AnkerMake (United States) - Press Release: Hey AnkerMake fans.

We love all the input that you've given us since we launched the AnkerMake Slicer. Our overall goal has been to make it as user-friendly as possible, including our print-in-one-click feature. But we've also heard from some of you that the slicer has issues with the user interface, lacks support functions, tools, and basic features, suffers from bugs, and faces several other concerns.

We Hear You, and We're Making Changes:

We've decided to overhaul the AnkerMake Slicer. These changes won't happen overnight, so we've identified the steps we'll take to make updates:

Step 1: Enable M5 on Cura and Prusa Slicer:

Next month, we plan to release the official M5 slicing parameter configuration files on Cura and Prusa. We'll test the parameter configurations thoroughly before officially releasing them and include M5 users in that testing. This will ensure configurations are optimized for M5 and compatible with Cura and Prusa's slicing software. Thank you to the AnkerMake Community and just-trey's profile of M5 posted on Github.

For now, you can review this article to manually add M5 to Cura and PrusaSlicer.

Step 2: Expand AI and Remote-Control Capabilities:

In the future, we're focusing on expanding the capabilities of AI and remote-control features, including real-time streaming, print progress monitoring, and printer control. We'll also address connectivity issues related to printer synchronization and enhance the functionality of importing third-party Gcodes. That way, you can use AI and remote-control features, even if you use other slicer software. We plan to launch the Gcode feature in March.

Step 3: Switch Based on PrusaSlicer Solution:

In this final step, we aim to switch the entire software to the open-source PrusaSlicer. This will involve extensive adjustments to the code and functionality of our software, but we believe it's necessary to provide you with the best user experience.

We plan to complete this transition by April, and we'll enter a public beta testing phase then.

As part of this transition, we will also make our software development process more transparent and accessible. We will compile the AnkerMake Slicer on Github, so you can access the latest code, report issues, and contribute to development. Overall, we want to work closely with you to gather feedback in making a slicer that is easy to use and reliable.

Our Recommendations to You:

1. For Beginners: If you are new to 3D printing and don't want to learn about advanced parameter tuning, we recommend you use our current AnkerMake Slicer. Our user experience is optimized for beginners, and the interface is more user-friendly for those who are new to 3D printing.
2. For Experts: We will release official M5 parameter profiles that can be used on Prusa and Cura. Once they are available, you can select our printer and materials directly in Prusa or Cura for printing.

We hope these recommendations will help you get the most out of our software and enjoy a smoother and more efficient 3D printing experience.

What's Next?

Open-Source Contributions:

We love all the help and support we've received from the open-source community, and now it's time for us to show our appreciation. Moving forward, we plan to upload our version compilation process to Github after each stable version release. This will make it easier for the AnkerMake Community and developers to access and participate, improving the quality and performance of the AnkerMake Slicer.

Future Planning:

• Renaming the AnkerMake Slicer: As we update the software, we'll need to re-position and rename it. We will continue making the slicer as user-friendly as possible and are confident a new name will better reflect that commitment.
• Bi-Weekly Updates: With regular updates, we want your feedback to enhance the overall slicing experience. You have valuable insights into how our slicer can improve, and we want to work with you to make it better.
• V6 Update: We're still working on V6 and overcoming some development challenges. We are working on an update and will share it with you as soon as possible.

Thank you again for your continued support for AnkerMake. Your feedback has been vital to our progress in transforming 3D printing. We couldn't have done it without you.

Stay up to date with AnkerMake on our official website and join our Discord community to read the latest news and engage in discussions with our team and other AnkerMake users. We'll see you there!

Keep Making,

The AnkerMake Team