Behind the scenes
3D printers growing in popularity
by Daniel Borchers
You can use this device to print your own mobile phone cases or mugs
15.4.2025
Translation: machine translated
Mobile phone covers, metal plates, mugs, cups or even headphones: The EufyMake UV printer E1 prints all kinds of smooth surfaces with your pictures, drawings, photos or even textures up to five millimetres high.
Something that was previously only available in the professional sector: printers for smooth surfaces that can produce durable and three-dimensional prints. The EufyMake UV printer E1 now makes this possible for the first time for private use, for hobbies or even for small in-house production series.
You can print your favourite motif on almost any smooth surface: Mugs, cups, glasses, metal plates, ceramic tiles, but also all other surfaces made of wood, metal, glass, leather, plastic or acrylic. On the one hand two-dimensional, on the other hand 3D images or reliefs up to five millimetres high are also possible.
Source: EufyMake
How does UV printing work?
Print heads apply a special ink to the surfaces and then ultraviolet lamps cure them. This happens practically instantaneously. The printing process is used in the professional sector for advertising signs, displays, sleeves, printed products or art reproductions.
The advantage of UV printing: the colours are sharp, bright and durable. You can easily wash printed products in the dishwasher, for example. The colours are also non-toxic and do not release any volatile organic compounds during application, which can be harmful.
Source: EufyMake
What does the print look like?
At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Anker subsidiary Eufy already told me and other media representatives about the UV printer and showed some products printed with a pre-production model.
This is impressive in the truest sense of the word: the thermo mug looks like something from a Texan souvenir shop. The Doctor Strange printed on a metal plate really shone. The chopping board features Portuguese tile motifs - which have a strong tactile feel thanks to 3D printing. The saw blade, on the other hand, printed down to the teeth, shows above all what is technically possible.
Source: Lorenz Keller
How the printer works
The E1 is similar to a 3D printer. First, the surface of the product to be printed is scanned. You can then use the EufyMake Designer Studio for Windows and MacOS or the app for iOS and Android to design your customised motif. Alternatively, over 50,000 templates are available. More will be added on an ongoing basis by building up a Community. Artificial intelligence is to help with the application of motifs to different surfaces and shapes - and also transform 2D images into 3D reliefs, for example.
Thanks to a camera and two laser sensors, the colour is then applied to the object dot by dot. A special holder that rotates makes it possible to print on the curved surfaces of cups or mugs. You can imagine it like an inkjet printer. The colours are actually filled in six cartridges that can be replaced individually.
This certainly takes time: for example, the E1 needs just under 40 minutes to print all over a 0.7-litre thermo mug.
Source: EufyMake
What does the printer fun cost?
The EufyMake UV printer 1 will be available in normal stores from the summer - and probably also in our shop. Before then, there is a somewhat complicated pre-sales process. On the one hand, it can be pre-ordered via the manufacturer's website, while on the other, a crowdfunding campaign will be launched on Kickstarter from 29 April.
The pre-sale prices start at 1400 francs or euros, the official sales price will then be around 1800 francs or euros. The rotary machine for cups, mugs etc. costs extra, the price has not yet been set. A «Direct to Film» (DTF) laminating machine is also available, the price of which has not yet been finalised. You can use it to print your own stickers.
If you have experience with inkjet printers, you will of course want to know the price of a colour cartridge: unfortunately, these prices are not yet fixed either. It is also not yet clear how long a cartridge will last or what the price per square centimetre of print area will be.
The EufyMake UV printer 1 is certainly not suitable for private mass production. It is more suitable for small series or individual gifts - or, of course, for artists and craftspeople who want to produce products with their own motifs. The device is of course also ideal for course organisers, public workshops or schools.
UPDATE ON PRICES: In the meantime, an EufyMake has published a detailed price list with the recommended retail prices. In regular sales, the price is likely to be around 2000 francs or euros. A set with all cartridges and a Cleaning Cartrige costs 270 francs or euros. A single colour is available for 39 francs or euros. The set for printing bags, bottles etc. costs 360 francs or euros, as does the set for the adhesives.
Header image: EufyMake
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.
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