Nextruder vs INDX
I'm excited about the INDX as an addition to the Core ONE, but I also really like how the Nextruder works and is servicable and all that. As much as I am interested in the INDX, I need to know what the consequences of replacing the toolhead will be. It's not like you can just swap back to the Nextruder when you want. Issues like tuning and getting rid of VFAs would now be different, and as a third-party product, how can we rely on Prusa for the same level of support?
RE: Nextruder vs INDX
I am sure we will be revisiting some teething issues which were already solved for the Nextruder. Maybe not VFAs, which seem to be produced by the (unchanged) XY positioning system, but e.g. bed probing and parts cooling.
But the INDX will be supported by Prusa, who have played an active role in the hardware and firmware integration and will also sell this solution directly -- apparently starting in Q2. As we all know, that does not necessarily mean that things will go smoothly from the start. But that Prusa will do their best to fix any issues over time.
RE:
I am sure we will be revisiting some teething issues which were already solved for the Nextruder. Maybe not VFAs, which seem to be produced by the (unchanged) XY positioning system, but e.g. bed probing and parts cooling.
But the INDX will be supported by Prusa, who have played an active role in the hardware and firmware integration and will also sell this solution directly -- apparently starting in Q2. As we all know, that does not necessarily mean that things will go smoothly from the start. But that Prusa will do their best to fix any issues over time.
I'm still curious why Prusa didn't (or couldn't) adapt the XL tool changer system to the Core One. After all, it's been out now for 3 years? I guess they couldn't get the price down to a reasonable level perhaps? The nextruder is large so I can imagine in such a scenario only being able to fit 2-4 tool heads but I would have been fine with that.
The Core One should have been an "XL mini" but then there wouldn't have been a viable upgrade path from the MK4 I suppose.
I'm also more interested at the moment in the 400C heat block than I am with the INDX. Obviously the two won't mix.
Once I attach the INDX I guess I'll want to build a Voron style CoreXY that can work with the left-over Nextruder.
RE: Nextruder vs INDX
The XL was using the best solution at the time, and I see the INDX as a few steps beyond that XL solution. It seems like a distillation of what actually needs to be swapped out (the filament path and the nozzle) from the consistent part (tool head, heater, filament driver, etc). Clearly, Bambu took a similar path with the H2C, but opted for a different (and in my opinion, slightly more complex and less flexible) solution. The technology has clearly advanced, and it would be cool to see an XL-sized system with an INDX-like setup, meaning more possible materials in the same form-factor.
RE: Nextruder vs INDX
The XL was using the best solution at the time, and I see the INDX as a few steps beyond that XL solution. It seems like a distillation of what actually needs to be swapped out (the filament path and the nozzle) from the consistent part (tool head, heater, filament driver, etc). Clearly, Bambu took a similar path with the H2C, but opted for a different (and in my opinion, slightly more complex and less flexible) solution. The technology has clearly advanced, and it would be cool to see an XL-sized system with an INDX-like setup, meaning more possible materials in the same form-factor.
RE: Nextruder vs INDX
The XL was using the best solution at the time, and I see the INDX as a few steps beyond that XL solution. It seems like a distillation of what actually needs to be swapped out (the filament path and the nozzle) from the consistent part (tool head, heater, filament driver, etc). Clearly, Bambu took a similar path with the H2C, but opted for a different (and in my opinion, slightly more complex and less flexible) solution. The technology has clearly advanced, and it would be cool to see an XL-sized system with an INDX-like setup, meaning more possible materials in the same form-factor.
RE: Nextruder vs INDX
One advantage to the Nextruder - higher print max temp. 400 C vs 300C.
The XL was using the best solution at the time, and I see the INDX as a few steps beyond that XL solution. It seems like a distillation of what actually needs to be swapped out (the filament path and the nozzle) from the consistent part (tool head, heater, filament driver, etc). Clearly, Bambu took a similar path with the H2C, but opted for a different (and in my opinion, slightly more complex and less flexible) solution. The technology has clearly advanced, and it would be cool to see an XL-sized system with an INDX-like setup, meaning more possible materials in the same form-factor.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: Nextruder vs INDX
Oops. Sorry for the multiple posts
RE: Nextruder vs INDX
I'm excited about the INDX as an addition to the Core ONE, but I also really like how the Nextruder works and is servicable and all that. As much as I am interested in the INDX, I need to know what the consequences of replacing the toolhead will be.
One afterthought to my earlier comments:
Initially (before the teasers) I was skeptical that Prusa would actively adopt INDX in their printers. Relying on a third party for such a core piece of 3D printing technology as the extruder seemed like an unwise move to me. And given that Prusa had pitched their Nextruder as a major improvement and differentiating feature of their printers before, it also required them to swallow a large chunk of pride.
I take the fact that I was wrong, and that Prusa have indeed made that move, as a very good sign for the INDX technology. Prusa must have validated the hell out of it before they decided to adopt the technology -- because they could not risk downgrading the Nextruder (and hence their whole printers) to something inferior.
Fingers crossed that this is how it happened. (And that it was not simply a time of panic, in view of new Bambu product launches and shifting market shares.)
RE: Nextruder vs INDX
I agree, the adoption of the INDX is a departure, given their R&D time on the Nextruder. That said, they have also moved away from open source, at least in ways that protect their bottom line, so the integration of third-party solutions is not an unexpected turn. I suspect that the Nextruder will continue and evolve ( at least a little bit) as a solid solution, and I really do hope that the INDX is just as reliable and awesome.