this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2024
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Hello,

I am trying to figure out which printer with multi-color capabilities to buy, and I'd like to hear some other people's opinions.

Note: I can't buy Bambu Labs products, so please do not recommend one.

Current options:

  • Prusa Mk4 and MMU3.
  • Voron 2.4-style (either Formbot kit or Sovol SV08) and ERCF, and eventually DAKSH toolchanger.
  • Ratrig V4 and the upgrades when they come out.
  • Creality K2 Plus (when it comes out).
  • Qidi Q1 Pro and the rumored multi-color unit.

My current thoughts:

  • I am happy wait a bit if that's the best option.
  • I like the fact that the MMU3 mechinism doesn't waste as much filament as some other mechanisms. It's easier for me to pay more up front for the mechanism than constantly keeping tons extra filament in stock.
  • The potential for a Voron to be upgraded to a toolchanger with DAKSH is intising.
  • High print quality is important to me, although I can't imagine any of these would result in bad quality.
  • Prusa XL is outside my budget :(

Please let me know your opinions, and thank you to anybody who read this far.

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[–] papalonian 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (5 children)

Note that I don't own a multi-filament setup so I can't speak from personal experience, but this is after I'd done extensive research into it and determined it wasn't worth it for my personal use case.

What kind of parts will you be printing in multi-material? The kind of prints you are doing will greatly determine the best approach. Some smaller prints with many filament changes will result in purge blocks with more mass than the part itself.. ie more than double normal filament usage.

IMO the tool changers are the way to go and I think we will be seeing more of them in higher end machines. I personally wouldn't use multiple materials for the sake of colors, but different tool heads offers the ability to print with different materials at different temperatures, as well as different nozzle sizes or different setups altogether. For example you can have a 0.6 volcano nozzle for the bulk of your print, a standard 0.2 nozzle with the same filament for fine details, and a 0.4 nozzle with a water soluble filament for supports.

This is just speculation, but I'm betting that we'll see tool changers with more than just extruders on deck - imagine if you could add a Dremel head for post-print sanding, or a drill bit to clear out holes.

[–] lemmyman 2 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I have an MK4+MMU that I bought partially with the intent of building PLA-supported PETG and TPU parts. I haven't dug in too far yet but in the few prints I've done the PLA has severely degraded interlayer adhesion. Presumably this can be addressed by purging (much) more on changes from PLA, but if I had known this before I bought, I would have seriously considered a multi-head printer.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

I'm curious to hear if you find a solution to this as you play with it more. I think some people are able to make it work with some setups, so I'm curious if something makes the Prusa different. If there isn't a way to make it work, I think this has to be crossed off my list of options.

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