is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
In March, charging giant Anker announced it would spin out its 3D printer business into an “independent sub-brand,” stating that the new EufyMake would “continue to provide comprehensive customer service and support” for its original 3D printers the AnkerMake M5 and M5C.
Now, the 3D printing community is wondering whether that was all a euphemism for exiting the 3D printer business. eufyMake is no longer selling any 3D printers and has stopped selling some of the parts it would need to provide anything close to “comprehensive support.”
Anker confirms to The Verge that it has stopped selling the M5 and M5C 3D printers indefinitely. Spokesperson Brett White could not confirm that the company will resume selling them or create any future models. He says that “sales have been paused.”
“My understanding is that eufyMake has not ruled out creating new 3D printer models in the future. But the brand has ended sales of the M5 and M5C for the time being,” White tells The Verge.
The 3D printing section of EufyMake’s website is currently empty of printers. The only gadget EufyMake now sells is a UV printer that creates a 3D texture atop flat materials.
To put it mildly, Anker had a rough start in the 3D printer business. It set out to fix big pain points with 3D printing with the original M5, but ran into many issues that I documented in my original review. The M5C was both more affordable and better appreciated by the community but sacrificed features like a dedicated screen. Makers ran into their share of issues with it too.
Now, Redditors are also reporting they can no longer easily obtain the most critical parts for the M5C — the hotend that melts and helps deposit 3D-printed plastic.
“Due to inventory reasons, the M5C hot end has been removed from the official website and is no longer available for purchase,” reads an alleged email from EufyMake support to one Redditor (hit the right arrow twice to see the screenshot):
“So my entire 3D printer is garbage because you stopped supporting it?” the Redditor replied. (Hotends are often one of the first components you replace if or typically when a 3D printer jams.)
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