Meituan Makes Surprise Move into 3D Printing, Investing in Snapmaker's Multi-Color Desktop Printer
It's unexpected that Meituan, a local life service platform, has also entered the 3D printing arena. Previously, Meituan has invested in several tech companies, such as Unitree Robotics, which develops humanoid robots, and Sunmate Innovation, which makes pool cleaning robots.
On October 30, 2025, Snapmaker, the maker of intelligent multi-color desktop 3D printers that recently raised approximately 150 million RMB in crowdfunding abroad, has completed another Series B funding round. The investors were Meituan and Gaorong Capital, marking Meituan's official entry into the 3D printing field.
Snapmaker has become a hot company in the 3D printing industry this year, setting a new record on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform. The crowdfunding campaign for its new U1 3D printer raised $20,577,877 (approximately 147 million RMB) from 20,643 backers worldwide, becoming the highest-funded 3D printer project in the platform's history. This achievement has also made Snapmaker a darling of capital, with the company receiving visits from three waves of investment institutions in 2025 alone.
Recently, Nanjixiong visited Snapmaker's 3D printer workshop and observed the automatic head-changing printing of this U1 multi-color 3D printer on-site, as well as the amount of material waste during the multi-color printing process.
At the 2025 TCT Shenzhen exhibition, Nanjixiong spoke with Snapmaker staff, delving into the core advantages and technical details of this product.
Core Breakthrough: Independent Four-Nozzle System Solves Multi-Color Printing Pain Points of "Efficiency and Waste"
The core competitiveness of the Snapmaker U1 stems from its self-developed "SnapSwap head-changing system." Unlike traditional single-nozzle color-changing 3D printers, this device is equipped with four independent nozzles that can simultaneously load four different colors or materials and remain on standby. This fundamentally eliminates the material purging time and waste associated with single-nozzle color changing.
Speed Upgrade: The basic printing speed reaches 500 mm/s. Combined with the "no waiting for color changes" advantage, the efficiency of printing multi-color models is increased by 4-5 times compared to traditional equipment.
Material Breakthrough: Elastic materials (like TPU) and PP material, which are difficult for traditional single-nozzle equipment to handle, can now be used for multi-color printing with the U1. It can even achieve innovative "soft-rigid combination" applications – for example, printing a shoe in one piece, using high-strength material for the sole support and elastic TPU for the upper, perfectly adapting to real-world wearing scenarios.
Head-Changing Experience: In a live demonstration, the U1's head-changing process took only 5 seconds. The smooth "instant plug-and-play" operation of the nozzles allowed the audience to intuitively feel the technological innovation.
This product, which seems "highly mature," had a research and development cycle of only two years. Snapmaker staff explained that the team optimized the head-changing structure through extensive testing. Currently, the probability of nozzle clogging is controlled at a very low level; even units sent to KOLs and users for testing have not experienced large-scale clogging issues. If a clog does occur, the device supports quick replacement: a single nozzle costs only 15-18 USD, and the modular replacement structure is simple, requiring no specialized technical skill. The durability of the entire nozzle module has been verified through "millions of head-changing tests," with no reported cases of damage so far.
Detailed Design: Split Drying & Smart Recognition, Balancing Practicality and Compatibility
Beyond the core four-nozzle system, the detailed design of the Snapmaker U1 in "material management" and "ease of operation" also highlights its industrial design thinking.
Filament Drying and Storage: The device supports loading four spools of filament simultaneously. Paired with the co-branded "SnapDryer split drying box" (with Polymaker), it enables "drying while printing" – the dryer's heater is separate from the storage boxes. Four independent boxes meet the drying needs for four spools, preventing printing failures caused by humid environments.
Smart Filament Recognition: The device has a built-in RFID recognition function. When using Snapmaker's original filament, the system can automatically identify the material type and color, eliminating the need for manual setup. If using third-party filament, parameters can also be manually selected via the operation interface, greatly improving compatibility.
Visual Operation: The body is equipped with a camera supporting time-lapse photography, allowing users to check the printing progress and view in real-time on the operation screen. The screen can also be used for basic operations like machine control and color settings, making it easy to use.
