The Toolheads 3D printer is the most efficient multi-color and multi-material 3D printer that can save filaments and time. However, the Toolheads 3D printer is high-cost and not easy to make run stably. So, we can only see one toolhead's 3D printer- Prusa XL- on the market in the past. The price of it is very high at $3499.
In 2025, there are 2 Chinese companies released their 4 toolheads 3D printer, Wondermake ZR Ultra and Snapmaker U1. The Wondermake starts the campaign on Kickstarter on April 2, 2025, and the Snapmaker on August 19, 2025.
As a startup, it is a successful campaign for Wondermake, by got 1101 backers and raising 833612 USD. However, the difficult of the technology of Toolheads' 3D printer surpasses their expectations. Wondermake is still testing its 3D printers and has not sent one printer to its backers. On the other hand, Snapmaker U1 got more than 8000 backers and raised more than $750 on the first day of the campaign. In addition, Snapmaker U1 has more advanced features like smart calibration than Wondermake ZR Ultra at the same price. The little advantage of Wondermake ZR Ultra is its big build volume. The build volume of ZR Ultra is 300 x 270 x 290mm, and U1 is 270 x 270 x 270mm.
Why didn't Bambu choose Toolheads?
Bambu Lab knows this well, the multi-color and multi-material 3D printing is a trend for in future. But their new flagship 3D printer, H2D, chooses the two nozzles in one head, not the toolheads. There must be a reason for this choice. I believe Bambu must have tested many technical solutions. The 3D printers of UltiMaker have two nozzles in one head. This is a mature and stable solution, especially in the long run of 3D printing.
Two nozzles in one head is a simple and affordable solution, and the toolheads are more complex and high-cost.
Another important reason is the AMS. The Toolheads 3D printer will impact the sales of AMS. If Bambu Lab release Toolheads 3D printer, their multi-color printing device-AMS will stop produce as it is not necessary for multi-color 3D printing.
The ideal of Bambu Lab is to make a high-quality 3D printer that everyone can use, even if you are an idiot. This idea makes its 3D printers get broad use in companies and homes that are not limited to the geek community as before. For the geeks, the 3D printers of Bambu Lab are also a good choice as its excellent stability that can save their time.
For a 3D printer farm runner, the stability is money. They need their 3D printers to work without failure during continuous printing. So, the 3D printers of Bambu Lab filled the 3D printer farmer racks.
Can toolheads be popular in the future?
Prusa is a company with strong technical capabilities in 3D printing. The i3 frame was invented by its founder, Josef Prusa. They offer the only one toolhead 3D printer in the market as Prusa can make it stable enough to use. But the high price makes it impossible for most 3D printing users. It is also not easy to use for normal users.
The Snapmaker lowered its price to $999 and added some advanced features. If the stability of Snapmake U1 is good enough, this company has the chance to be the second Bambu Lab. But I don't think so.
Snapmaker U1 may be a game changer in the 3D printing geek market, but not the disruptor for the all 3D printing market. This technical solution is not as stable as two nozzles in one head. It can be the new Ender-3 in multi-material 3D printing. For professional 3D art creators, some 3D printing farmers and designers, Snapmaker U1 will be a good tool.
Bambu H2C VS snapmaker U1
The popularity of the Snapmaker U1 has exceeded Bambulab's expectations. It has already got more than 15000 backers on Kickstarter. As worry the potential users of Bambu Lab be captured by snapmaker U1, Bambulab has departed from its usual policy of secrecy by announcing in advance its upcoming BambuLab H2C, scheduled for release in the second half of 2025.
The Bambu Lab H2C is a upgrade version of Bambulab H2D for solve the filament poops issue in multi-color printing. The main disadvantage of Bambub Lab 3D printers with AMS is the great filament waste in multi-color printing. Bambu Lab designed a device called Vortec Hotend Change System allow the 3D printer head can mount 7 hotends on, and each color filament for one hotend to avoid discard the filament melted in the hotend when change different color filament to printing.
This solution make the AMS is still a necessary device for multi-color 3D printing. In addition, it is also can not support to print flexible filament like TPU. Therefore, this is a compromise solution.
Additionally, the Bambu Lab H2S with the AMS combo costs $1,499. The price of the Bambu Lab H2C may exceed 1999 USD. In contrast, the Snapmaker U1 is priced at just 999 USD. Its four toolheads allow it to print with four different materials in one print. Clearly, the Snapmaker U1 is the better choice for multi-material 3D printing.
