[geerlingguy]

> The hot end that I've had to replace a few times due to accidentally breaking the screws when changing nozzles. (It was a poor design of the original hot end...)

That bit was highlighted in the article, though, as one of the more annoying aspects of Anker pulling out of the market. It's likely if your hot end fails again, you'll suddenly have 10 lbs of useless 3D printer to deal with. Most people will just toss them in a landfill.

There was a time I thought 3D printers would break free from the 'every part is proprietary' industry of 2D printers, where you have cheap disposable hardware and people are incentivized to buy new printers frequently to replace dodgy old equipment.

But outside of the passionate Voron community and a few companies who still have at least some of the community/repairability-first ethos, it seems the wider industry is moving towards proprietary hardware, even to the point of blocking out (or at least making difficult) 3rd party accessories, mods, and community software.

[guiambros]

+100 this. I understand them exiting the market, but it's a tragedy we won't have access to spare parts. I wish they had at least produced a ton of hot ends in advance, so owners could have a reliable supply for a few more years.

I'm a happy M5 user, but now counting the days until it becomes paperweight.

[paulirwin]

Yeah, agreed. Anker, if you're reading this - please open source the printer hardware/parts and software if you're truly pulling out of the market!