Is it worth it?  

Re: Is it worth it?

I am debating buying the MMU2 and I am wondering if it is worth it. I understand that most of the comments on this forum are about problems with the upgrade so I am wondering if the people who have it and haven't had problems will let me know if they like it or not. Thank you.

If you ask this way, the answer is most likely no. You're consuming more throw away plastic. You need more space, more color filament and more maintenance. More things can and will go wrong.

On the other hand I wanted to get nice multi color prints out of the printer without post processing and this is what I'm getting right now with MK3+MMU2. And it took time and understanding to make it work reliable. The firmware is already pretty stable but the filament path and spool holder need to be adjusted/replaced. This two items don't really work reliable out of the box with provided equipment.

Re: Is it worth it?

Asking if it's worth it is really going to come down to how much you value your time. For $300 you get some steppers, hardware, a board, and some 3d prints in a box. You then have to make the 4 - 6 hour investment to build the thing and then spend more time to calibrate it. After you get it built and calibrated you have to pray that it works as it should but be prepared because it won't. Then you'll spend countless hours / days on debugging it until you can get it to work reliably.

So once again, how much do you value your time?

Re: Is it worth it?

Asking if it's worth it is really going to come down to how much you value your time. For $300 you get some steppers, hardware, a board, and some 3d prints in a box. You then have to make the 4 - 6 hour investment to build the thing and then spend more time to calibrate it. After you get it built and calibrated you have to pray that it works as it should but be prepared because it won't. Then you'll spend countless hours / days on debugging it until you can get it to work reliably.

So once again, how much do you value your time?

Well, it depends on how the owner looks(use) at it. I can put myself in between hobbyists and the person who earns from it. Although it was really a nightmare fixing MMU2.0, I really enjoyed it and time wasted did not matter to me. Specially when I managed to fix it. I believe that PR is constantly improving MMU2.0.

The main problem I see is that they didn’t have guide how to fix those issues and information on some settings like ramming(what does it do, what would happen if user adjust a certain parameter). This was also the cause why users wasted filaments doing trial and error. I only knew well about the machine after 2 months of debugging.

Another way I see it: people spend their time on solving video games and it’s similar to this case. The accomplishment, they feeling of “yes! I did it!” and most of all the feeling when seeing it as a trophy 🏆 are PRICELESS.

I do have pending Palette 2.0 delivery and I ordered it because I had given up on MMU2.0. Now that my MMU2.0 is running fine and reliable, I still want to stick with MMU2.0 because it’s compact and the trophy thing I mentioned.

We can’t blame Prusa Research because they already warned us that MMU2.0 is for expert level (not exactly sure the correct term) on their e-Store.

Re: Is it worth it?

MY TROPHY.

Re: Is it worth it?

.... and mine .... 😎

Re: Is it worth it?

man.. seeing your guy's mk3 stands.. make me to ashamed to post my cart with 2 little bottles hanging off the side of it. maybe I can clean it up abit more.

Re: Is it worth it?

No need for that. You have a big advantage to access your printer from all sides. My tower was build step by step in the last two years with the requirement to be child safe and wife friendly. 😀

Re: Is it worth it?

not only can I gett to the printer from all sides. I can sit on my chair and rotate the cart 😀

Re: Is it worth it?

Actually not

Re: Is it worth it?

No. It's really not. It's a massive pain it the butt. Calling it "alpha" would be generous. Yes, it's very clever engineering and if you can get it to work, it's very nifty. But you probably won't get it to work. It's way too difficult for most non-full-time-printers to deal with and you will hate yourself for wasting the money on it.

Re: Is it worth it?

No. It's really not. It's a massive pain it the butt. Calling it "alpha" would be generous. Yes, it's very clever engineering and if you can get it to work, it's very nifty. But you probably won't get it to work. It's way too difficult for most non-full-time-printers to deal with and you will hate yourself for wasting the money on it.

Quite literally my precise feelings on it. The only thing I would add is I also hate myself for the amount of precious leisure time wasted on it. It was never ready to be offered for sale.

Re: Is it worth it?

It depends on if you think 3D Printing is ready for Mom and Dad to use like their inkjet or if you understand you have to tinker on it to make it work and keep it working.

If the former, then absolutely not worth it. If the latter, yes. Many people are posting success prints, and most who have no problems never post at all (as expected - forums are mostly for problems).

Re: Is it worth it?

It depends on if you think 3D Printing is ready for Mom and Dad to use like their inkjet or if you understand you have to tinker on it to make it work and keep it working.

If the former, then absolutely not worth it. If the latter, yes. Many people are posting success prints, and most who have no problems never post at all (as expected - forums are mostly for problems).

I've owned four 3D printers and the MMU 1.0, and I agree that MMU 2.0 is not ready for release. The MK3 is one of the best pieces of kit I've ever had the pleasure of assembling and using, but the MMU 2.0 is a disaster. I've lost too much time on it. At this point I'm just waiting for Prusa to figure it out and fix the situation, which I believe will happen eventually.

Re: Is it worth it?

I think it depends on what you're after.

For me, I anticipate that at some stage in the future, I'll need the ability to print soluble supports, and multi material capabilities. I don't have a huge need for that capability at the moment. Most of my prints are single material. Therefore, for me it made sense to grab the MMU, and spend a bit of time on solving the hardware niggles that are inherent with a new design, and with my compact spool holder setup. If the printer isn't busy I can also send the odd MM print to test how things go. It's not a very expensive gadget, integrates well with the printer, and generally keeps out of the way of single material prints. In terms of updates, IMO, it's actually pretty close to being 'good'. One update that activates and links up both filament sensors, and I think it will end up being pretty reliable.

Therefore, for me, it's a small investment in preparation for future needs. It was a bit of fun to set up. It occasionally gets used for printing multi material, and generally it keeps out of the way. I've got my money worth so far. More importantly it means that when I do need it, I've got the bugs worked out (for both the MMU and my particular setup), and have the process sorted.

If you're after a quick and easy way to print multi colour prints 'right now', then the MMU is not for you.

Re: Is it worth it?

Is it worth it?

For me, yes, in the same way that solving a difficult and intricate puzzle is worth it. It was frustrating, but once I finished getting it to work well I have something really cool and a huge sense of accomplishment.

Of course not everyone is looking for that experience in the MMU. In which case, wait six months and see where things stand then.

Re: Is it worth it?

This is a good question at face value. "Is it worth it?" . Behind that its leaded with possible answers but I believe the OP was wishing to get more opinion out of it. So here is mine

I would like to state that like many other the Prusa Kits and printers are an amazing offering for entry to mid level users. Its a good experience and I highly recommend it. The MMU kits are a different story all together. Somewhat surprising in contract to the printers the MMU kits are a hit or miss experience. The MMU1 when finally shipped after a year delay is a great a approach to the "how do I get more than one filament through my printer in one print" problem. The parts list was impressive with bondtech gearing on multiple extenders. It was not advertised with special filament restrictions nor limitations. It was later discovered that anyone using out of spec filament (most people) will have issues since there are tight tolerances in the components. As disappointing as this was it still worked albeit less reliable and with a bit of a learning curve.

The MMU2 in my opinion had a great marketing campaign and looked to the right choice when moving from the MMU1 in terms of feature set. Most of the complaints and wants issued from the MMU1 seemed to be answered by the MMU2. At first blush the feature list makes this a no brainier. In reality however the unit is not "as advertised". Lets touch on a few points via the website page for this product.

"This enhanced version is much simpler than the original MMU, which makes it easier to use and less sensitive to the quality of filaments"
I would be willing to wager few* have gotten this unit to work reliable the same day they got it. From my experience the MMU1 worked right the first time after the upgrade was complete The filament statement is a bit misleading as its still unofficially stated that out of spec filament probably wont work. They don't say its not supported but its not supported. So good luck to you if you don't use fillamentum of Prusament. Before typing "I got X to work" keep reading.

"The motorized selector head has a F.I.N.D.A filament sensor and a built-in blade, which prevents filament jamming"
While the sensor up top works it does little to prevent jams downstream at the print head since the primary sensor is now disabled at the hotend. The build-in-blade is more of a if it happens great feature. Its not really taken advantage in the current version of the firmware.

At about week 3 of troubleshooting my MMU2 (yes 3 weeks) without a single print to show for my efforts I decided to ask for help in the live chat. Shane as always was very helpful getting me started in the right path. When I went back to live chat I got another individual (name excluded). For the first time since buying my Prusa MK2 I had a rough experience with support. Seconds after explaining the problem, what Shane had directed I do, how the problem has changed a little but still present, and my adjustments up to this point I was quickly instructed to measure all the hobbed gears and re-arrange them from smallest to largest in order. This first caught me as a "auto answer" just something and pasted as part of a trouble shooting punch list. I dismantled the MMU2 and started to measure each gear the arranging, and checking alignment. I did have to ask myself why im doing this and to what end. It wasn't really explained what the purpose was. After it was all done the problem still existed so I report back to the same person in chat. I was swiftly told to contact customer service via email and they could assist me further. Nothing rude or insulting just a feeling of abandonment. As if my problem could not be solved in the allotted time so off you go.

As of today I did manage to the the MMU2 to print. Not reliably but its printing something. I had to reprint more than half of the MMU2 parts. The parts that arrived where substandard in quality. This effected the amount of jamming. I had to tweak then reprint the selector and main body for smooth filament path. By chance I stumbled across another user in this forum using the same filament I use and had similar issues. I then discovered new settings in Slic3r that needed to be tweaked to shape the filament tip and ramming conditions. None of this is mentioned in the manual or calibration instructions. I can only assume that the default settings are supposed to work perfectly with Prusament or fillamentum. They don't as it turns out.

Its till a work in progress. Its advertised and marketed to everyone with a MK2.5 and MK3. The product is not meant for entry or mid experienced printing hobbyist. It should be advertised as an advanced product for experts only at this point in its development. This is a huge deparuture from the ease of use and reliability Prusa is known for and as a result a disappointment. After spending thousands of dollars with Prusa I now have my doubts and am weary of any new product Prusa has to offer. I cant recommend this to anyone in its current state. Its simply not finished nor refined enough to be mass produced and marketed as it is.

Re: Is it worth it?

...
"This enhanced version is much simpler than the original MMU, which makes it easier to use and less sensitive to the quality of filaments"
I would be willing to wager no one as of yet has gotten this unit to work reliable the same day they got it. From my experience the MMU1 worked right the first time after the upgrade was complete The filament statement is a bit misleading as its still unofficially stated that out of spec filament probably wont work. They don't say its not supported but its not supported. So good luck to you if you don't use fillamentum of Prusament. Before typing "I got X to work" keep reading.
...

Despite the fact the MMU2 had and have a room for improvements, I was able to print two color example gecko the same day I assembled, installed and calibrated my MMU2. I used my already known filament and and not Prusament. Currently I'm working on a software improvement for multi material with real high temp difference and it will be released pretty soon.
It's perfectly fine to say that more than 50% of the MMU2 buyers experience issues. It's pretty complex to maintain and it takes time and understanding to make this unit work most of the time. But to say "...no one was able... " or "...it's not supported..." is just wrong.

Re: Is it worth it?

...
" They don't say its not supported but its not supported. So good luck to you if you don't use fillamentum of Prusament. Before typing "I got X to work" keep reading.
...

Despite the fact the MMU2 had and have a room for improvements, I was able to print two color example gecko the same day I assembled, installed and calibrated my MMU2. I used my already known filament and and not Prusament. Currently I'm working on a software improvement for multi material with real high temp difference and it will be released pretty soon.
It's perfectly fine to say that more than 50% of the MMU2 buyers experience issues. It's pretty complex to maintain and it takes time and understanding to make this unit work most of the time. But to say "...no one was able... " or "...it's not supported..." is just wrong.

I'm fairly certain you qualify as an advanced user. While stating the absolute "no one" is agreeably incorrect saying "Most" would not be a far stretch in the slightest. As for the filament. Its not fully supported as its not all tested. Its stated as "it can work with all sorts of filaments" but the common answer to jams and issues will revolve around the dimensional accuracy of the filament itself. Its important to check this with any printer but at what point does it become to far? Supported vs unsupported? I stand by my opinion about the filament issue with the MMU2.

Re: Is it worth it?

I'm fairly certain you qualify as an advanced user. While stating the absolute "no one" is agreeably incorrect saying "Most" would not be a far stretch in the slightest. As for the filament. Its not fully supported as its not all tested. Its stated as "it can work with all sorts of filaments" but the common answer to jams and issues will revolve around the dimensional accuracy of the filament itself. Its important to check this with any printer but at what point does it become to far? Supported vs unsupported? I stand by my opinion about the filament issue with the MMU2.

MMU is for advanced users only, no question about that. My advise would be: If you encounter any issues on your MK3 which you can't at least explain and proof it's correct, don't even start with MMU. You're adding complexity to already existing not very easy process.

Regarding the dimensional accuracy I disagree. This is by far not the only root cause for jams and other issues. But this is something you learn with time and experience. So far my MK2/MK3 was eating everything up to 1.95 diameter.
On my MK3+MMU2 I've printed successfully following brands (only PLA to not make this post bigger): Hatchbox (190C), Matterhackers (205C), Polyalchemy(210C), Makergeeks (230C), Inland (200C). I also mixed this brands/colors in one print without bigger issues.
Based on my experience I don't see any limitations for the MMU2 in terms of filament.