linear motors.

Prusa with their CoreXY-machines (XL and Core One) might be interesting for those that shy away from Bambulab.