3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
ELEGOO Centauri 2 vs Snapmaker U1
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ELEGOO Centauri 2 comparisonsMore Snapmaker U1 comparisons
| Property | ELEGOO Centauri 2COREXY | Snapmaker U1TOOLCHANGER |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | ELEGOO | Snapmaker |
| Class | COREXY | TOOLCHANGER |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | ELEGOO Centauri 2 (page title "Elegoo Centauri 2 | High-Speed CoreXY 3D Printer")[1] | Snapmaker U1 3D Printer[2] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Listed on the ELEGOO US store from 24 June 2026 (Shopify publish date)[3] | Not documented |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $279.00 on us.elegoo.com, Aug 2026, against a compare-at price of $299.00[3] | $849.00 against a $999.00 compare-at price on us.snapmaker.com, but the listing is marked Unavailable, checked Aug 2026[2] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Sold both bare and as a Centauri 2 Combo. The Combo is the one with multicolour: 4-colour CANVAS printing, RFID filament detection, auto refill and auto tangle detection are all listed Yes for the Combo and dash for the bare machine, and the Combo body measures 500 x 480 x 586 mm and 15.5 kg against 398 x 404 x 490 mm and 13.7 kg. Camera, LED lighting, air filter and the smart exhaust grille are optional expansions on both. Distinct from the Centauri Carbon line, which is enclosed and takes carbon-fibre filament[1][4] | An optional top cover changes what the machine can print: without it PLA/PETG/TPU/PVA/PCTG; with it ABS, ASA, PA, PC and PET are added; with the top cover AND a hardened-steel nozzle, carbon- and glass-fibre grades. A stated material list for the U1 is therefore meaningless without saying which configuration it refers to[2] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 256 x 256 x 256 mm; printing platform 260 x 260 mm[1] | 270 x 270 x 270 mm[2] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 398 x 404 x 490 mm for the bare Centauri 2 (the Combo is 500 x 480 x 586 mm)[1] | 584 x 499 x 730 mm[2] |
| Net weight (kg) | 13.7 kg net, 17.5 kg gross (bare machine; the Combo is 15.5 kg net, 19 kg gross)[1] | 18.2 kg[2] |
| Frame construction & material | Rigid aluminium frame[1] | Not documented |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Not documented | Open as sold; a top cover is an optional accessory that raises the supported material range[2] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY with dual 4260 stepper motors driving X and Y independently[1] | Four independent toolheads on a changer; Snapmaker quotes a 5-second swap[2] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Three lead screws with three linear guide rods[1] | Not documented |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | "Silent Drive (All Axes)"; no driver part number published[1] | Not documented |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 500 mm/s or less, with 250 mm/s given as the recommended speed[1] | 500 mm/s maximum toolhead speed (manufacturer claim)[2] |
| Recommended/typical print speed | 250 mm/s recommended printing speed (manufacturer figure)[1] | Not documented |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 20000 mm/s2 maximum acceleration; default acceleration 10000 mm/s2[1] | 20,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[2] |
| Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s) | Not documented | 32 mm3/s maximum hotend flow (manufacturer claim)[2] |
| Vibration Compensation / Input Shaping | ||
| Input shaping supported? Implementation (Klipper IS / Marlin ZV / proprietary) | Not documented | Input shaping with an accelerometer, run as a calibration routine[2] |
| Extrusion Pressure Control | ||
| Pressure advance (Klipper) / linear advance (Marlin) supported? | Not documented | Pressure advance, with automatic flow compensation calibration[2] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Dual-gear direct extruder with one fan[1] | Not documented |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Brass-hardened steel nozzle, 0.4 mm, titanium-alloy heat break[1] | Not documented |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 350 C claimed max nozzle temperature - higher than the enclosed Centauri Carbon's 320 C, even though ELEGOO lists ABS, ASA, PET, PETG-CF, PA and PC as not recommended on this machine[1][4] | 300 °C maximum (manufacturer claim)[2] |
| Stock nozzle material (brass / hardened steel / plated copper / composite tip) | Not documented | Stainless steel as standard; hardened steel needed for fibre-filled grades[2] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 110 C max heated bed temperature at 25 C ambient[1] | 100 °C maximum (manufacturer claim)[2] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Dual-sided spring steel sheet, textured PEI plus a PLA-specific surface[1] | Flexible steel sheet with a PEI surface[2] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | 121-point auto-levelling plus partial bed levelling, with full-auto calibration[1] | Mesh bed levelling. Automatic toolhead offset calibration is done by coordinate measuring[2] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament run-out sensor, clog detection, auto filament unloading, fan self-check, part-cooling-fan drop detection and power-loss recovery[1] | Filament run-out detection, plus air-printing detection and RFID filament recognition[2] |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Not documented | Four toolheads with auto-feed and a backup mode; toolhead swap error detection, build-plate presence and obstruction detection[2] |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Not documented | Main plus auxiliary part-cooling fans[2] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | "Powerful Self-Developed Motherboard" is all ELEGOO publishes[1] | Not documented |
| Total rated power draw | 1100 W at 220 V, 350 W at 110 V rated; 24 V output; 100-240 VAC input[1] | Maximum input power 1150 W at 220-240 V, 400 W at 100-120 V; maximum input current 6 A / 4 A respectively[2] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | ELEGOO OS; ElegooSlicer recommended, Orca and Cura supported[1] | Klipper[2] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 5-inch colour capacitive touch screen - larger than the 4.3-inch panel on the Centauri Carbon[1][4] | 3.5-inch, 320 x 480 touchscreen[2] |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Colour touch UI; input formats STL, OBJ, 3MF and STEP[1] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | USB and Wi-Fi[1] | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz (802.11b/g/n) and USB flash drive. No Ethernet listed[2] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | No camera as standard - listed as an optional expansion, as are LED lighting and the air filter[1] | 2 MP built-in chamber camera for live view[2] |
| Power-Loss & Interruption Recovery | ||
| Power-loss recovery: mechanism (how is state saved? capacitor / eeprom / file on shutdown?) | Not documented | Power-loss recovery supported; mechanism not published[2] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | Ideal: PLA, PETG, PLA-CF, TPU. Explicitly not recommended: ABS/ABS-CF, ASA/ASA-CF, PET/PET-CF, PETG-CF, PA/PA-CF, PC[1] | Base: PLA, PETG, TPU, PVA, PCTG. With the optional top cover: adds PET, ABS, ASA, PA, PC. With top cover and a hardened-steel nozzle: adds carbon- and glass-fibre-reinforced polymers[2] |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | 12 months on brand-new machines and parts, but ELEGOO's own table excludes a long list of parts from that: PEI plate / build plate / nozzle kit / PTFE tube / heater / thermistor / hot end / packaging / manual / tools carry no warranty at all, and the extruder, extruder kit and printhead kit get 6 months. Certified pre-owned machines carry no warranty[5] | Not documented |
Manufacturer claims, independent measurements, packages and test conditions retain their source wording. FDM linear speed and resin vertical speed use different units and are not directly comparable. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.
Sources for this comparison
- ELEGOO Centauri 2 product page (Centauri 2 Combo vs Centauri 2 side-by-side specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Snapmaker U1 product page us.snapmaker.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Centauri 2 Shopify product JSON (price and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Centauri Carbon product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Refund & Warranty policy (warranty period table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor