I think 2.0 owners are about to feel what the SM original buyers have felt.
Overpromised and under-delivered and then left behind.
-S
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No “about to” about it. Snapmaker effectively got me there by so severely overpricing the add-ons that were compatible with the 2.0 and doing nothing “open” to support the community (Octoprint ported to the touchscreen would have been terrific).
I would consider buying one of these to replace my Kickstarter A350. It would get me the 10w laser that was too expensive as an upgrade, a dual extruder, higher temperature support, and better resolution.
Unfortunately, I expect this to be woefully overpriced to the point that I will stop following Snapmaker altogether.
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People have a unreasonable sense of entitlement it seems. I don’t expect anything beyond the item itself once it is purchased. If additional enhancements or features come to fruition then that’s just a bonus. If history is any indication, Snapmaker will likely offer a discount to existing customers. I think they’ve been very good about doing that in the past.
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I guess you have figures on the limited number of users who updated some of their Snapmaker parts in the last few months and that’s why you affirm this group of potential buyers wouldn’t be significant. Please share your info.
I hope you enjoy the new Artisan. I’ll wait and buy the new 2023’s Architect, currently in development. Architect will fix and improve some issues on the Artisan that shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Due to development limitations, Architect is planned not to be compatible with Artisan. So I’ll wait.
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That’s great news, I’m looking forward to buying the Architect as well.
Considering the number of hours of use and enjoyment I’ve gotten out of my A250, I feel it was good value. I don’t feel I’m “owed” anything.
Thanks for sharing this announcement! I am really looking forward to the FAQ announced!
As always with Snapmaker, detailed information is a bit scarce on the page, so I make a few assumptions, when I here give my 5 cents:
Artisan GOOD:
- 400 mm³ work volume - cool! Size DOES matter
- Stronger CNC spindle - yeah!
- 18.000 rpm - yeah again!
- Still dust proof system - I liked this soo much on SM 2 already, and my doubts that the steel bands will break all the time did not come true. Good idea, good execution!
- 150-180 mm/s speeds officially supported - finally! A must for that build volume!
Artisan: What I’m doubtful about
- Claim for more rigid and durable linear modules - weeeell, that remains to be seen. Honestly the thing I’m most mad about at the Snapmaker team is the SM 2 linear module design. Diverging from “all metal” in such a vital part as the nuts on the lead screws, that’s close to plain stupid. Also, the leverage/mechanical stress is badly taken into account with the current design, making for wobbly beds, chatter in CNC milling etc. The new modules look indeed a bit better thought through - but just an image on the web page will not convince me here. More info needed!
- Portal design: I’m a bit confused here. The images look like the “classic” SM2 portal design, having a moving work platform. However, the enclosure as shown does not seem to have enough space to allow for the full platform movement. So what magic is happening here? I assume its just Photoshop Assuming a moving platform, I do not see supporting guide rails - and that again puts mechanical stress on the linear modules, a point often critizised on the SM2. The new modules need to be a lot more robust to allow for that. Also, the moving bed concept in my eyes has disadvantages, and most other manufacturers with large machines go to a Core XY design. That however is not good for CNC milling… difficult topic!
- Quick change system: Is it plastic? If so: I don’t like it. Full metal please - milling requires rigidity beyond plastic.
- 200 W spindle - why only 200W??? Would love 700+ W…
And a few more thoughts:
- Compatibility: With a new machine, I can accept that in some regards compatibility cannot be kept. However, the toolhead plug in the images seems to be the same as with SM2, and the CAN bus is future proof, so I can well see that Artisan modules work on SM2. I can even imagine a retrofit quick mount plate to fit to the SM2.
- Price: No Kickstarter this time? Oh well, that means most likely Snapmaker high-price politics… And that in the end most likely will be the dealbraker for me. I got my SM2 via Kickstarter campaign, and I guess I would not pay the list price for it, it is not good enough to justify that price IMHO. And if Artisan follows this route, as also indicated by the rotary module price, I’m out. I can’t justify this as a hobbyist. I’ll stick to my SM2 and modify it to be better, perhaps even better than the Artisan - who knows
- SM2 user base: I really hope that SM2 community is valued and SM2 gets improvements - however, with what is the fate of the Original users, I have my doubts… Still would be kindof OK for me - I mean, I got what I paid for - everything else is hope and wishfulness. Still, feels odd to be left behind I suppose…
- Heated bed: With 400x400 mm - will they go for a mains driven heater?
Long story short: Snapmaker team, please provide more facts, and perhaps this time do not only say “improved XYZ”, but what exactly has been improved and how.
Thanks and best wishes!
EDIT: Just found this: Snapmaker Artisan | Episode 1 | Next-Gen Linear Modules - Snapmaker Blog - interesting, more details! And a size comparison.
EDIT EDIT: In there: “As with the drive unit, we applied Gates high-end synchronous belts in the X and Y axes” - Belt driven! Now that came a s a surprise…
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It’s not about entitlement. It’s about what was actually said and promised when I purchased my SM.
-S
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Entitled is a strange choice of word. I’m no more entitled to anything additional from Snapmaker after my initial purchase than they are entitled to a subsequent purchase. Customer loyalty and repeat purchases have to be earned by keeping promises and providing a good product at a fair price. There are surely differing opinions on whether Snapmaker is succeeding in earning repeat business but entitlement has little to do with it.
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would this be the 3.00 product line
The quick releases being metal and backward compatible or something similar for the 2.0 product would be amazing.
@jabian @snapUser , where did you see info about the Architect? I didn’t find anything with a 30sec google search, nor a quick search of https://blog.snapmaker.com/.
I’m currently on a limited connection, so I’m not being as diligent as I should be before asking. If you don’t want to say, I’ll try harder when I have a better connection.
Dang I just bought the 2.0 a month ago. Very excited to see what new developments were made though.
On the facebook page i just received a message from Melitta Yan.
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I am quite miffed about two things:
- It seems to me, that nobody thought it important or worthwhile, to inform snapmaker customers about this. I bought my 2.0 in the crowdfunding campaign, which is a show of support on my side. I have not been disappointed in the end result, and the latest linear modules are indeed better than what the machine came with. I am glad I upgraded, but now have a set of modules (the louder ones), which I have no use for. I would have appreciated a “heads up” so that perhaps I could instead get the new system, where the quick change between heads and modes is an absolutely great feature. But, NO.
I had to learn about the existence of this thing from a post about new linear modules… WTF?
Also, it seems that there are better-informed users here who already heard about something called the “Architect” coming in 2023. Can we have some clarity, please? I am probably going to be just fine with my 2.0 for quite some time, but am disappointed in how we, existing customers are treated here in terms of information on new products, plans, upgrades, etc.
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I seem to understand that this was a bit of irony… I suppose there’s no Architect… yet
hey, I have just updated a post related to the compatibility, check here: The Modules Compatibility Between Artisan & Snapmaker 2.0
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I couldn’t agree more, this is my second snap maker system purchase and every time I buy one they sunset it and make the new attachments only compatible with the new unit that’s coming out. I’m done spending money on snapmakers. If you don’t make the attachments backwards compatible I will sell my snapmakers and go someplace else. I’m tired of you ghosting us previous customers every time you come out with the new unit.
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That’s exactly what I am referring to - for me it sounds like irony.
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I’ve mixed feelings about this - with what you write, you’d forbid Snapmaker to do any kind of innovation that is breaking with existing models. That’s a bad idea in my opinion - the Better is the enemy of the Good. And if and how far existing users are left behind is another question. There were promises made, and disappointing them will kill loyalty - that’s for sure.
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