Multi-colour printing
By the looks of it, the only real advantage for multiple heads is to save the time swapping out the filament. While that certain is a benefit, is there any other benefits to having multiple, independent print heads?
I've barely looked into multiple colour prints and the XL still seems to be a 'layer range by layer range' colour change. This is correct?
RE: Multi-colour printing
Filament or tool (mostly nozzle size) are the benefits. And each is rather huge on its own!
RE: Multi-colour printing
It's a true multi-material as well, so you can run with PLA + ABS + elastic + soluble in the same print.
RE:
It's a true multi-material as well, so you can run with PLA + ABS + elastic + soluble in the same print.
Thats’ good to hear. Do you have any references on where I can read up on this process?
When I look at the machine, it only uses one head at a time. At least from what it seems to be advertising. So, if a single layer has multiple colours, that’s a lot of head swapping, and also seems likely to at a ton of time to printing if true. I couldn’t possibly conceive of the idea that the machine would act like that and any print job of any significant size be of reasonable completion time. I would really like to understand the process as I can’t see a machine printing 10cm of 0.02 thick layer, swapping hears, printing 2cm, then going back to 7cm of a different colour. That just seems insane
RE: Multi-colour printing
Yes, it will take a lot of printing time to switch nozzle; how much is depending on how fast they can move the servos. If it's blazingly fast it'll just take a second but I suspect it's more like 15 seconds for a swap at the moment.
But each tool can hold it's own temperature and they claim in the latest newsletter to have gotten rid of the need of wiping (wow).
The MMU2 takes 20-30 seconds for a filament swap + wiping time (and a lot of wasted filament). The Palette takes no time for a swap (since it glues the filaments together) but same wiping time. Neither can handle different temperatures nor flexible filament well if at all.
There should be lots of youtube movies of both MMU2, Palette and E3D toolchanger on youtube, the last one is the same tech as the Prusa XL (with need of wipe though).
Print time isn't really an issue if you can just leave it puttering for a week and be reasonable sure that it will succeed.
RE: Multi-colour printing
I'd like to see (I know no one cares about what I'd like to see) the ability to change filament in one head, while the other head is printing.
Example: I'm currently printing an 18 hour part with 3 color changes. Mk3S wo/ MMU. If I buy the 2 headed monster how do I get to the 3rd and 4th color? What does that workflow look like? I'd like to press an Unload Button that's on the head I'm unloading. While the one head is printing, I'm getting the other head ready with the next color. Benefit is I don't have to be there at exactly the right time, I can change the color 8 hours beforehand, and the print job doesn't skip a beat or have to pause while I make the change.
RE: Multi-colour printing
I'd like to see (I know no one cares about what I'd like to see) the ability to change filament in one head, while the other head is printing.
Example: I'm currently printing an 18 hour part with 3 color changes. Mk3S wo/ MMU. If I buy the 2 headed monster how do I get to the 3rd and 4th color? What does that workflow look like? I'd like to press an Unload Button that's on the head I'm unloading. While the one head is printing, I'm getting the other head ready with the next color. Benefit is I don't have to be there at exactly the right time, I can change the color 8 hours beforehand, and the print job doesn't skip a beat or have to pause while I make the change.
You are in luck! That option is$2400 over a plain MK3S! In fact, Prusa went so far as to give FIVE colour options! 😉
RE: Multi-colour printing
I'd like to see (I know no one cares about what I'd like to see) the ability to change filament in one head, while the other head is printing.
Example: I'm currently printing an 18 hour part with 3 color changes. Mk3S wo/ MMU. If I buy the 2 headed monster how do I get to the 3rd and 4th color? What does that workflow look like? I'd like to press an Unload Button that's on the head I'm unloading. While the one head is printing, I'm getting the other head ready with the next color. Benefit is I don't have to be there at exactly the right time, I can change the color 8 hours beforehand, and the print job doesn't skip a beat or have to pause while I make the change.
You are in luck! That option is$2400 over a plain MK3S! In fact, Prusa went so far as to give FIVE colour options! 😉
I already know 4 colors works with 5 heads. What do you do if you only have 2 though?
RE: Multi-colour printing
Worst case it's not worse than colour changing in a normal MK3S or Mini, gcode-pause the print and change the filament.
RE: Multi-colour printing
Worst case it's not worse than colour changing in a normal MK3S or Mini, gcode-pause the print and change the filament.
True, I'm sure could use 1 head just like I do with the MK3. But what's the benefit of 2 heads vs 1 then?
But what's the benefit of 2 heads vs 1 then?
All the usual ones: Cheap support for expensive body plastic, soluble supports or seperation layers, flex shock aborption printed into a rigid structure, spot colour for text/graticules and other labels, different nozzle sizes for combined fast and detailed sections of a print ...
anyone who buys one just for printing multicoloured toys is missing the point entirely.
Cheerio,
RE: Multi-colour printing
But what's the benefit of 2 heads vs 1 then?
All the usual ones: Cheap support for expensive body plastic, soluble supports or seperation layers, flex shock aborption printed into a rigid structure, spot colour for text/graticules and other labels, different nozzle sizes for combined fast and detailed sections of a print ...
anyone who buys one just for printing multicoloured toys is missing the point entirely.
Cheerio,
I sell these so I make a lot of them. It's an 18 hr print w/ color changes at 2:30, 5:00, & 17:45
My question is: how do I make this part using the 2 headed monster?
You don't, you buy the 5 headed behemoth.
Cheerio,
RE: Multi-colour printing
There's no reason you can't throw a manual color change into the mix. PrusaSlicer supports it. Just use a dual-head and put a color change in the G-code when the blue finishes printing. In the slicer set the blue ring and silver F to be the same color.
RE: Multi-colour printing
There's no reason you can't throw a manual color change into the mix. PrusaSlicer supports it. Just use a dual-head and put a color change in the G-code when the blue finishes printing. In the slicer set the blue ring and silver F to be the same color.
Yes I could be there during the color changes to do it manually, that just defeats any benefit to having 2 heads.
RE: Multi-colour printing
You only have to be there for a single color change, though. If you don't want to do that, order an XL with 3 heads instead of 2.
RE: Multi-colour printing
Yeah only having to be there at the very last change wouldn't be that bad. I still think it would be useful to have the ability to unload & load filament in the unused head while the print is running.
RE: Multi-colour printing
But what's the benefit of 2 heads vs 1 then?
The benefit of using different heads is
1) you don't have to change filament in the head
2) you can use different nozzles and different temperatures and vastly different filaments (flex, soluble)
3) probably no wipe needed (= less waste, less time)
If you're asking if there's a benefit of using two heads with three filaments, I guess it saves you from manually (or with other equipment like palette) switching one of the three filaments?
But why not get three heads if this is the usecase? They will give the option with three different heads, just the step from 2 to 3 (up to 5) requires an additional board so that step is more expensive than just the head (but cheaper than 5).
RE:
The solution is simple.
You generate the 2+X version of the stl with a break at different times.
1.) Immediately after blue
2.) Just before gray
3.) Add change for different times printing +2H +4H +6H +8H
And when you launch according to your presence you launch the file which corresponds best.
It's an 18 hr print w/ color changes at 2:30, 5:00, & 17:45
Per exemple :
1.) 5H
2.) 8H
3.) 12H
4.) 14H
5.) 17h45
RE: Multi-colour printing
The solution is simple.
You generate the 2+X version of the stl with a break at different times.
1.) Immediately after blue
2.) Just before gray
3.) Add change for different times printing +2H +4H +6H +8H
And when you launch according to your presence you launch the file which corresponds best.
It's an 18 hr print w/ color changes at 2:30, 5:00, & 17:45
Per exemple :
1.) 5H
2.) 8H
3.) 12H
4.) 14H
5.) 17h45
That makes no sense to me.