Automated manual color change with MMU
I enjoy printing with MMU but I would like to save a bit of filament on the wipe/purge tower. I would like MMU to insert the first color and print. When a color change should occur. It would park itself on the side, purge the remaining filament, and swap the extruder with a new color. Insert it into the head and purge. This would be done on the side as if I was changing color in the middle of the print without MMU. Yes, I will need to come to the printer and pick up the poop and confirm the color to start it.
Is there an option to do so? Now I can change the filament in the MMU but only in the same extruder and pulling out the filament and inserting a new one is really time-consuming.
The workflow would be:
1) print
2) pause print on color change
3) change extruder
4) poop on the side (as without MMU)
5) wait for confirmation of good color
6) continue printing
I know that technically it should be possible. MMU would just replace my hands in the manual color change.
Best Answer by JoanTabb:
Hmmmm... I had a play with your idea... BUT I am not prepared to print an actual tall item to put text on. (Typically I use flush text and print face down on the build plate so the purge tower is only say 1mm tall. )
the text on this stand, for instance was printed face down.
anyway I think this represents what you hope to do
them purge tower is approximately 1mm tall plus a squirt in mid air!
the Model is 40mm tall saving 39mm of purge tower
if the text is raised and mono colour, you can do it with approx 0.4mm purge
to work, there has to be enough room between the model and the purge tower for the extruder to get into
Try 'Wipe to Object' and 'Wipe to Infill'
Cheerio,
RE: Automated manual color change with MMU
I know about those options but those are not very helpful to me because I am printing tall object with a text on top of it. This text is in different color. Because its small text it has no infill, surrounding is visible, and because it is tall the purge object would be also tall which is the same if not worse then the purge tower.
Thanks for response anyway.
Have a nice day.
the purge object would be also tall
Yes, of course the purge object would be something you intend to print anyway but don't care what colour it is, or perhaps you plan to paint it.
Or, invert the print so the coloured text is now on the first layer.
Cheerio,
RE: Automated manual color change with MMU
Hmmmm... I had a play with your idea... BUT I am not prepared to print an actual tall item to put text on. (Typically I use flush text and print face down on the build plate so the purge tower is only say 1mm tall. )
the text on this stand, for instance was printed face down.
anyway I think this represents what you hope to do
them purge tower is approximately 1mm tall plus a squirt in mid air!
the Model is 40mm tall saving 39mm of purge tower
if the text is raised and mono colour, you can do it with approx 0.4mm purge
to work, there has to be enough room between the model and the purge tower for the extruder to get into
I try to make safe suggestions,You should understand the context and ensure you are happy that they are safe before attempting to apply my suggestions, what you do, is YOUR responsibility. Location Halifax UK
RE: Automated manual color change with MMU
Thank you.
Even though it is not exactly perfect, I think it will be enough. I will probably not print anything that is multicolored and uses so much space that the tower does not fit. And if it is so big, I would not mind few grams of wasted filament.
RE: Automated manual color change with MMU
I tried this first (this picture is actually of the larger second print)
it has raised text.
the actual first attempt printed without intervention, it was smaller than this and the text was too small and looked crap...
I enlarged the model and re printed... and must have made an unexpected change, because the second and third prints, printed the first layer, and then ejected the gold filament asking me to trim the end... and restore the filament. then it printed the rest of the gold, swapped to Green and then re traced the letters, during this retracing, the colour coming out of the extruder merged to green, at the end of the print, the extruder went to the back of the buildplate and pooped a bit of waste before retracting the green
the third print did the same thing...
so I had another little play and ...
this printed without intervention (using no sparse layers)
minimal waste
regards Joan
I try to make safe suggestions,You should understand the context and ensure you are happy that they are safe before attempting to apply my suggestions, what you do, is YOUR responsibility. Location Halifax UK