The U1 makes multi-material combinations more reliable, predictable, and controllable, unlocking functional structures that were previously difficult—or impossible—to achieve with single-nozzle systems.
Material Bonding Strength Classification
Strong Bonding (+)
- Materials are naturally compatible, exhibiting high interfacial adhesion.
- They can be printed as load-bearing or structural parts without any additional bonding settings or process optimization.
Bondable (–)
- Materials show weaker chemical adhesion, but the interfacial bond can be significantly strengthened using Snapmaker Orca’s Beam Interlocking feature (Use Beam Interlocking). This makes them suitable for rigid–flexible material combinations and other functional multi-material structures. At the same time, weak-bonding materials are ideal for dissimilar-material supports:
- Their inherently low adhesion allows for easy and clean support removal
- Cleaner interfaces result in higher-quality bottom surfaces and finer detail
Additional Material Notes
TPU (Flexible Materials):
- Currently compatible with TPU ≥ 90A Shore hardness.
- Softer grades (< 90A) are under active testing and validation.
PA-Based Materials (Engineering Plastics):
- Includes PA-CF (carbon fiber–reinforced nylon) and PA-GF (glass fiber–reinforced nylon).
- Designed for applications requiring high strength, stiffness, and impact resistance.
Under Testing: We are actively optimizing more material combinations. Stay tuned!
Typical Application Scenarios
- Rigid + Flexible Materials: Used for articulated parts, overmolded designs, and soft-touch handles in functional prints.
- Water-Soluble Supports (PVA): Enable complex overhangs, internal cavities, and enclosed geometries that are difficult to achieve with breakaway supports.
- Dissimilar-Material Supports (Easy-Remove): Weak inter-material bonding allows for easy support removal, cleaner interfaces, and better bottom-surface quality.