Snapmaker launches $150,000 Innovation Fund for open source 3D printing — cash rewards target developers backing the U1 toolchanger across Klipper, OrcaSlicer, and Moonraker ecosystems
Snapmaker puts its money where its mouth is.
Snapmaker is celebrating its 10th anniversary by giving back to the 3D printing community in a big way. The company announced a $150,000 Snapmaker Innovation Fund that will be used to support open source developers and ambitious makers who volunteer their time creating the software and hardware that have made the Snapmaker U1 a fan favorite. $50,000 has already been committed to developers whose work shapes the ecosystem of the U1 toolchanger: Moonraker, OrcaSlicer, Klipper, Fluidd, Full Spectrum, and Surface Color Stitch.
"The U1 didn't get here alone — it stood on the shoulders of a community decades in the making," said Blayne Sapelli, Head of Global PR at Snapmaker. "This fund is how we say thank you, and how we keep that movement going. We give back, and the community builds forward — together."
Supporting open-source projects is nothing new to Snapmaker. Full Spectrum, a tool that visually mixes layers of color in FDM printing, recently launched as an experimental, open-source project. The designer, Radu (aka Ratdoux), designed it inside OrcaSlicer, using a U1 tool changer as the test bed. Bambu Lab made the tool more user-friendly by inserting a clone of it into Bambu Studio. Snapmaker doubled down by inviting Radu to Shenzhen, China, to chat with their team and then offered him a job to head up its color printing initiative. Full Spectrum, along with a new tool called Surface Color Stitch, will be included in Snapmaker Orca. Sapelli said Full Spectrum will remain open-source, which allows other companies, like Prusa Research’s ColorMix, to share advancements.
“We believe the most important innovations in the maker community come from the maker community,” said Daniel Chen, CEO of Snapmaker. “Ratdoux’s work represents exactly the kind of experimentation and creativity we want to nurture. We are honored to have him join our team."
Sapelli told Tom’s Hardware that the remaining $100,000 of the Innovation Fund will be used for an Open Competition to sponsor future projects. Phase 1 starts now and runs to September 7, and will award 20 prizes. Phase 2 will award another 20 prizes and start in October and conclude at the end of the year.
Each phase has three tiers: U1 Pioneer, Eco-Enhancer, and Active Builder.
Anyone can enter the global Open Competition. Snapmaker is looking for developers with ideas to improve or expand OrcaSlicer, the U1 firmware, or hardware, or add accessories. All projects must be open source and published on GitHub or another public page, shared in a Snapmaker community channel, and submitted through the fund's online form. Winners keep full ownership of their work.
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Snapmaker is also hosting a “Make Something Colorful” model contest that will wrap up on June 16th, with winners announced on June 23. The grand prize is a $600 Snapmaker gift card. Submissions, rules, and prizes are available at models.snapmaker.com.
And of course, Snapmaker users need a place to put all their models. Sapelli told Tom’s Hardware that an official model repository, the Snapmaker Model Library, is under construction, with a public launch planned for later this year. The library will help round out the Snapmaker ecosystem, which already includes a growing line of affordable filaments in PLA, PETG, TPU, and more.
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Denise Bertacchi is a Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware US, covering 3D printing. Denise has been crafting with PCs since she discovered Print Shop had clip art on her Apple IIe. She loves reviewing 3D printers because she can mix all her passions: printing, photography, and writing.