AFC-Klipper-Add-On support for the Snapmaker U1 has finally been released to the public. The whole goal behind AFC is giving you the ability to attach a filament changer unit (like a BoxTurtle, ViViD, etc) to your printer for automated multi-spool and multi-color printing, and that’s now possible on the U1 too. On top of that, AFC also manages filament for you directly, so U1 owners get real value out of it even without a filament changer attached.
What AFC actually gives you
-
Attach a filament changer unit (BoxTurtle, ViViD, HTLF, EMU, etc.) to your U1 to get automated multi-spool and multi-color printing
-
Easy tool remapping: for example, mapping a print’s T0 calls to your physical T3, without having to re-slice or edit gcode
-
Spoolman integration: automatic spool and filament tracking, usage stats, active spool switching, and per-spool temperature settings, all tied to what’s actually loaded
-
Infinite spool / runout handling: if a spool runs out mid-print, AFC can automatically switch to a backup spool as defined by the user, since AFC does not automatically choose the next spool and leaves this decision up to you, instead of failing the print. On toolchangers this same runout detection also covers the toolhead itself, so a stuck or empty tool gets caught too
-
Automatic filament color/material on-screen: pulled from your spool data (when set) instead of entered by hand
-
Fluidd/Mainsail status panels for all lanes and tools in real time, beyond what the stock U1 screen shows
More features AFC provides can be found here: https://www.afcproject.dev/features.html
What’s new for U1 owners specifically in this release
-
Also works directly with the U1’s built-in side feeders, no filament changer unit required to get AFC’s load/unload logic
-
Pause/resume and power-loss-resume that works correctly with AFC-managed tool changes
-
Automated toolhead movement during PTFE calibration
-
Additional toolchanger states surfaced in Fluidd/Mainsail
-
CAN bus works on the machine with a proper USB to CAN bus dongle, in my setup everything is running CAN except for the ViViD.
Still in beta
Toolchanger support (which the U1 integration builds on) is still in beta. Configuration and behavior may continue to change in upcoming releases. Full Snapmaker U1 support isn’t complete yet either, more is coming. See https://afcproject.dev/toolchanger/snapmaker.html for exactly what’s supported today and what isn’t.
Roadmap
-
ACE Pro line of filament changers: not implemented as part of this release, currently being worked on by discord user j0eb0l
-
More features that take advantage of what paxx12 has added to the Snapmaker Extended firmware
-
And much more things to come…
Firmware
This integration is built against a U1 firmware binary based on paxx12’s extended firmware. You can find it in the AFCProject Discord’s snapmaker-u1 channel, as this is how you will install and update AFC-Klipper-Add-On to your printer.
For AFC-related support, it would be better to ask in the AFCProject Discord rather than here (see #snapmaker-u1 or #software-help there, invite link can can be found on the AFC GitHub page and documentation site). That’s where the AFC devs and a group of experienced AFC/toolchanger users hang out, so questions get answered a lot faster there than in the Snapmaker Discord. It’s also where you’ll find the firmware binary mentioned above.
You can still ask questions here but I may just be slower to respond to them.
I have attached a picture of whats currently attached to my U1
Here are also some older videos of AFC running on U1 printer’s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qucteUi0_ww
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXkjTHfpvOY - by Joe Bol
My current setup
Also there is a printers modification post in the official Snapmaker discord : Discord