Snapmaker Ray | Snapmaker’s 6+ years experience in designing premium laser products.
You may have known Snapmaker for the flagship 3-in-1 3D printers and the innovative modular design. Also, as the desktop 3D printer market is more mature and 3D printers are more commonly used by makers, the 3D printing function inevitably overshadows the laser and CNC functions. However, the truth is that we spent the same amount of time designing and producing laser related products as we do on 3D printing products. Users love the laser function as much as we do. Almost 30% of the 3-in-1 users use the laser function for their creative projects on a regular basis. Not until early this year did we notice that we have more than 6 years experience in designing and producing premium laser products. Looking back on the product roadmap we envisioned in 2017, we believe it’s the right time to release a standalone laser machine now.
The upgrade of laser experience never stopped.
The reason for adding the laser function to a 3D printer was that their motion mechanism is similar and both of them enable creative people to process specific materials quickly. What we didn’t expect was that this technology is developing faster than the other two and users’ demands are growing rapidly. We started our first upgrade even before the Snapmaker Original orders were fulfilled based on user feedback. The 1.6W Laser Module was released one year after the Snapmaker Original was successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter and received excellent market feedback. It still maintains the highest repeat purchase rate record of 50%+ in Snapmaker history.
Since then, we have upgraded the laser module as fast as technology allows. The power of the laser has increased nearly 200 times to 40W in the past 6 years. Thanks to these upgrades, the number of supported materials has increased from about 5 to more than 20. The cutting ability is also greatly enhanced, from barely cutting anything to cutting up to 15mm basswood plywood.
The upgrade of the linear module also plays an important part in the laser experience. As the laser power increases, the weight of the laser module becomes higher, which in turn requires higher robustness and repeatability of the linear modules. With these needs taken into consideration at the early stage of product design, both linear modules in Snapmaker 2.0 and Artisan meet the requirements.
Along with other product upgrade and our commitment to precision manufacture, the laser experience also upgraded in work area, precision, engraving and cutting quality as well as work speed. All adds up to a faster and more hassle-free experience, as well as a wider range of making options.
It’s not just about hardware, it’s also about software.
Similar to 3D printers, the complete and well thought-out software workflow is another key to good user experience. We are proud to find that our software Luban empowers laser function in many ways. Here are some critical features and updates from the past 6 years:
-
Object processing
-
Supports vector (svg/dxf), bitmap (jpg\png\bmp), and 3D models (stl\amf\3mf) import
-
Provides four image processing methods: vector, greyscale, BW, and halftone (v3.11)
-
Allows stacking 3D models (v4.1)
-
-
Processing technology
-
Supports cutting, vector engraving, image engraving (point mode, line mode, inline mode (v4.9, upcoming))
-
Supports multiple objects, multiple toolpaths (v3.15)
-
Supports presetting and managing material processing (v4.1)
-
-
Hardware support: Camera aid background (Orignal), Camera Capture (1.6W, 10W), Rotary Module (v3.14)
-
Editor feature: selection (v4.3), spline curve drawing and editing (v4.3), multi-origin mode (v4.0-v4.9)
-
Templates Library (v4.9, upcoming)
We believe all these features are helpful throughout the workflow. In addition to assisting users to process images, this year, we are taking one step ahead to enable users to complete your own design by providing template library with 1000+ ready-to-use patterns, shapes, icons and fonts. Turning your ideas into designs will only take a few seconds! If you have other requests for software features, please don’t hesitate to comment below.
Snapmaker users love their laser as much as we do.
We are glad to find that our users love every iteration of the laser and never hesitate to share their creations and experience with others. Here are just a few out of thousands of user cases from our community. Most of them are home decorations, gifts to loved ones and crafts. Some of them even make a living out of it.
Here are some reviews from current users:
-
My first job was a vernier on my 1600mw module it took 55 min to cut, now with the 10W module only 9 min. – Jaime Ramirez
-
I’m a mom of 3 I needed to create and extra income I’m just starting out and this machine has been my favorite.? I looove the laser, I have the 10w and I have done some beautiful thing with this. I have also use the cnc and love it as well but I’m more for the laser . I think anyone wanting to have fun with a 3 in 1 this machine is your best friend. You can do so much and not be limited on what you can make. I’m thankful for this. If I had the money I would get another lol I’m trying to save up for the Rotary tool. But I always telling people to check out snap maker. I never have much issues and if I do I contact the company. I think they are fairly easy to communicate with and I think a decent fast response as well. This machine is a way for me to just have a me time to create. Also love being able to make my own gifts on such a professional level I owe snap-maker a thank you on this. I will say I wish the laser would etch much further then the bed allows that’s the only complaint I have. Other wise RUN AND GET YOU ONE!!! And get your self that 10w laser and another must is the Rotary tool! PS everything is a learning experience practice makes perfect. Learn it and fine what works for you. – c.
-
The difference between the original laser and the new 10w laser is amazing. I struggled to get anything to cut with the old laser, multiple passes would not even cut through 3mm basswood. I am now cutting through 5mm with a single pass. And the speed has allowed me to complete multiple projects in just a few hours. – Renee Haden-Knost
-
I trully wish and recommend it to every creative soul on this planet! Go get yourself a Snapmaker and join the family!!! ❤️❤️ – Rob
Some of our users are influencers who can test the laser in a more comprehensive way and also make wonderful projects that amaze everyone. Here are a few examples:
-
Snapmaker Original
-
Snapmaker 2.0
As always, we are grateful to our users. Their feedback makes the product better; their creations enlighten us and encourage us to continue innovating. What we really treasure is the chance to grow together with our users, just like the history of our laser products. That is also why we released the 20W & 40W Laser Module last month and will release Snapmaker Ray next week! More laser modules including the 2W Infrared Module will be coming soon. Let us know what you expect and let’s make something wonderful!
Learn more about Snapmaker Ray and subscribe to get the super early bird discount!
