Any info on the Prusa XL?  

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

@yveske

This looks close to what you are describing: https://www.3dnatives.com/en/multinozzle-3d-printer-harvard-251120195/

It looks like this is (currently) limited to flexible "inks", but can rigid structures be far behind?

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

@reddawg

I'm sold !!!

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

@neophyl

Yep, sorry for the brain fart. Y and Z axes are still uncompromised.

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

@yveske

Hope you can afford it, pretty sure I can't.

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

Posted by: @cwbullet

@reddawg

I think it is important to understand the tool changer.  If you want a dual extruder, you can add it yourself.  If you want or need 20 heads, you can add it yourself.  That is the beauty of a tool changer.  

Agreed!

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

@reddawg

Been skiing this week.. too sore to post!      Columbus, OH $200 nego.  

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

Has anyone here had any success in making their own tool changer?  I see that there are a few DIY-type tool changer projects out there on the internet.

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

The other thing you can only do with a tool changer is mix nozzle sizes or have one extruder with a hardened nozzle and others with brass. A purge bucket seems almost mandatory with a tool changer too, as I imagine you let the nozzles cool when they are not the active tool, so I imagine you need to re-pressurize the nozzzle like the initial stripe on our prusas. The E3D bigbox had one with a silicone wiper to clean off the drool afterward, and it was great to have. What’s funny is they are using a modified bigbox when they show their tool changer...

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

Posted by: @henryhbk

The other thing you can only do with a tool changer is mix nozzle sizes or have one extruder with a hardened nozzle and others with brass.

I assume you'd need some slicer modifications to make ready use of it, but that's an ideal setup. Have a 0.25mm nozzle mounted for detail, use a 0.4 or 0.6mm for most prints. The slicer would have to detect or allow the user to identify thin bits, I'd think. Interesting though!

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

Does there yet exist good slicing software for supporting an E3D type tool changer?  My guess is that E3D releaesed their tool changer product mainly to provide software developers with a basic platform so they can get started.  The price doesn't seem so unreasonable, considering you get an upgraded printer as part of the deal.

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

Posted by: @dimprov

Does there yet exist good slicing software for supporting an E3D type tool changer?  My guess is that E3D releaesed their tool changer product mainly to provide software developers with a basic platform so they can get started.  The price doesn't seem so unreasonable, considering you get an upgraded printer as part of the deal.

Presumably it would work similar to the MMU so that the slicer doesn't need to know anything more that the proper gcode command to trigger the change process. I would expect the details to be in the firmware.

For example with the MMU, you use the T0-T4 gcodes to switch to the desired tool.

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

Posted by: @bobstro

I assume you'd need some slicer modifications to make ready use of it, but that's an ideal setup. Have a 0.25mm nozzle mounted for detail, use a 0.4 or 0.6mm for most prints. The slicer would have to detect or allow the user to identify thin bits, I'd think. Interesting though!

PrusaSlicer already seems to support this (first setting on extruder is nozzle size, even for the MMU2).

Although I would like to see support for 0.25mm for detail and 0.8mm for rigidity and infill. 😀

Also I'd like to see the possibility of using a toolchanger with one of the tools (or more) connected to an MMU2.

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

I just today noticed you can buy the E3D toolchanger parts without having to buy the entire $2,500 machine.  The adapter plate needed for each toolhead costs around $75, and, IIRC, the main tool changer part (you only need one for the entire machine) costs around $200.  Therefore, in principle one could adapt the E3D tool changer hardware to be used by a 3D printer that you may already own.

As near as I can tell, the main motivation driving the Duet3D Duet3 is either CNC or else it's automating the tool changing on a 3D printer.  I'm not sure if there even exists anything else which might need the high degree of expandability of the Duet3:  the Duet 3 seems like absolute overkill for a regular 3D printer, but the Duet 3  is expandable enough to handle a large collection of 3D printer toolheads.

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

@dimprov

In 1991, I bought a 30GB hard drive and said I will never fill that.  Hmm, I was wrong.  The Duet 3 is a similar capability - expansion to meet future needs.  

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

I've noticed some of the newer 32-bit boards cost less than the older 8-bit boards. 

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

@bobstro

That seems to be the case.  I am not sure why.  

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

Posted by: @bobstro

I've noticed some of the newer 32-bit boards cost less than the older 8-bit boards. 

Just don't buy the ones that run the TMC drivers in standalone uart mode.  Some of Creality's silent board upgrades are limited in this way, and it's alleged that such a configuration prevents you from running linear advance.  Ouch.  You'd think that a company, even Creality, would have more brains than that, but instead they are selling these boards at a high markup with no caveat emptor to alert buyers.  My reaction to this is that I'd rather buy a Duet3d Duet 2, even though it's considerably more expensive, than have to deal with such nonesense from a far east manufacturer.

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

@dimprov

Creality, in common with manufacturers all over the world sell buzz words and sadly it works.

"Duet3d Duet 2, even though it's considerably more expensive" bit of and understatement. A Duet 2 is £120 and a creality Silent board (V2.2.1) is £42.

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

Posted by: @towlerg

"Duet3d Duet 2, even though it's considerably more expensive" bit of and understatement. A Duet 2 is £120 and a creality Silent board (V2.2.1) is £42.

Indeed, and their marketing seems to do a very poor job of explaining why they're worth the extra money.  That said, everyone I've heard from who owns a Duet board has nothing but high praise for it.  Maybe it's like Super-Micro motherboards: the benefits don't seem compelling until you've tried it.

If a Duet board cost the same as your Marlin board, which would you prefer to own, and why?

RE: Any info on the Prusa XL?

Posted by: @cwbullet

@bobstro

That seems to be the case.  I am not sure why.  

It's essentially why purchasing a part for a 1960's car is more expensive than a vastly higher performance part for a car made in 2020. The manufacturers are currently cranking those out in bulk, so they are cheaper. Try to buy "old" ram. even though it is way slower than the state of the art it is often much more expensive.