Snapmaker 2.x+ Enclosure & PSU Wishlist

After using my Snapmakers for a bit I wanted to share my opinion on some possibilities for future upgrades, replacement parts, or the next generation for the enclosure and PSU only. This is based around my use of my original Snapmaker and Snapmaker 2.0 A350… so take it with as many grains of salt as you want. Other people can chime in as well so we can help make the best possible “future”, and I may add more in the future as I think of them.

I have put this current list in order of priority for me.

Enclosure

  • More exposed mounting points for people to add DIY adjustments/add ons to it. The design of the enclosure is more “put it together this way” than the Snapmaker itself which leaves many mounting points available on it. This will also help for people wanting to mount multiple filament rolls, positioning their roll(s) differently, etc…
  • The ability to mount doors on whichever side and add the hall-effect sensors where the doors are not pre-attached to a specific bar. This could also allow people to have doors on both sides and front.
  • More control over the enclosure lighting. Have some defaults set in Luban maybe that allow it to be turned on automatically for a job (or not), flash if a problem is detected, etc… May also be useful to have at least one bar be RGBW so it can be implemented as a more dynamic status (plus RGBW lighting is such a craze anyways). Further, an EXTERNAL lighting bar option could be nice. Again mostly for status, but depending on location (such as along the bottom edge of the frame) it could be used for subtle lighting.
  • Slot-in acrylic for doors (or all panels). Rather than have the acrylic be a structural element of the doors they could be designed as a framework where the acrylic panels (being rectangular sheets) could just be slotted in from the top. This sets up the option for the next item, and a lower-priority request for different colors of acrylic.
  • Standard sized acrylic panels. Right now there are a large number of different size panels needed. Front door, side door, other side, back, top. 5 different types, 1 for each side, per enclosure type! Get rid of that as much as possible. Use a single size panel (relying on the slotting-in method above at least for doors), which could cut SKUs for the panels down to 3 (2 in an extreme scenario). One panel that is just solid. One panel that has a fan hole (and possibly the filament and power holes, allowing for the extreme scenario where everything routes through that one). By being panels a customer could place that special panel on a side, top, or back, wherever it works for them to have the connections. The 3rd panel (assuming all holes are not on the “extreme” one) would just have a smaller hole to allow for filament or power (that hole would be the same size for either purpose). A couple of these could be included for each enclosure so someone could have their filament and power come in different spots, but at least one cap should be included so they can cap off the filament hole for non-filament purposes (like CNC or laser use).
  • Different acrylic colors. Yes, I know there is a reason for the tint as it is for visibility while still attempting to block some laser scatter. However, not everyone uses a laser. So selling alternative acrylic colors (from clear to opaque) could be beneficial. Even if it was just for the doors for example, it would let me check on my 3D print easier, or CNC work.
  • Directly support the Snapmaker from the bottom of the enclosure. The enclosure should not just clamp the feet loosely in place but should instead directly connect to the Snapmaker base (maybe even REPLACE the feet). This would make it all one unit, easier to move as a whole (more important for the smaller models) but also more stable. This could also be a factor for the next item for stacking.
  • Additional modularity, in that the corners could be left accessible so that additional sections could be stacked or added. Maybe someone wants to add a more general filament storage, parts bins, etc. Maybe a shop is gearing up to have a series of these together and wants it more integrated.
  • Add-ons for storing the tools box and tool heads not currently in use, plus spare parts, etc…

Power Supply

  • Quieter Fan - The back PSU fan has got to be replaced with something quieter. I just replaced mine this morning with something the same size, cheap, and almost no difference in power consumption, but it has higher rated airflow and it is so much quieter. Honestly, it makes me wonder where Snapmaker tries some of this stuff because it makes a huge differences in my hobby room/home office… Plus if the size of the PSU is reworked (further down the list) then a larger (quieter and more airflow) fan could be used.
  • Positioning of the power button. It would be more useful to me if it was at the front of the power supply due to how it always ends up getting positioned, and the lack of any “soft power” option.
  • Mounting options. The current PSU is separate and just hangs out there. If it could be more directly integrated into the space of the Snapmaker, such as a mounting option to the frame or enclosure, this would be far more preferable than having it loose like it is now.
  • Control over the internal lighting of the PSU. While it is fairly subtle and not too annoying, there are times I want to just turn off the lighting or make it more useful with an RGBW lighting array that is controllable (maybe to implement a color status?). But no matter what, it requires controlling it.
  • Different size. Obviously this depends a lot on the amount of power being dealt with but I think the current thin design is limiting (especially for the PSU fan). I would be fine with a more cubic size, especially if it can be tied into the overall space of the overall Snapmaker itself. This will also be impacted by mounting options (above) of course.
  • USB-C cabling. I think this could be a plus in the future. Even if Snapmaker has to run multiple USB-C cables to provide sufficient power to different modules (not sure that would actually be needed) but this would make it a lot easier to run things around and less concerns about “did I use the correct one”. Plus, having a couple EXTRA ports on the power supply itself would help power those DIY extras people want to add on (ex: cameras) or just as general charging while they are near their device.
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