QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?  

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

@dimprov

Apologies, I misread, at $150 it sounds interesting. 

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

Pitstop + Molex Micro-Fit 3.0

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

How long does it take to disengage it from the extruder?

Thinking about it now, I don't foresee much need to swap out the extruder anyway, as xChange would require you to do.  It's generally the hotend that needs changing, not the extruder or the rest of it, like fans, pinda's, etc.

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

Hardware-wise? Few seconds, I guess. After opening Pitstop: the only thing left is to disconnect molex connector.

It might require to readjust z offset.

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

Here's yet another approach that allows changing out the hotend in seconds:

It was pointed out in the comments that the wired connections could also be made through the magnets, thereby speeding up the process even further.

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

@dimprov

I would stick with Pitstop.  It is already designed for the Prusa.  

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

A new product offering to consider: Wam Bam Mutant

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

@dimprov

Interesting.  I am not sure what to think about the terminals.  I am concerned they might vibrate loose.  I have that experience on rockets.  

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

Posted by: @cwbullet

@dimprov

Interesting.  I am not sure what to think about the terminals.  I am concerned they might vibrate loose.  I have that experience on rockets.  

Maybe red Lock-Tite?

If I had my druthers I'd rather use the system used by automatic toolchangers, because then you're already setup for that, whenever that happens.  However, that's for the future, and this is for the here and now.  By the time the future happens things will probably have changed anyway.

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

@cwbullet

The Mutant is a great tool platform, I have been using it for a week now and it is "Slap yourself in the forehead" easy to use.  Now I have three hotends that can be swapped into place in about 5 seconds.  Makes working on that part of the printer almost a joy.  

If you can imagine that.  

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

I think the mutant is the best so far.  It's general purpose, and it looks easy enough that just about anyone can do it.  It doesn't require a linear rail like the xchange, and you can buy/print it today.  And apparently it already has momentum with the HeroMe, so you're not left holding a bag and wondering, "Uh, now what?"

👍

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

@dimprov

Talk to Peter at Wham-Bam, he is a great guy and he will get you setup in no time.  

My product engineer just printed out a dremel holder plate for the Mutant, and he is now trying to have it automagically drill out a simple PCB.  

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

Posted by: @bill-marcy

@cwbullet

The Mutant is a great tool platform, I have been using it for a week now and it is "Slap yourself in the forehead" easy to use.  Now I have three hotends that can be swapped into place in about 5 seconds.  Makes working on that part of the printer almost a joy.  

If you can imagine that.  

Thanks for your timely post!  That clinches it.  I'm gonna get me one.

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

Posted by: @bill-marcy

@dimprov

Talk to Peter at Wham-Bam, he is a great guy and he will get you setup in no time.  

My product engineer just printed out a dremel holder plate for the Mutant, and he is now trying to have it automagically drill out a simple PCB.  

I have doubts about getting a 3D printer to act like a CNC, but going the other way might work just fine:  put a mutant on my CNC and then I can quickly put a printhead on it and get it to print.... uh, after adding a heatbed I guess.  🙂

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

If you ask me, the bed level sensor (whether it be a Prusa Inductive sensor or a BL touch or whatever) should itself be removeable from the Mutant, because it's only needed at the very beginning for the bed leveling.  Otherwise, at least in my experience so far, leaving it on means it will eventually get snagged on something and it will either get destroyed or it will ruin the print that's in progress, possibly by creating a level shift.  If it were removeable, then it would be out of harms way and could also be shared among the printheads, rather than requiring each printhead to have its own bed level sensor.  That would be ideal.  I suppose a compromise would be to simply have some sort of cover that snaps over it to protect it after the initial bed leveling is finished.

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

Aha!  I think I have the answer: dedicate one "mobile mutant" plate to just the bed level sensor.  After the bed leveling is completed, remove it and then install the printhead.  Voila.

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

@dimprov

That would work.  How about acustom G-code that causes an arm to spring up carrying the bed level sensor up with it?  It is reset at the beginning of the gcode through slicer commands?   Should be a two wire hookup, gotta figure out the actuator and how light you can make it. 

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

@dimprov

I am not so sure.  Removing it might require resetting live Z on the next print.  

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

Posted by: @bill-marcy

@dimprov

That would work.  How about acustom G-code that causes an arm to spring up carrying the bed level sensor up with it?  It is reset at the beginning of the gcode through slicer commands?   Should be a two wire hookup, gotta figure out the actuator and how light you can make it. 

If the height could somehow be made highly repeatable when it's lowered, I suppose that could work.  It's that requirement though that might make doing it that way a bit of a challenge.  

I've seen some BLTouch "protectors" on thingiverse.  Basically they build a shell around the BLTouch and its little plastic probe so they don't get destroyed.  I suppose that might be sufficient, because the print is probably (?) ruined anyway if stuff is crashing into it. 

I haven't yet seen anything for the Pinda, but maybe that's because it's less delicate.  Currently my Prusa I3 MK3 is offline because the pinda snagged something.  Rather than breaking the Pinda, though, it snapped the pinda support, leaving the Pinda to flap in the breeze and snag even more things.  I'll have to replace the printed part before I can use it again.    This doesn't happen often, but it also isn't the first time either, and I'm already tired of it and would like to prevent any future recurrences of it.

Well, maybe I'm asking for too much.  Pinda's are cheap.  Maybe just put one on every mobile mutant and simply drop in another printhead  whenever something breaks.

RE: QuickChange mod for i3 MK3/S/+ printhead?

I ordered the Mutant.  I had thought WAM BAM was based in Florida, but it seems they ship from China, so even with DHL it will probably take at least a couple of weeks to get it.