MMU V2 Shipping Notification  

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

Others have recently inquired and they were told that the beta testing phase was over.

Slight clarification: the selection of beta testers is over, not that the beta testing is complete.

you're correct, the selection phase is over. My apologies for omitting that.

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

I mailed them as well, I really want to upgrade my MK2S-MM to a MK2.5 (the upgrade is just sitting here in its box), but I can't because I don't want to lose MM functionality (no firmware support for MK2.5-MM1). So I'm pretty eager to get that MM2, have some demos coming up and was really hoping to have a 2.5 by then...

The reply I got was:

The MMU is now in the testing process.
It will be announced very soon.
Probably will start production and shipping in 3 weeks.

However it will be announced soon.

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

Soon is so subjective. August is now. Sounds to me like the Fall.
I will build my enclosure for the current configuration and modify it when the MMU V2 arrives.
I would like my MMU unit on top of the enclosure (for easy access) and the spools likely on a shelf above that.
Hopefully the LACK table is not too thick for the tube to reach the extruder. Hard to tell.
Also looks like the tube moves a lot with x and z motion. The hole through the table may be a challenge to size and locate.
In the absence of the real thing, more photos and dimensions for the MMU would help a lot. Can anyone share more?
Thank you all for keeping on top of this.

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

Soon is so subjective. August is now. Sounds to me like the Fall.
I will build my enclosure for the current configuration and modify it when the MMU V2 arrives.
I would like my MMU unit on top of the enclosure (for easy access) and the spools likely on a shelf above that.
Hopefully the LACK table is not too thick for the tube to reach the extruder. Hard to tell.
Also looks like the tube moves a lot with x and z motion. The hole through the table may be a challenge to size and locate.
In the absence of the real thing, more photos and dimensions for the MMU would help a lot. Can anyone share more?
Thank you all for keeping on top of this.

#1 Caution, the MMU Bowden tube to the extruder is a known fixed length that is likely somehow a known value either in the MMU firmware, or if the slicer needs it for gcode moves and commands to feed and retract the filament properly. In other words, I'm saying changing that length is definitely on the not recommended list of things to do. Maybe it's easy, maybe i's hard, but even then, the speed of moving the filament is fixed and so the time for a single change increases. While that may seem tiny, the hundreds if not thousands of back and forth feeds, it adds up. A second factor is the longer the distance, the more accurate the feed reliability of the MMU to go exactly the right distance, to not slip, to not have variation.
#2 The reason for saying #1 is, all the pictures I've seen indicate that the most recent version of the MMU with PINDA probe- probably the nearest version to what is actually shipping has a "right sized" tube that is probably only going to work with the MMU mounted on top of the printer frame, not the enclosure you have built that is taller than the printer frame.
#3 You the user needs access to the control buttons and status LEDs on top of the MMU. I could understand your thought process on wanting to place the device on the outside of your enclosure. Again, the problem is, the MMU output tube location slide left and right, and the extruder below is moving X and Z. You really need a slot hole for the tube and even if the enclosure was right at the top of the frame with almost no clearance, then the MMU is still raised compared to the mounted on the frame position.

Bottom line, I'm not saying it's impossible, but I'm saying you have a challenge ahead and deep technical knowledge and maybe some digging or reverse engineering of the code and overall operation is required to find out where to potentially lengthen the tube. Every picture and video I have seen says your plan has problems and you are going to be short. I'm saying that because watching a video of a lack table enclosure and the front view shots in this video shows a decent gap between the top of the frame and the top of the enclosure.
Now I'll also say, that enclosure and it's printed parts raise the total height as part of that design. so depending on what exact enclosure design you made yours from, any modifications that affect height could come in play.
I actually intended to post a 4th picture here from a screen grab of that video, but this forum only allows 3 pictures per post? I cannot upload it and it's a simple 95kb photo in the same folder as the others?

Most recent I can find is June at Prusa Research showing a new version with the Pinda Probe and the tube is discussed because Tom asked about it here . Some key notes I saw in the video. When you first see the side shot, the tube has some arch to it making it look like you have more room and length, however, watch a little longer, the nozzle and extruder is not at bed height in that video, so that means the extruder lowers and thus lowers that arch.

There is "some" room, don't get me wrong, but how much and how placing the MMU on top of a flat surface on top of or above the frame, changing the angle of the MMU tube also is going to happen slightly. My thought on that is that the current angle aids the arch as the extruder rises in Z. Laying the MMU more flat and mounted to the top of an enclosure gets you a tiny bit of length on the down stroke for first layer, but then as the extruder rises in Z, now you begin bending the tube at the exit of the MMU upwards and making an awkward bend.

Again, just thoughts:
Maybe you extend the tube and deal with the firmware or settings to allow that change to properly work
or
You cut the legs on your table enclosure, but then that also means cutting the sides of your enclosure
or
You raise the printer position in the enclosure so the frame it nearly right against the upper top or roof.

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

Also, sorry for slightly going off topic of shipping, but this is about "what" is shipping and answering a specific question regarding that, so while off, it's not completely a derailment.

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

I mailed them as well, I really want to upgrade my MK2S-MM to a MK2.5 (the upgrade is just sitting here in its box), but I can't because I don't want to lose MM functionality (no firmware support for MK2.5-MM1). So I'm pretty eager to get that MM2, have some demos coming up and was really hoping to have a 2.5 by then...

The reply I got was:

The MMU is now in the testing process.
It will be announced very soon.
Probably will start production and shipping in 3 weeks.

However it will be announced soon.

I talked with Josef in Detroit. Basically what I took from that part of our conversation was that his goal is to have units shipping by the "end of August". It sounded like beta testing was going well and that perhaps they may be slightly ahead of schedule.

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

when proposing an enclosure, consider where the PTFE tube goes, when the extruder is at max height

you may need more height than you initially estimated.

regards Joan

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

Looking at Vernon's first picture of the MMU 2.0 it looks like you can rotate it so that the feeding tube is oriented downward and the five supply tubes lead upwards.
From this orientation you could mount the MMU above the printer and have the filament above feeding down into the MMU. Does this look like it should work?

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

Looking at Vernon's first picture of the MMU 2.0 it looks like you can rotate it so that the feeding tube is oriented downward and the five supply tubes lead upwards.
From this orientation you could mount the MMU above the printer and have the filament above feeding down into the MMU. Does this look like it should work?

I would say no. That arrangement has issues with the Z axis rising and where does the arch or bend go?
Second reason, I think the filament detection ball bearing and PINDA probe is based on gravity. I think that, because I think a spring would interact and cause false triggering. So no, I don't think it's a free for all orient the MMU 2.0 in alternate angles and have it work properly. Now maybe you find a brass or non ferrous spring- maybe, but again, just something to consider, both the full motion range and bending path to limit bend radius of the Bowden while not putting pressure or pull on the X carriage which can and will deflect slightly, enough to potentially be visible in print, and ensure the filament detection works as intended as I'm pretty sure that is critical during operation for parking the filament without going too far or going short and jamming the mechanism. If a feeder backs up too far it unloads the filament to the point the rollers don't work anymore, too short, it still sticks out so the sliding block cannot line up to the new filament. It detects when a filament properly feeds.

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

Derailing the derail...

[...] I actually intended to post a 4th picture here from a screen grab of that video, but this forum only allows 3 pictures per post? I cannot upload it and it's a simple 95kb photo in the same folder as the others?If you upload your images to a 3rd party image hosting site (e.g. Imgur) that allows direct-sharing links, you can post more at any resolution. Just paste the URL into your message and surround it with img tags.

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

Derailing the derail...

[...] I actually intended to post a 4th picture here from a screen grab of that video, but this forum only allows 3 pictures per post? I cannot upload it and it's a simple 95kb photo in the same folder as the others?If you upload your images to a 3rd party image hosting site (e.g. Imgur) that allows direct-sharing links, you can post more at any resolution. Just paste the URL into your message and surround it with img tags.

While this is true and does work, the preferred way is to upload the pics to the forum. If the site that hosts the pictures goes out of business, or you decide to delete your account from said site, or remove the associated pictures from the site then the post is left without the pictures and no visual reference to what was talked about.

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

While this is true and does work, the preferred way is to upload the pics to the forum. If the site that hosts the pictures goes out of business, or you decide to delete your account from said site, or remove the associated pictures from the site then the post is left without the pictures and no visual reference to what was talked about.

Yep, this is actually a really good callout. I moderate for another technical community and a lot of our really good technical posts are no longer good because a certain image hosting website decided to change the rules on how they play business. Now we have big blank boxes on a lot of posts that use to provide great data to other members of the community.

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

While this is true and does work, the preferred way is to upload the pics to the forum. If the site that hosts the pictures goes out of business, or you decide to delete your account from said site, or remove the associated pictures from the site then the post is left without the pictures and no visual reference to what was talked about.

I also prefer the forum solution, but afaik it is not possible to upload more than 3 pics in one post. This way, the actually easier forum-uploading solution becomes a hazzle if you want more than 3 pics to be shown because you have to edit them into collages.

I would suggest to abandon this limit or at least to set it up to 10 pics.

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

nothing to stop more than one post on the thread. each post can have three pictures!

regards Joan

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

May I suggest that we return to the topic of this thread?

I anyone has problems with the forum, how it works or the layout, then please create a new thread in the relevant place.

Thanks 🙂

Peter

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

I'm really loving all of Prusa's beta testing posts on instragram. It's really getting me pumped for the release of the MMU.

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

I'm really loving all of Prusa's beta testing posts on instragram. It's really getting me pumped for the release of the MMU.

Where are they posted and can anyone review it or just beta testers?

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

I'm really loving all of Prusa's beta testing posts on instragram. It's really getting me pumped for the release of the MMU.

Where are they posted and can anyone review it or just beta testers?

Ooooo, thanks for the heads-up. Looks like Prusa has been posting quite a few MMU test prints to Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josefprusa/

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

May I suggest that we return to the topic of this thread?

I anyone has problems with the forum, how it works or the layout, then please create a new thread in the relevant place.

I say we continue the off-topic discussion. Seeing a new post each day in the "MMU V2 Shipping Notification" topic gives me just a little hope to start the morning.

Re: MMU V2 Shipping Notification

I say we continue the off-topic discussion. Seeing a new post each day in the "MMU V2 Shipping Notification" topic gives me just a little hope to start the morning.

🙂 Well OK, that's a good enough reason to continue with only occasional obscure references to MMU2 then.

I would just mention that I had a look at the instagram posts; didn't see that many purge towers or print times 🙁 But the prints do look rather nice 🙂

Peter