Production Update
Hi everyone, Vic here.
If you're reading this, the entire team is deep in preparation for our October trial production run — an important milestone on our road to fulfillment.
I know you're all eager to hear how things are going, so here's the latest.
About the Factory
LightMake is a product-driven company. Like many well-known companies, we don't run our own factory — we manufacture through an internationally recognized contract manufacturer. Our partner is Sunwoda, an A-share listed company (300207.SZ) with a global outlook, which primarily supplies power batteries to automotive brands such as Tesla and Xiaomi.
Production Line Progress
For a complex product with 600+ components, manufacturing is where quality is truly won or lost. During previous engineering validation builds, we identified some manufacturing processes requiring further optimization, implemented and validated improvements item by item, and accumulated extensive hands-on experience throughout the process.
We've now locked in the complete manufacturing process for small-batch production, with more than 200 process steps optimized. Our line is growing from a 30-meter pilot line into a 100-meter production line, moving us from pilot production to full-scale mass production or small-batch mixed-model production.
The production-line plan and factory operating system have been finalized, and construction is currently underway: the production floor is expanding from 300 m² to 3,000 m². The new line is expected to reach a daily capacity of 200 units. That translates to several thousand units per month, enough to support our fulfillment pace.
We're also setting up 236 aging test stations and organizing the build into 18 pre-assembled module lines. Every machine goes through 48 hours of rigorous testing before it ships.
Fig. Production Line Layout Plan
On the linear motor side, we've been focused on improving automation and yield. In this trial run, we're introducing automated magnet placement and coil winding machines, plus an automated magnet-pitch inspection system to verify the installation accuracy of linear motor modules. We expect yield to improve by 50%+ and efficiency by 120%+.
Automated Magnet Placement Machine (test setup, not production operation)
Automatic Coil Winding Machine
Tooling Progress
About a month ago, all of our molds went into production. Nearly all of the tooling tuning and rework is now complete — which means every part in this trial run will be produced with final production molds, not 3D-printed parts.
There are a lot of molds, so here are a few selected videos and photos categorized by module.
Software Progress
Trial production isn't just about manufacturing — it marks the product entering its next stage of maturity. Software work is progressing on schedule:
Firmware ( Focused on UX)
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Added one-tap network setup: in multi-machine setups, you can bring the whole fleet online in a single tap instead of configuring each printer one by one;
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Reworked manual move controls for the print head and heatbed, making Z-height adjustments simpler;
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Optimized print head fan speed logic.
Slicer (focused on print quality & UX)
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Improved the material-to-printhead mapping logic, so single- and multi-machine users can switch filaments more easily and accurately;
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Added an optional set of four small prime towers, reducing priming travel between heads and lowering the risk of oozing onto the model;
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Updated the profile packs for PA and TPU;
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Enabled OrcaSlicer's built-in calibration features.
App
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Improved Bluetooth-assisted Wi-Fi setup;
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Added German (DE) and French (FR) language packs; printer screen and slicer language support will follow;
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Smoothed out remote camera streaming.
Hardware Progress
Hardware design changes are largely wrapped up. This trial run incorporates adjustments driven by functional needs and certification requirements across different countries:
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Reworked the print head board connection for better manufacturing yield and a cleaner look;
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Replaced the Y-axis gantry cable routing with a long PCB mounted along the underside of the crossbeam for better long-term reliability;
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Improved overvoltage/overcurrent protection;
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Added more thermal protection mechanisms for safer operation;
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Switched the Y-axis crossbeam-to-printhead link from serial (UART) to USB for better noise immunity over longer cable runs;
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Simplified motherboard connector layout to make assembly and disassembly easier;
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Added reserved power and communication ports on the motherboard;
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Mass-produced test fixtures and introduced modular testing to improve production efficiency.
Print Quality Optimization
Print quality is our top priority, and since it depends on both hardware and software, it deserves its own section. We have a dedicated team working on print process optimization — here's what's been improving lately:
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Metric
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Before
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After
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What improved
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Model Accuracy
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Fine features and threaded parts now print with noticeably better accuracy
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Speed Smoothing
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Smaller speed deltas between fast and slow moves → more consistent extrusion
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Z-axis Smoothness
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Less Z-banding at layer boundaries and seams, smoother surface
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Print Speed Increase
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40min → 27 minutes faster at the same quality
*The same Benchy prints in 34 minutes on the CR and 37 minutes on the BL — this isn't the built-in, specially tuned Benchy.
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Closing Thoughts
Thanks again to every backer. Your support and feedback keep the team fired up through what has been a demanding and challenging journey. Our next update lands in the second week of October. I will focus on sharing the actual results of the October trial production, including trial units, quality validation, and follow-up production plans. Stay tuned!
— Vic, Founder, LightMake