As someone who runs a CNC for my day job the lack of Estop on that thing terrifies me. The inclusion of a safe stop is... nice, I guess, but safe stop is a feature, Estop is core functionality. Sure it's not running 1 inch bits through hardened steel (that was a bad day) but clearly you don't want to break the bit. And when that means you're now reaching into a running machine to remove clamping before destructive contact, that's bad. We've nicknamed one our machines the Beyblade of Death for a reason.
Well, that becomes a feature for learning so you always remember to double or triple check before any move and become terrified of the machine. Source: guess who does not have estop in their desktop CNC? I can proudly say that it only took 5 bits to become truly terrified of the thing that can't mill aluminium.
Well at least they included the unshielded laser module. That way if you get spooked by a close call while v-carving something, you can switch to laser engraving and endanger anyone in the area instead of just yourself
@@seanoreilly1832 Fully agree, even 3D printers should have em. Just couple of days ago i switched to a new slicer and it had of course its own way of doing things. G28 had to be added to custom code block, so you can guess what happened next... it tried to plow thru the buildplate edge and the only soft stop is inside a menu. Power switch was the fastest way to stop it and that is just stupid cause you should not stop cooling fans while things are still hot...
Every video you post I'm super happy with watching it. I actually have basically no interest in the hobbies you promote (CNC, carpentry, shops) but DAMN your videos are good. I really like your pacing, thoughtfulness, and sense of humor.
The wiggle on your Ender 3 bed is really easy to solve. You just have to tighten down all of the bed screws as far as they will go, then back them off a couple of turns. This allows room to re-level the bed. You will have to move the z-endstop lower down if there is one. By tightening all of the bed screws, you remove 99% of the slop. I have an Ender 3 myself and the bed has 0 wiggle in it, at least to my abilities to perceive any.
That's the thing though, you can always fix it. Yes, you learn from it, I did, but at some point you just don't want to tweak things that should already be fine. I'm always re-adjusting things on my Ender, because I want "perfection", if you're not into perfection, no mods are needed indeed.
I was using the silicone spacers for a long while that basically eliminated this problem entirely. I switched back to the flat creality screws because I was having to relevel so often, the silicone makes it more of a pain to do that. Going to get an auto level soon though.
@@horacegentleman3296 I've seen those silicone bed spring replacements but never used them. A couple of years ago when I was looking for upgraded springs I didn't come across them at all, so I'm sort of assuming they are a newer thing in the market. Do they work well? They don't look like they are very firm, compared to the sort of upgraded springs you can get, which you can't compress more than 3mm between two fingers.
@@quinnobi42 they are WAY firmer than any springs and absolutely kill vibration. Make sure you get a kit of then with one of the 4 shorter for the back left.
I like the idea of this being an all in one electronics production machine. Mill and drill a pcb, laser some markings onto it, print a case for it to go into
Yeah, about PCB milling... It's actually really difficult to mill a PCB since you have to use a V-bit to get the really narrow isolation needed for smaller SMD components and traces. This becomes a big issue since then the height of the PCB surface becomes absolutely critical to avoid cuts that are too wide or not deep enough to make it all the way through the copper. Trust me on this, it's painful. No PCB material is perfectly flat so you must perform a grid probe of the surface to adjust the G code for the irregularities, which requires a way to probe the height. It's all a pain, but you can get great results if you have the right equipment.
It really seems like some US consumer protection agency would have an issue with this company selling a product that they charge an additional price for a safety feature.
Quite. School hammered the importance of the emergency stop, and knowing exactly where it is before you use it, before anything else. CNC machine, laser cutter, pillar drill, you name it.
I would like to point out that inductive bed leveling probes are actually less accurate than physical touch probes. Inductive probes get thrown off by changes in temperature, such as between the bed being cold or hot, or the difference in bed temp for PLA vs ABS.
Modern inductive probes are pretty good (my upgraded probe on my Prusa doesn't seem to show noticeable differences with temp like the old one did) but I do agree at least in theory, the touch probe *should* be more accurate. Given the slop in the bed on that Ender 3 though it wouldn't surprise me if there was some Z height variance there as well that meant even a perfect bed probe would still result in an inaccurate Z level.
Touch probes can only be more accurate when they're measuring something very stiff. 3D printer beds have way too much springensproingen to be accurately measured with a touch probe, especially a cheap one.
@@tissuepaper9962 What are you talking about? The BLTouch probe that Creality uses on their printers that do use a probe gently taps the bed, it's not a battering ram - that's not going to introduce any significant error on any 3D printer bed design I'm aware of (you do realise the spring steel sheets used as bed surfaces are sitting on a card surface, right? They aren't just free floating)
@@bosstowndynamics5488 dude, a 3d printer bed is literally suspended on springs, and they're always probing way too quickly in the firmware to try and get the prep times down. I'm sure on an expensive printer they take more care, but the more usual kind of printer with a cheap touch probe and bad firmware decisions is better off just leveling the old fashioned way, with a sheet of paper. It just can't compare to the level of precision you could get with the same touch probe on a rigid surface.
@@tissuepaper9962 Sorry, maybe a bad assumption on my part since I own literally the first model of hobbyist 3D printer with any leveling probe and the bed is hard mounted (Prusa MK2). I still doubt that the pressure from a BLTouch is enough to shift the bed unless something is hopelessly loose though (like in Robert's unit). If the springs are so loose that just touching the bed moves it then switching to an inductive probe definitely won't make the situation better, as the pressure from the filament being extruded will also move the bed, likely more than touch probing will.
You know that episode of The Simpsons where Bart works at the brothel? And the scene where Abe Simpson walks in, hangs his hat, says "oops!", turns around, grabs his hat and leaves? Yeah, that happened when I heard the price... :S
Hello. I purchased a Snapmaker A350 2.0 in July 2021. I was so pleased with the results that I purchased another unit last February when Snapmaker ran a special discount. I was pleased when you mentioned it was better than you anticipated. The big selling point of the Snapmaker is that as a modular system is it can do 3D-printing, laser cutting and engraving, and CNC. Admittedly, dedicated systems in each category will work better, but as someone who lives in a mobile home, this system is a godsend. I too experienced the same problems you demonstrated when using the CNC. Lost a couple of my finer drill bits to it lowering too much, or becoming stuck in the wood. 🙁As a result, I put the CNC on hold, but am about ready to try again. I'm going to incorporate some of your suggestions, and hopefully I will be able to get around those problems. I have the emergency stop button - and it is a good idea to purchase it, even at the price, given what it can prevent. However there is an alternative. What you have to do is make sure the power switch is within easy reach, and turn the system off if something goes wrong. Granted, you'll have to reset the machine, but it's preferable to the alternative. I also purchased the 10 W laser at an introductory price. Very pleased - it can engrave, cut and burn with excellent precision. In order for the autofocus to work, you must send the signal through a router, instead of a direct connection. It is also required when you use the camera in the laser. Don't feel bad - they don't explain it in the directions, so it took me a while to figure it out. When you can get it to work, the autofocus works very well, avoiding have to measure the working material each time. I also don't like the silicone buttons. I've tried clamps, and sometimes they work, but you've got to be careful. If they hang over too much they will catch on the posts, knocking things to hell. Not fun. So sometimes I have to use the buttons, even if they are a royal pain. As far as not making a living off it - I must contest this. I've already made a bit of money - making laser engraved aluminum business cards, as well as slate engraved coasters which I have sold to a local bar. I'm working on expanding my clientele, in the hopes of making this a full-time business. I hope you found this useful. To those who wonder if they will be happy with the Snapmaker - the answer is yes if you understand its limits. It's a challenge for me, because I have no one to offer advice, but by experimenting and willing to accept failures, I have been making progress, and am having a lot of fun while doing it.
I have a CNC and though rarely used, I'm always ready to follow the emergency stop process when I start a job. Yank the power. Works great! Most e-stops seem to be power kill switches and not logic. Most of these machines execute a command until complete. Add some buffering in there and its not unusual for multiple steps to be executed before it will respond to a stop. The size of the printer is interesting, but I'm not sure I would want a all in one like this. You know there are compromises.
I love your honesty and straight shooting of your opinions. It's a refreshing change from so many other videos that are promoting things. If I needed one of these functions, I would buy one of these because of this video.
7 months later and they do have a quick release and install set of parts that work on the modules and the 3 beds for the 3 functions. BUT, there were also creative people who created these fairly similar release systems. I actually did print out those for use with the 3D Print and Laser modules. I would not recommend using those when doing CNC as the 3D Printed versions might fail due to the more extreme CNC process. The ones for sale on the Snapmaker site and of the same metal quality as the machine, at a cost. And I have 2 Snapmakers both the larger 350 size so I dedicate one to 3D Printing, the other one to either Laser or CNC. So one machine I never have to take anytime to swap, the other I usually am doing either Laser or CNC for longer periods of time so it's not a huge issue.
Always cracks me up when I see a Snapmaker... Ran into one around Christmas a few years ago in one of my city's biggest stores ( kinda like London's Harrods - but less fancy ) where they setup a corner for people that just bought a Cutting Board to have them personalized using either a small - dedicated - CNC Router or Laser Engraved using the also present Snapmaker. "Unfortunately" no operator was present at the time for me to satiate my curiosity how things would be done but the nearby salesperson was available to describe what should be happening - Including the fact that they'd operate the Laser in Public without a cover. I immediately called the Cops - With the person on the phone seemingly overwhelmed with the report but at least willing to forward it to their Specialist. A day or so later I was called by their Specialist responsible for Laser Warfare ( no kiddin'... Demonstrators apparently get a kick out of blinding Cops with High Power Laser Pointers ) who reported their findings on the matter that they arrived with the machine in operation, without a cover, and no one - including the operator - wearing any Laser Safety Goggles ( present but not wearing them ). They immediately shut down the operation and send a cease-and-desist letter to the Store Operators for them to stop operating these machines in all of their stores across the country. That Cop was royally pissed by the situation he saw when he arrived at the store 😁
@@paulkelleyvieth No one was blinded, no one would have been blinded. I think seeing something you don't like and calling the police is very Karen. I'm pretty sure the laser was pointing at the material ( he said it was in use) Not pointing around the room randomly shining into peoples eyeballs.
Need more bloopers, very interesting machine. My son's ender, something I never thought we'd have in our home has saved the day a couple of times. Fiddly at times as it is, I've learned a lot.
Never mind that -- I wouldn't want to do it without the ventilation it provides. And running the CNC without containing the sawdust seems like a terrible idea.
I've been using a Snapmaker 2.0 for a year now, and for my relatively mundane hobbyist projects it does fantastically well. I'm making things that impress friends, and function well, and it's holding up really well.
Same here. I wanted to try out all 3 hobby "tools", but don't have the space for them. This was the perfect solution. Only upgrades I really made were the 10W laser (totally worth it) and the stop button. Sure, I won't be building a table with the CNC or anything, but for my hobbyist needs, this is fantastic.
I believe that many of your concerns were addressed with the new Snapmaker coming out in January. (It's called the Artisan) I have the 2.0, and have been enjoying it a lot, and have upgraded to the 10W laser and pretty much all of the other attachments (like the rotary module and stop button), and am getting the dual printhead. These all come with the Artisan, which also will have quick-release for the beds and toolheads. BTW, as someone who loves the Snapmaker (I don't have space for a "real" CNC or Laser Cutter, so this is perfect for me, despite its flaws), I dislike Luban (the software) a lot. It's gotten better than it used to be, but I still pretty much use it as a "GCode delivery system" from Fusion 360 (CNC and 3D print model creation), Cura (for 3D prints), or Lightburn (for laser cutting) rather than something to generate the GCode itself, since their algorithms aren't great.
I was supposed to get mine in December 2019, a few manufacturing delays led to February 2020, and after that we all know the rest. Been using it since early 2021 and it's been a dream! Albeit, a slow and steady, very precise dream.
the quieter the stepper drivers get, the more microstepping is necessary - this in turn corresponds w/ a sharp holding torque dropoff. this means louder stepper driven cnc devices are technically better equipped to handle subtractive workloads a design tradeoff for sure but microstepping is usually an adjustable feature thus the smaker may well have a handle for these things since the last review you mention
If you are looking at getting another printer, I can not suggest a Prusa enough. I have thought about getting one for like a decade now, and should have gotten an Mk3 from the start. I had a Wanhao i3 originally and then a kit delta printer for a long while, and both worked great, but they always had issues that you had to fix before you could print. When the print head on my big delta broke, I got a Prusa Mini+ to print the parts to fix my big delta, and instantly fell in love with the Prusa Mini+. The software is great, as you know. The printer just works, every time. Should have just gone Prusa in the first place.
And the mini is so dang cheap and it's such a tank. The only down side is it's a bowden, but it's an easily accessible bowden. Due to my business needs I swap filament 2-20 times daily so you bet I have the screws to that tube loose to help deal with snags, but compared to every previous machine I've had, it's just so dang functional.
IMHO the Mk3 is getting a bit long in the tooth these days, as a Prusa owner it wouldn't be my first recommendation unless you were planning on going all out and getting an XL when they launch
@@KeithJewell It's a personal preference downside. As said, I do tonnes of filament changes per day and there's a lot more flexibility for that with direct drive. Also a lot easier to use up short lengths of filament with direct drive and do quick hot-swap filament changes mid print. Changing mid print with a boden is a massive PIA.
I've only ever had one 3D printer, but I got a Prusa i3 Mk3 S instead of something like an Ender, despite the large price difference, because I didn't want to need to be fiddling with or adjusting anything, or immediately wanting to upgrade parts. It has twin z screws and a non-touch bed leveler. Again, haven't had other experience to compare it to, but it feels very solid. I put it together from a kit (for savings, and also for fun), and the very first Benchy I printed came out perfect, and I haven't had to adjust a single thing since assembly. Granted, I don't use it a LOT, but I definitely have several days of print time on it by now. It even prints single-wall-thick RC airplane wing sections without issue, just had to bump up the bed temperature a lot.
@UnderDunnOfficial An (albeit non-optimal) workaround for the lack of an E-Stop is to just kill the power on the power supply. I've only had to kill the power on my Snapmaker a handful of times (since I only have the 3D printer version), but it shuts down right away. My advice would be to keep the power switch easily accessible if you don't want to buy the extra E-Stop button. On a separate note, Snapmaker is also releasing a Dual-Exturder 3D printer head as early as March, so that's something to look forward to (you can pre-order them now).
Soldering a big ol' panic button somewhere along path is cheap and easy too. I mean, if woodworkers are allowed to say makers are not *real* woodworkers if they implement electronic tools for certain tasks, then I dare say a maker who uses devices like these isn't a real maker of they're not handy with a soldering iron for the most basic of tasks ;) Oh ... if there are any Karen's or He-Karen's getting that irritable little twitch in their sphincter about the above: it was written "tongue in cheek" for no reason other than sheer silliness.
I knew eventually the youtube/maker community would get to this level. You want one massive cnc table, and a head with a tool changer. It only makes sense that the 3d printer, water jet and laser cutter are all tools in the same cabinet. The downside to these setups is you cannot run them separately and simultaneously any longer.
"That guy looks like that other guy that hangs out with Alec, oh." This is what passed through my head before watching. So bonus points there. Decently done review, good form. I feel the machine is let down by Luban a lot, mastering other software makes it a lot more capable. Also the lack of stop button can be solved by flipping the power switch! (no, it's not a replacement, e-stop needs to be standard). Overall, this machine can do a lot, I have two of them and between them I've done many projects, some the machine should not do (like carving ceramic), but it's helped me expand my knowledge and thus I've written many guides for them on the snapmaker forum. Shame you're deciding to get rid of it, there's a lot of benefits to a smaller machine (vs the CNC and CO2 laser), but also can recommend a Prusa, I have both the MK3S+ and Mini, both perform exquisitely. 0.6mm nozzle in the MK3, and 0.4 in the Mini, covers most everything you'll need.
Great video. Thank you for showing the strengths and weaknesses of both the machine and software. I'm glad you're making the same mistakes normal people make, too. Really fleshes out the use cases for something like this.
Touch probes are actually better than inductive. Because inductive senses the metal underneath and not the polymer surface you end up printing on. The repeatability of touch probes... varies by manufacturer but it tends to be as good or better as well, since it's less temperature dependent. The wobble that you're showing on the Ender isn't on the bed levelling screws, it's on the gantry and you dial it out with excentrics under there. It always forms at first as the wheels run in.
I wanted to love my snapmaker but the Kickstarter units had poor QC and I had so many issues getting my unit working. Every time I had it running smooth i got 5 prints done and something else broke. the bed cable is set up in a way causes it to bend hard against the enclosure they sell for it, the printer head is damn near designed to brake the wires that go to the hotend. and the Customer support was terrible, I'm out of the one year and when my hotend came loose and gouged the heated bed, support was a long and arduous chain to establish i wasn't in warranty (which I said in the first message) and "send me paypal and I ship you replacement" the 4 times I went through that process for other issues it was always the same thing: a week of back and forth to establish I've had the thing for a year, you SOL, send me arbitrary paypal amount and i ship you part. My current issues: I need to replace all the rails on my unit as they are going bad ($750) my 3d printer head is broken ($150, or $600 to get the dual extrusion upgrade) and the aforementioned gouge in my print bed (can't order that separate so have fun dealing with support). That cost is too high and doesn't guarantee I won't continue my saga of other issues so I may very well need to shell out *even more* to keep it running. For close to a grand I can get way better equipment that will be in warranty and have better out of warranty support. Maybe I'll come back to it if they have some killer deal on the rails to fix my Bad QCed set but till then it is basically e-waste to me.
Finally someone does a honest review without the fluff. Anything and everything that moves mechanically should always have a emergency stop and not as an accessory. I can see some shyster lawyer eyeballing up that lawsuit right now as we all know there are some very stupid people out there. I'm not interested in none of this but someone pointed out I should watch this video which I did. Well done with putting it together. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Subscribed for more.
I would have expected 1600. 1800 seems a bit much, but at the sale price... if I was in the market for one... it would be an instant purchase. Great review!
Huh? The enclosure actually will turn off the laser if you open the door. You can enable that feature with a checkbox. You don't need to open the door to go in and push a button unless you set it up that way.
I pointed out in the other review that a stop button is a must and not an accessory in this case and was met with a "you can buy it if you want" response. I'm sorry to see but also glad you ran into issues where it was needed. Well pointed out.
For the record, the laser goggles are usually inadequate plastic garbage that are unlikely to actually protect you. Good, properly rated goggles start at ~$100 alone(Edmund, Thorlabs, Laserglow, Honeywell, Uvex, Laservision are all safe brands), and none that come from China are good(tested a bunch of them personally, just don't risk it).
Good info. I have seen the ads and have considered getting one, and might after this straight forward honest review. Great presentation style. I would call you a good, natural on air talent. Better than some 'professionals', I have worked with as a free lancer. - Cheers
My first 3D printer was a Creality CR-10 (same company that makes Enders) and yeah, the endless tinkering got old. That, and the old aluminum heatbeds on the CR-10's could be warped from the factory such that it's basically not possible to fix without physically modifying the heatbed to build up the valleys and such. I ended up getting a Prusa (now I have 4 of them) and the difference in usability is...well, hard to come up with a suitable simile.
Thanks for the video! It was nice to see someone with previous experience with lasers and CNC describe the unit. I can't comment on the 3D Printer experience as you don't even own 1,000 3D Printers! It would have been great had you acquired the additional Snapmaker hardware, modules, etc. It would have been great to get your review on the higher powered laser as a cutter, as apposed to the lower powered laser engraver that come with the machine. *Shucks!*
How the hell is it legal for them to even sell this without an emergency stop included? I guess the touch screen thing technically qualifies for whatever regulations may be in place but man that's just outright dangerous.
@@Scodiddly Can confirm. There's no "proper shut down" for the SnapMaker like there is for a computer; there's just a regular on/off switch on the power supply, so unplugging the SnapMaker does zero harm to it. In fact, I have mine connected to a smart plug so that I can just leave the power switch in the on position and use the smart plug to turn the machine on and off remotely.
@@bosstowndynamics5488 yeah I was dubious about how you don’t have to close a cover or anything first, being accustomed to the laser cutter from my school back in the day
You had me going there for a minute- I've hustled around those Tesla drive units from warrantied B-Class cars for *years* and they weigh a lot. But making a mockup of one is a great route for sizing one up for a conversion.
Хобби
"End-Mill targets, otherwise known as clamps." so true!
As someone who runs a CNC for my day job the lack of Estop on that thing terrifies me. The inclusion of a safe stop is... nice, I guess, but safe stop is a feature, Estop is core functionality. Sure it's not running 1 inch bits through hardened steel (that was a bad day) but clearly you don't want to break the bit. And when that means you're now reaching into a running machine to remove clamping before destructive contact, that's bad. We've nicknamed one our machines the Beyblade of Death for a reason.
Well, that becomes a feature for learning so you always remember to double or triple check before any move and become terrified of the machine. Source: guess who does not have estop in their desktop CNC? I can proudly say that it only took 5 bits to become truly terrified of the thing that can't mill aluminium.
Well at least they included the unshielded laser module. That way if you get spooked by a close call while v-carving something, you can switch to laser engraving and endanger anyone in the area instead of just yourself
@@outsider344 If the printer also used a mirror bed, that would be the ultimate upgrade.
Everything should have e stops. A chronically underused safety feature
@@seanoreilly1832 Fully agree, even 3D printers should have em. Just couple of days ago i switched to a new slicer and it had of course its own way of doing things. G28 had to be added to custom code block, so you can guess what happened next... it tried to plow thru the buildplate edge and the only soft stop is inside a menu. Power switch was the fastest way to stop it and that is just stupid cause you should not stop cooling fans while things are still hot...
Every video you post I'm super happy with watching it. I actually have basically no interest in the hobbies you promote (CNC, carpentry, shops) but DAMN your videos are good. I really like your pacing, thoughtfulness, and sense of humor.
Same, I could watch him talk about anything. He is very engaging and good at explaining all his projects.
The wiggle on your Ender 3 bed is really easy to solve. You just have to tighten down all of the bed screws as far as they will go, then back them off a couple of turns. This allows room to re-level the bed. You will have to move the z-endstop lower down if there is one. By tightening all of the bed screws, you remove 99% of the slop. I have an Ender 3 myself and the bed has 0 wiggle in it, at least to my abilities to perceive any.
That's the thing though, you can always fix it. Yes, you learn from it, I did, but at some point you just don't want to tweak things that should already be fine. I'm always re-adjusting things on my Ender, because I want "perfection", if you're not into perfection, no mods are needed indeed.
I was using the silicone spacers for a long while that basically eliminated this problem entirely. I switched back to the flat creality screws because I was having to relevel so often, the silicone makes it more of a pain to do that. Going to get an auto level soon though.
@@VincentGroenewold I can understand that. I've managed to get to a place with my Ender 3 where it doesn't require any more tweaking and just works.
@@horacegentleman3296 I've seen those silicone bed spring replacements but never used them. A couple of years ago when I was looking for upgraded springs I didn't come across them at all, so I'm sort of assuming they are a newer thing in the market. Do they work well? They don't look like they are very firm, compared to the sort of upgraded springs you can get, which you can't compress more than 3mm between two fingers.
@@quinnobi42 they are WAY firmer than any springs and absolutely kill vibration. Make sure you get a kit of then with one of the 4 shorter for the back left.
I like the idea of this being an all in one electronics production machine. Mill and drill a pcb, laser some markings onto it, print a case for it to go into
few more iterations and we'd get a nice big one for the same price hopefully plus more powerfull tools
Yeah, about PCB milling... It's actually really difficult to mill a PCB since you have to use a V-bit to get the really narrow isolation needed for smaller SMD components and traces. This becomes a big issue since then the height of the PCB surface becomes absolutely critical to avoid cuts that are too wide or not deep enough to make it all the way through the copper. Trust me on this, it's painful. No PCB material is perfectly flat so you must perform a grid probe of the surface to adjust the G code for the irregularities, which requires a way to probe the height.
It's all a pain, but you can get great results if you have the right equipment.
It really seems like some US consumer protection agency would have an issue with this company selling a product that they charge an additional price for a safety feature.
Quite. School hammered the importance of the emergency stop, and knowing exactly where it is before you use it, before anything else. CNC machine, laser cutter, pillar drill, you name it.
It's actually against the law in the US when it pertains to a class 4 laser product.
All the Ctrl+Pew folk out there can now 3D print a receiver and then immediately engrave it with their own markings, all on one device 👍😁👍
What’s a Ctrl+p ?
@@x083. I do show up many places, heh 👋😁
@@ncphenom2309 Ctrl+Pew is the 3D-CNC/Printer gun maker community.
Aww so this is where you got “everything is a hammer”
Found you again lol...
tag you're it.
I would like to point out that inductive bed leveling probes are actually less accurate than physical touch probes. Inductive probes get thrown off by changes in temperature, such as between the bed being cold or hot, or the difference in bed temp for PLA vs ABS.
Modern inductive probes are pretty good (my upgraded probe on my Prusa doesn't seem to show noticeable differences with temp like the old one did) but I do agree at least in theory, the touch probe *should* be more accurate. Given the slop in the bed on that Ender 3 though it wouldn't surprise me if there was some Z height variance there as well that meant even a perfect bed probe would still result in an inaccurate Z level.
Touch probes can only be more accurate when they're measuring something very stiff. 3D printer beds have way too much springensproingen to be accurately measured with a touch probe, especially a cheap one.
@@tissuepaper9962 What are you talking about? The BLTouch probe that Creality uses on their printers that do use a probe gently taps the bed, it's not a battering ram - that's not going to introduce any significant error on any 3D printer bed design I'm aware of (you do realise the spring steel sheets used as bed surfaces are sitting on a card surface, right? They aren't just free floating)
@@bosstowndynamics5488 dude, a 3d printer bed is literally suspended on springs, and they're always probing way too quickly in the firmware to try and get the prep times down. I'm sure on an expensive printer they take more care, but the more usual kind of printer with a cheap touch probe and bad firmware decisions is better off just leveling the old fashioned way, with a sheet of paper. It just can't compare to the level of precision you could get with the same touch probe on a rigid surface.
@@tissuepaper9962 Sorry, maybe a bad assumption on my part since I own literally the first model of hobbyist 3D printer with any leveling probe and the bed is hard mounted (Prusa MK2). I still doubt that the pressure from a BLTouch is enough to shift the bed unless something is hopelessly loose though (like in Robert's unit). If the springs are so loose that just touching the bed moves it then switching to an inductive probe definitely won't make the situation better, as the pressure from the filament being extruded will also move the bed, likely more than touch probing will.
"Lubin' and lubbin' go hand-in-hand," I laughed hard at that. _Hand_ in hand, are we sure it's a hand?
You know that episode of The Simpsons where Bart works at the brothel? And the scene where Abe Simpson walks in, hangs his hat, says "oops!", turns around, grabs his hat and leaves? Yeah, that happened when I heard the price... :S
Hello. I purchased a Snapmaker A350 2.0 in July 2021. I was so pleased with the results that I purchased another unit last February when Snapmaker ran a special discount. I was pleased when you mentioned it was better than you anticipated.
The big selling point of the Snapmaker is that as a modular system is it can do 3D-printing, laser cutting and engraving, and CNC. Admittedly, dedicated systems in each category will work better, but as someone who lives in a mobile home, this system is a godsend.
I too experienced the same problems you demonstrated when using the CNC. Lost a couple of my finer drill bits to it lowering too much, or becoming stuck in the wood. 🙁As a result, I put the CNC on hold, but am about ready to try again. I'm going to incorporate some of your suggestions, and hopefully I will be able to get around those problems.
I have the emergency stop button - and it is a good idea to purchase it, even at the price, given what it can prevent. However there is an alternative. What you have to do is make sure the power switch is within easy reach, and turn the system off if something goes wrong. Granted, you'll have to reset the machine, but it's preferable to the alternative.
I also purchased the 10 W laser at an introductory price. Very pleased - it can engrave, cut and burn with excellent precision.
In order for the autofocus to work, you must send the signal through a router, instead of a direct connection. It is also required when you use the camera in the laser. Don't feel bad - they don't explain it in the directions, so it took me a while to figure it out. When you can get it to work, the autofocus works very well, avoiding have to measure the working material each time.
I also don't like the silicone buttons. I've tried clamps, and sometimes they work, but you've got to be careful. If they hang over too much they will catch on the posts, knocking things to hell. Not fun. So sometimes I have to use the buttons, even if they are a royal pain.
As far as not making a living off it - I must contest this. I've already made a bit of money - making laser engraved aluminum business cards, as well as slate engraved coasters which I have sold to a local bar. I'm working on expanding my clientele, in the hopes of making this a full-time business.
I hope you found this useful. To those who wonder if they will be happy with the Snapmaker - the answer is yes if you understand its limits. It's a challenge for me, because I have no one to offer advice, but by experimenting and willing to accept failures, I have been making progress, and am having a lot of fun while doing it.
I have a CNC and though rarely used, I'm always ready to follow the emergency stop process when I start a job. Yank the power. Works great!
Most e-stops seem to be power kill switches and not logic. Most of these machines execute a command until complete. Add some buffering in there and its not unusual for multiple steps to be executed before it will respond to a stop.
The size of the printer is interesting, but I'm not sure I would want a all in one like this. You know there are compromises.
I love your honesty and straight shooting of your opinions. It's a refreshing change from so many other videos that are promoting things. If I needed one of these functions, I would buy one of these because of this video.
7 months later and they do have a quick release and install set of parts that work on the modules and the 3 beds for the 3 functions. BUT, there were also creative people who created these fairly similar release systems. I actually did print out those for use with the 3D Print and Laser modules. I would not recommend using those when doing CNC as the 3D Printed versions might fail due to the more extreme CNC process. The ones for sale on the Snapmaker site and of the same metal quality as the machine, at a cost. And I have 2 Snapmakers both the larger 350 size so I dedicate one to 3D Printing, the other one to either Laser or CNC. So one machine I never have to take anytime to swap, the other I usually am doing either Laser or CNC for longer periods of time so it's not a huge issue.
Always cracks me up when I see a Snapmaker...
Ran into one around Christmas a few years ago in one of my city's biggest stores ( kinda like London's Harrods - but less fancy ) where they setup a corner for people that just bought a Cutting Board to have them personalized using either a small - dedicated - CNC Router or Laser Engraved using the also present Snapmaker. "Unfortunately" no operator was present at the time for me to satiate my curiosity how things would be done but the nearby salesperson was available to describe what should be happening - Including the fact that they'd operate the Laser in Public without a cover.
I immediately called the Cops - With the person on the phone seemingly overwhelmed with the report but at least willing to forward it to their Specialist.
A day or so later I was called by their Specialist responsible for Laser Warfare ( no kiddin'... Demonstrators apparently get a kick out of blinding Cops with High Power Laser Pointers ) who reported their findings on the matter that they arrived with the machine in operation, without a cover, and no one - including the operator - wearing any Laser Safety Goggles ( present but not wearing them ).
They immediately shut down the operation and send a cease-and-desist letter to the Store Operators for them to stop operating these machines in all of their stores across the country.
That Cop was royally pissed by the situation he saw when he arrived at the store 😁
Good job Karen, you really showed them!!
@@andys5562 "Karens" are entitled privilleged people. This is not Karen behaviour. Know your memes.
@@andys5562 you think preventing a large corporation from blinding people with a laser is karen behavior?
@@paulkelleyvieth No one was blinded, no one would have been blinded. I think seeing something you don't like and calling the police is very Karen. I'm pretty sure the laser was pointing at the material ( he said it was in use) Not pointing around the room randomly shining into peoples eyeballs.
@@cho4d lol, see my other response. It was very Karen.
After the first "this needs an e-stop" moment I would've wired that thing into one of those big real e-stop buttons.
As of November 2023, they have a 'QUICK SWAP KIT' to quick swap between modules and platform. Hope they'll include this kit in newer printers.
Robert, you are, by far, the funniest guy on YT. If only the world had more people like you in it!!!
AAH, the snap around 0:20 .... I think you dropped me into a hypnotic trance >.
I guess you’re particularly perceptible!
Need more bloopers, very interesting machine. My son's ender, something I never thought we'd have in our home has saved the day a couple of times. Fiddly at times as it is, I've learned a lot.
God I love your brand of comedy! Good review, as always!
Another winnar of a video. You're good. Not often I ACTUALLY LOL to a youtuber. Looking forward to seeing you eventually get past that 500k mark!
Honestly that enclosure is a must have. Naked laser cutters and even engravers are fucking terrifying.
Never mind that -- I wouldn't want to do it without the ventilation it provides.
And running the CNC without containing the sawdust seems like a terrible idea.
Nice to see you back on here Rob. Missed you bud.
I've been using a Snapmaker 2.0 for a year now, and for my relatively mundane hobbyist projects it does fantastically well. I'm making things that impress friends, and function well, and it's holding up really well.
Same here. I wanted to try out all 3 hobby "tools", but don't have the space for them. This was the perfect solution. Only upgrades I really made were the 10W laser (totally worth it) and the stop button.
Sure, I won't be building a table with the CNC or anything, but for my hobbyist needs, this is fantastic.
I have no intention to ever buy this. But I stumbled upon your channel, and your style of presenting made me not want to turn away.
I believe that many of your concerns were addressed with the new Snapmaker coming out in January. (It's called the Artisan)
I have the 2.0, and have been enjoying it a lot, and have upgraded to the 10W laser and pretty much all of the other attachments (like the rotary module and stop button), and am getting the dual printhead.
These all come with the Artisan, which also will have quick-release for the beds and toolheads.
BTW, as someone who loves the Snapmaker (I don't have space for a "real" CNC or Laser Cutter, so this is perfect for me, despite its flaws), I dislike Luban (the software) a lot. It's gotten better than it used to be, but I still pretty much use it as a "GCode delivery system" from Fusion 360 (CNC and 3D print model creation), Cura (for 3D prints), or Lightburn (for laser cutting) rather than something to generate the GCode itself, since their algorithms aren't great.
Your videos are always fun and enjoyable. Appreciate your candor about this machine and your other gadgets. Merry Christmas !!
Almost sounds like they need to put a big red emergency stop button.
Your presentation blows the machine away. Excellent job.
I was supposed to get mine in December 2019, a few manufacturing delays led to February 2020, and after that we all know the rest. Been using it since early 2021 and it's been a dream! Albeit, a slow and steady, very precise dream.
One of many reasons, but I love your content because you show the hell you go through for these projects
Great video, Robert! Yet another tool that I didn't know I needed. I love it!
the quieter the stepper drivers get, the more microstepping is necessary - this in turn corresponds w/ a sharp holding torque dropoff.
this means louder stepper driven cnc devices are technically better equipped to handle subtractive workloads
a design tradeoff for sure but microstepping is usually an adjustable feature thus the smaker may well have a handle for these things since the last review you mention
More mods for 2.0, great job snapmaker!!!!! Keep the mods coming!!! Make the mod dream a reality!
If you are looking at getting another printer, I can not suggest a Prusa enough. I have thought about getting one for like a decade now, and should have gotten an Mk3 from the start. I had a Wanhao i3 originally and then a kit delta printer for a long while, and both worked great, but they always had issues that you had to fix before you could print. When the print head on my big delta broke, I got a Prusa Mini+ to print the parts to fix my big delta, and instantly fell in love with the Prusa Mini+. The software is great, as you know. The printer just works, every time. Should have just gone Prusa in the first place.
And the mini is so dang cheap and it's such a tank. The only down side is it's a bowden, but it's an easily accessible bowden. Due to my business needs I swap filament 2-20 times daily so you bet I have the screws to that tube loose to help deal with snags, but compared to every previous machine I've had, it's just so dang functional.
@@FranNyan and Bowden isn't a pure downside. There are still some advantages to it over direct drive.
IMHO the Mk3 is getting a bit long in the tooth these days, as a Prusa owner it wouldn't be my first recommendation unless you were planning on going all out and getting an XL when they launch
@@KeithJewell It's a personal preference downside. As said, I do tonnes of filament changes per day and there's a lot more flexibility for that with direct drive. Also a lot easier to use up short lengths of filament with direct drive and do quick hot-swap filament changes mid print. Changing mid print with a boden is a massive PIA.
@@bosstowndynamics5488 what printer do you recommend?
I really enjoy the editing of all your videos from both channels. Thanks
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 🎄🎅🧑🎄 From Finland 🇫🇮
I've only ever had one 3D printer, but I got a Prusa i3 Mk3 S instead of something like an Ender, despite the large price difference, because I didn't want to need to be fiddling with or adjusting anything, or immediately wanting to upgrade parts. It has twin z screws and a non-touch bed leveler.
Again, haven't had other experience to compare it to, but it feels very solid. I put it together from a kit (for savings, and also for fun), and the very first Benchy I printed came out perfect, and I haven't had to adjust a single thing since assembly. Granted, I don't use it a LOT, but I definitely have several days of print time on it by now.
It even prints single-wall-thick RC airplane wing sections without issue, just had to bump up the bed temperature a lot.
Great video! This was my first time watching one of your videos, and you bring a great energy! Keep it up👍🏼
You are a great friend, and hopefully your friend understands how lucky they are. Happy holidays!
dude, your hysterical! Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!!!
I fully intended to click through this video... but just looked down at 15 minutes in... I am now a sub scriber, LOL... keep it up sir!
"Lubin and lubbin go hand in hand" had me roll off the couch laughing! I needed that laugh this afternoon - Thanks! 😅
@UnderDunnOfficial An (albeit non-optimal) workaround for the lack of an E-Stop is to just kill the power on the power supply.
I've only had to kill the power on my Snapmaker a handful of times (since I only have the 3D printer version), but it shuts down right away.
My advice would be to keep the power switch easily accessible if you don't want to buy the extra E-Stop button.
On a separate note, Snapmaker is also releasing a Dual-Exturder 3D printer head as early as March, so that's something to look forward to (you can pre-order them now).
Soldering a big ol' panic button somewhere along path is cheap and easy too.
I mean, if woodworkers are allowed to say makers are not *real* woodworkers if they implement electronic tools for certain tasks, then I dare say a maker who uses devices like these isn't a real maker of they're not handy with a soldering iron for the most basic of tasks ;)
Oh ... if there are any Karen's or He-Karen's getting that irritable little twitch in their sphincter about the above: it was written "tongue in cheek" for no reason other than sheer silliness.
I knew eventually the youtube/maker community would get to this level. You want one massive cnc table, and a head with a tool changer. It only makes sense that the 3d printer, water jet and laser cutter are all tools in the same cabinet. The downside to these setups is you cannot run them separately and simultaneously any longer.
"That guy looks like that other guy that hangs out with Alec, oh." This is what passed through my head before watching. So bonus points there. Decently done review, good form. I feel the machine is let down by Luban a lot, mastering other software makes it a lot more capable. Also the lack of stop button can be solved by flipping the power switch! (no, it's not a replacement, e-stop needs to be standard). Overall, this machine can do a lot, I have two of them and between them I've done many projects, some the machine should not do (like carving ceramic), but it's helped me expand my knowledge and thus I've written many guides for them on the snapmaker forum. Shame you're deciding to get rid of it, there's a lot of benefits to a smaller machine (vs the CNC and CO2 laser), but also can recommend a Prusa, I have both the MK3S+ and Mini, both perform exquisitely. 0.6mm nozzle in the MK3, and 0.4 in the Mini, covers most everything you'll need.
the Comgrow Robo with some upgrades cuts aluminum very well for me. Under $400 and I'm making some cute chips.
just got mine in the mail the other day its such a cool piece of tech
Great video. Thank you for showing the strengths and weaknesses of both the machine and software. I'm glad you're making the same mistakes normal people make, too. Really fleshes out the use cases for something like this.
You were really pleased with yourself on that snap transition weren't you... (It was nice)
Thank you for the video! Hope you're feeling better this year, man. Take care of yourself.
I’ve always love your reviews!
You never leave anything out, other then a stop button 🤣💪🏼🔥❤️🙏🏻🌲
I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.
Touch probes are actually better than inductive. Because inductive senses the metal underneath and not the polymer surface you end up printing on. The repeatability of touch probes... varies by manufacturer but it tends to be as good or better as well, since it's less temperature dependent.
The wobble that you're showing on the Ender isn't on the bed levelling screws, it's on the gantry and you dial it out with excentrics under there. It always forms at first as the wheels run in.
I love the quality of this video. Definitely a level of quality I should aspire to.
I wanted to love my snapmaker but the Kickstarter units had poor QC and I had so many issues getting my unit working. Every time I had it running smooth i got 5 prints done and something else broke. the bed cable is set up in a way causes it to bend hard against the enclosure they sell for it, the printer head is damn near designed to brake the wires that go to the hotend.
and the Customer support was terrible, I'm out of the one year and when my hotend came loose and gouged the heated bed, support was a long and arduous chain to establish i wasn't in warranty (which I said in the first message) and "send me paypal and I ship you replacement" the 4 times I went through that process for other issues it was always the same thing: a week of back and forth to establish I've had the thing for a year, you SOL, send me arbitrary paypal amount and i ship you part.
My current issues: I need to replace all the rails on my unit as they are going bad ($750) my 3d printer head is broken ($150, or $600 to get the dual extrusion upgrade) and the aforementioned gouge in my print bed (can't order that separate so have fun dealing with support). That cost is too high and doesn't guarantee I won't continue my saga of other issues so I may very well need to shell out *even more* to keep it running. For close to a grand I can get way better equipment that will be in warranty and have better out of warranty support. Maybe I'll come back to it if they have some killer deal on the rails to fix my Bad QCed set but till then it is basically e-waste to me.
Great Review. I purchased the Artisan …. And OMG …. The best machine ever by far. They fix everything you talked about
Fantastic review. Very thorough and you're a riot to watch. Loved it
I love your office!
Love your videos! As always, thank you for your honesty!
congrats, i subbed as soon as i noticed the yugo sign
I'm pretty sure at that thickness "plywood" just becomes "veneer" 😂.
I'm so glad this video popped into my feed. The review is fine, but the patter, is A++.
Lmfao “lubing and loving go hand in hand”. Lol
As always, this video is an absolute DELIGHT. Thank you for this review and for all of these videos.
Finally someone does a honest review without the fluff. Anything and everything that moves mechanically should always have a emergency stop and not as an accessory. I can see some shyster lawyer eyeballing up that lawsuit right now as we all know there are some very stupid people out there. I'm not interested in none of this but someone pointed out I should watch this video which I did. Well done with putting it together. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Subscribed for more.
Excellent and very entertaining review as always. Your uploads always deliver!
I would have expected 1600. 1800 seems a bit much, but at the sale price... if I was in the market for one... it would be an instant purchase. Great review!
Easy, open protective laser encasing door to emergency stop. Super intuitive:)
Huh?
The enclosure actually will turn off the laser if you open the door. You can enable that feature with a checkbox. You don't need to open the door to go in and push a button unless you set it up that way.
the luban and luban joke is underrated
How many trees lost their lives to make that packaging. That product is build on the blood of a million pines
I pointed out in the other review that a stop button is a must and not an accessory in this case and was met with a "you can buy it if you want" response. I'm sorry to see but also glad you ran into issues where it was needed. Well pointed out.
For the record, the laser goggles are usually inadequate plastic garbage that are unlikely to actually protect you. Good, properly rated goggles start at ~$100 alone(Edmund, Thorlabs, Laserglow, Honeywell, Uvex, Laservision are all safe brands), and none that come from China are good(tested a bunch of them personally, just don't risk it).
You are mustard on my distraught soul. Thank you for existing!
Great video, very informative. 👍 Helping make my decision what to invest in. Was considering this machine also the carbon X1. Keep up the great work.
They actually sell an estop for it... As an accessory... Not sure how comfortable I am with that, jebus.
Thank you so much for making this video! I could see me making every one of these mistakes and giving up on this printer all together lol 👏👏👏👏👏
Good info. I have seen the ads and have considered getting one, and might after this straight forward honest review. Great presentation style. I would call you a good, natural on air talent. Better than some 'professionals', I have worked with as a free lancer. - Cheers
"..a modicum of sodium chloride.." I'm using that! That's a keeper.
watched the bit snap at least 10 times in a row
I need a "Hi, I make mistakes" coffee mug now.
You are a really smart guy, keep up the great show.
Another well done and entertaining video.
I imagine the printer doesn't have a voice command so shouting "STOP" isn't doing much to actually stop it but it was really funny
The emergency stop button is the switch on the surge protector :P
My first 3D printer was a Creality CR-10 (same company that makes Enders) and yeah, the endless tinkering got old. That, and the old aluminum heatbeds on the CR-10's could be warped from the factory such that it's basically not possible to fix without physically modifying the heatbed to build up the valleys and such. I ended up getting a Prusa (now I have 4 of them) and the difference in usability is...well, hard to come up with a suitable simile.
Thanks for the video! It was nice to see someone with previous experience with lasers and CNC describe the unit. I can't comment on the 3D Printer experience as you don't even own 1,000 3D Printers! It would have been great had you acquired the additional Snapmaker hardware, modules, etc. It would have been great to get your review on the higher powered laser as a cutter, as apposed to the lower powered laser engraver that come with the machine. *Shucks!*
Hello from the Netherlands .
Merry Christmas 🎄
thanks for the video .
Sincerely, Hollandduck
How the hell is it legal for them to even sell this without an emergency stop included? I guess the touch screen thing technically qualifies for whatever regulations may be in place but man that's just outright dangerous.
They're selling a class 4 laser without automatic safety interlocks, the absent manual e-stop honestly isn't anywhere near as big of a deal as that
I suppose you could just pull the plug.
@@Scodiddly Can confirm. There's no "proper shut down" for the SnapMaker like there is for a computer; there's just a regular on/off switch on the power supply, so unplugging the SnapMaker does zero harm to it. In fact, I have mine connected to a smart plug so that I can just leave the power switch in the on position and use the smart plug to turn the machine on and off remotely.
@@bosstowndynamics5488 yeah I was dubious about how you don’t have to close a cover or anything first, being accustomed to the laser cutter from my school back in the day
It's a hobby device. I could see if it was going into an OSHA regulated workplace it would be a requirement.
First time viewer. Love the energy and humor. I’m getting technology connection + maker muse vibes
"STOP STOP" SNAP, GRIND, GRIND, CLUNK!. Sorry, that has me rolling!
All the various shortcomings is why I didn't get the Snapmaker 1 and got a Prusa back in the day. Especially them cheaping out hardcore on the laser.
Loobin and Lubbin go hand in ✋🏻 🤚🏻 🤣 im 💀 dead ☠️
😂😂😂 love the video, keep doing this man I love it
I can for watch hours and not get bored
love the energy ! :)
honestly thank you this is so much better a review than the person with 500 3d printers would make funny and informative
"These are a joke, right?"
The best thing to ever hear in a review.
You had me going there for a minute- I've hustled around those Tesla drive units from warrantied B-Class cars for *years* and they weigh a lot. But making a mockup of one is a great route for sizing one up for a conversion.
Missed ya man welcome back