We’ve seen a lot of wild 3D printers launch on Kickstarter, but none are quite like the YUMi, a 12-color modular bedslinger that claims to be “the fastest multi-color 3D printer in the galaxy.” And if you don’t believe it, just turn to TikTok for print demos by American influencers. The new printers tout impressive speed stats of 700mm/s with a max acceleration of 20,000mm/s², but as we'll cover below, remember that those claims are with lowered quality settings. The Kickstarter price for the YUMi 3D printer starts at $195 for the C235 with a single color toolhead and goes up to $775 for the C435 with 12 colors.
It's not unusual for 3D printer companies to turn to online content creators to beta test a new design. However, YUMi’s CEO, Nicolas Michaut, went one step further and invited TikTokers to fly to China and check out his factory. Shannon of PretzelPrints told Tom’s Hardware that she accepted the invite despite YUMi being unable to provide travel expenses or other compensation. She was simply a tourist abroad, and she thanks her Patreon supporters for making the adventure possible.
Shannon is an American 3D designer who sells her whimsical and somewhat spooky models on Cults3D and Patreon. She has been sharing behind-the-scenes videos of the YUMi factory and her travels with her 25k TikTok audience.
“YUMi contacted me on TikTok over a year ago about this project,” she said. “I couldn't turn down an opportunity to see a new factory in the industry I love, and see what YUMi was all about in person, so I agreed,” Shannon told us. She said the opportunity came at a good time for her to take an extended trip and experience the Chinese culture as well as the manufacturing process that goes into developing a new 3D Printer.
During her stay, she tried out early versions of the printer and provided user feedback to the engineers. She also took questions from her audience and tested their suggestions on the developing machines.
Her first visit was for a week, but she later returned for a longer stay. As a full-time designer, she was able to continue her work while abroad and share her experience with her audience. “I have been talking with the team about the work on the back-end for a long time now and was already impressed with the work ethic, care, and determination I saw. Seeing them work in person affirmed my confidence in their ability to create a great product,” Shannon said.
The YUMi 3D printer will come in three sizes: C235 with a 235x235mm build plate, C335 with a 335x335mm plate, and the C435 with, you guessed it, a 435x435 mm build plate. For reference, a Bambu Lab A1 has a 256x256 mm build plate, while an Anycubic Kobra Max has a 420x420mm plate.
The Kickstarter price for the YUMi 3D printer starts at $195 for the C235 with a single color toolhead and goes up to $775 for the C435 with 12 colors.
YUMi’s stats have the printer running at a top speed of 700mm/s with a max acceleration of 20,000mm/s². We always take these kinds of numbers with a grain of salt, as max speeds are rarely everyday, let alone quality settings. A Bambu Lab A1, for example, hums along with an average print speed of 250mm/s and an acceleration of 6000mm/s².
The printer’s main selling point isn’t really the speed, which is backed by vanilla Klipper, but the modular spool holders. Rather than copy Bambu Lab’s 4-slot AMS or Prusa Research’s 5-spool cluster MMU3, YUMi is giving you a choice. You can outfit your machine with 1 to 12 spool modules and line them up in a bank on top of the 3D printer’s gantry.
A pro version of the spool holder will have a heater so that it can act as a drier for more difficult filaments.
Each spool holder feeds directly into a print hub mounted on top of the toolhead, and YUMi claims it only requires 10cm of retraction. This should allow for rapid color swapping. The colors still share a single nozzle, so there will still be a need for filament purging.
