1 Topic by satman49

  • satman49
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Topic: dual extruders

I am seriously  considering buying a dual extruder printer.Just wondering if anybody has had any experience using dual extruders.

SD3, E3D hotend,linear bearing on x/y axis',pillow block bearing on y conneting rod, ball bearngs on front y axis, fan on y stepper motor.

2 Reply by solijohn

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Re: dual extruders

satman49 wrote:

I am seriously  considering buying a dual extruder printer.Just wondering if anybody has had any experience using dual extruders.

I hear Solidoodle might be making one of those wink

Former Solidoodle employee, no longer associated with the company.

3 Reply by elmoret

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Re: dual extruders

It'd be nice to get some updates for those of us that preordered one of your printers, John. Coming up on week 7 now.

Filastruder - the robust, inexpensive filament extruder
E3Dv6 All Metal Hotend - the premier 3D printing hotend

4 Reply by satman49

  • satman49
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Re: dual extruders

haha  John I know. I waited almost 2 months to get my SD3.I just wish that ya'll  had waited to announce the new line until you actually had product ready to ship.Just my 2 cents worth.

SD3, E3D hotend,linear bearing on x/y axis',pillow block bearing on y conneting rod, ball bearngs on front y axis, fan on y stepper motor.

5 Reply by dubbsd (edited by dubbsd 2014-09-19 22:43:15)

  • dubbsd
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Re: dual extruders

I have a Makerbot Replicator 2X which is a dual head.
They can be a pain to calibrate
if you remove a hotend to clear a clog and do not get them exactly the same height
the lower nozzle will hit the print.
the 2X also has a problem with the left extruder not holding temp
which causes a lot of problems. According to Makerbot the fix is to just run the
left extruder at a higher temp. ware as you can run pid-tune on the Solidoodle.
you can not with the Makerbot.

Ultimaker S3.

6 Reply by Don9mm

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Re: dual extruders

I haven't used one, but will offer some impressions on why I think a single extruder is the better choice for the time being.

I've seen a LOT of comments that duel extruders are hard to calibrate. That's okay if one is experienced with the proceedure, but not so great for those of us that have our hands full keeping one calibrated.

More than that, though, I see the feature as being one of limited use until such time as there are programs to do more with it. Unless I'm mistaken, the only place where it is possible to change colors is on the same layer. In other words, every layer has to be the same color, as in something of a banding effect. For printing bumblebees, I suppose that'd be terrific, but I find myself wondering how many things would look better with a stripe than as a solid color. IMO, where the technology will eventually shine is when it becomes possible to create patterns as the layers build so there are multiple colors in the same layer.

In the current state of the technology, my view is the most practical application is being able to have two different filiments loaded, without having to fool around with loading and unloading to change colors or materials. If that's an important feature to have, it's probably the best reason to pick a duel extruder for those who don't mind the downside on possible calibration problems.

DISCLAIMER: One man's opinion, subject to change without notice, and not intended to be critical of those holding views different from my own.