Purchase Questions
I'm planning to buy the Prusa XL
How many head heads should I purchase as a beginner with color printing? (I've assembled and used Prusa printers, the most recent is the MK3)
What benefits to the enclosure, is it needed?
Anything else I should get?
Chuck
RE: Purchase Questions
If one of the reasons you are doing is for color, you currently can't get a MMU for the XL... so get as many heads as you think you might need. I can guarantee that whatever you choose you will wish for 1 more... even if you get 5 ;). If doing CMYK, you will want at least 4. However, there are things that are not just color based, that if you are getting an XL anyways, there is a cost saving on getting the 5 head right away.
You need an enclosure to print with filaments like ABS/ASA to retain the heat to prevent warping. I found it even helps a bit on PETG. So, get it based on what you are printing. Note you do get a discount on it if purchasing the original with the printer right away.
I picked up a spare nozzle/hotend assembly (sometimes cheaper buying as a kit, sometimes the parts separately), and a few misc parts (just in case). You may also want to pick up a few different sized nozzles to play around with.
RE: Purchase Questions
Hi. Two colour prints look great, so I purchased a two-head XL. After a couple of years I notice more and more designs that interest me use three colours or more. To me, three heads would be a sweet spot but the only available upgrade (for design reasons) is to go from two to five heads. I don’t regret learning on two heads but five is a much more attractive proposition if you can afford that.
I also have the Prusa enclosure but have yet to use it to print high temperature materials. Albeit at a significant cost, the two advantages are a) more reliable printing in winter, as my printer is in a cold room b) it keeps the dust off :-).
RE:
Hello all,
recently I was in the Core L forums trying to understand the "new" multi-tool changer reality regarding Bondtech. I personally have had nothing but bad experiences with them regarding their "upgrades" for my other printers. And it seems that the constant "out of stock" issues I had were not just isolated incidences, all four of them. So my faith is how shall we say...tainted. But in the forums people are saying that the "XL is dead because it is slow." I am so confused. All this created marketting hype is just chumming the waters and even PRUSA people are turning on the XL> I am starting to think maybe all this is just not worth risking my $6k on the XL or the small build plated Core One +. I mean even the U1 is larger at 270 cubed. Its all very overly marketting laced with double talk.
RE: Purchase Questions
Unequivocally, do not buy an XL. I will contradict myself here - the XL is a very good printer. It is also a 4800 dollar printer that cannot be enclosed, has quite a few bugs, and the only updates we have gotten are silicone and pick and place toolheads. If you absolutely need either of those, absolutely buy the XL. Otherwise, wait for INDX for your Core One, and save your extra 4000+ dollars for other things in life. While I feel pretty burned by my printer being abandoned, there is no doubt that the Core One and Core One L represent a great value. I just wish mine was too.
RE: Purchase Questions
I thought long and hard about whether or not I needed a Prusa XL.
Finally, this year (after more than two years of deliberation), I bought a 2 TH.
The 5 TH was also interesting, but I don't do multi-colour printing. I was impressed by the print chamber volume and the simple design, which allows you to replace and change almost everything.
If you want to print more than two colours, a Prusa is never a bad choice. Whether 5TH or C1+ with INDX. In my opinion, Prusa is ahead of the game when it comes to multi-colour printing. Bambu Lab, for example, can also do this via AMS, but not without filament wear when there are a lot of colour changes.
If you want to print more than five colours, then Bondtech INDX or Wondermaker might be of interest to you.As already mentioned, the enclosure is necessary for printing filaments that cool down and warp the larger and taller they become. For me personally, this was the second incentive to find out where the limits are when you have a decent enclosure with active temperature controllers in the print chamber.
Whether you buy Prusa, Wondermaker, Bambu Lab, etc., they will all fulfil your wishes. Some are better than others. In any case, you need technical understanding, patience and time to grow into it.
No printer is perfect and 100% error-free.