# Specific 3D Printers, Scanners, & Hardware > Hyrel 3D Printer Forum >  Hyrel 3D E5 - Quad Extruder Printer

## NJ_Lifer

This is the first Quad Extruder printer I have come accross that is available for at home purchases.  This thing looks pretty amazing.  Even though the video below shows all the extruders working together, they can be individually programmed.  




I can't help but be tempted to get one of these at $3095.

More on this printer at http://www.hyrel3d.com/e5/

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## Davo

Hi. I just want to clarify - although they can be individually programmed (different materials, temperatures, flow rates), the bed and yoke can not move in four directions at the same time.

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## Larry

Davo, so basically this means that in order to use all for extruders at once, all four printings have to be alike?  Still this seems like something that would save a tremendous amount of time for certain projects.  This is something I can see manufacturers may want more so than consumers.

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## Davo

Larry, that is correct. Multiple copies of the same exact part.

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## Davo

Article on 3dprintingindustry.com:

http://3dprintingindustry.com/2014/0...imultaneously/

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## Geoff

Having a dual extruding machine, I see no benefit to a quad extruder myself,  To be able to produce 4 x parts simultaneously and in a seamless flow, you are restricted to a very small area within each nozzle. You might have a 12" long platform, but the nozzles themselves to all rotate and print 4 identical items is very limited, it's no different on a dual extruder. You also need to precariously position the items to be duplicated so that the movements of each nozzle fall within eachothers boundaries.

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## Davo

Hi, Geoff.

Our head positions are 35mm apart. If you consider the nozzle position of tool 1 to be at 0mm, then tool 2 is at 35, tool 3 is at 105, and tool 4 is at 140.

So, yes, we can make 4 identical parts up to 30mm x 200mm.

We can also make 2 identical parts up to 100mm x 200mm... using two materials (or two colors of the same material) on each.

And there are other tools that can go into these modular slots. We presently offer microscopes and fans that go into these tool positions, and more tools are under development.

We also plan to release a development kit, so that individuals can create their own tools, either for personal use or for resale.


We have found that the 3d printing market is ENORMOUS, and that there are many people that can benefit from higher throughput. We did not realize just how nice it would be to make four parts at one time untill we actually did it; we are elated to quadruple the output of single printer for the smaller parts, and double the output on larger parts. Printing multiple parts at the same time changes the way one thinks about the printing process. Not everyone will need to make four small parts at the same time. We are sure that some people will benefit from making one large part four times as fast.


Of course, our printer isn't the right printer for everyone. But it is the perfect printer for some people.

Let me know if you'd like a demo via skype/teamviewer.

-Davo

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## jimc

yeah geoff you could print all 4 of your quad arms at the same time.  :Smile:

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## Geoff

> yeah geoff you could print all 4 of your quad arms at the same time.


Not at those dimensions sadly :/ but I do like the idea of swapping different tools, the microscopes a bit of a gimmick, but I can see a small web camera for stop frame build recording handy.

"We can also make 2 identical parts up to 100mm x 200mm... using two materials (or two colors of the same material) on each."

That's where they would need to sell me, as my printer does this now and it was 1/3 the price. I assume the 4 x hot ends pump the cost of this one up considerably.

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## Davo

> Not at those dimensions sadly :/ but I do like the idea of swapping different tools, the microscopes a bit of a gimmick, but I can see a small web camera for stop frame build recording handy.
> 
> "We can also make 2 identical parts up to 100mm x 200mm... using two materials (or two colors of the same material) on each."
> 
> That's where they would need to sell me, as my printer does this now and it was 1/3 the price. I assume the 4 x hot ends pump the cost of this one up considerably.


Geoff,

Actually, every printer already comes with a camera built in under the yoke. The microscope is for closer inspections.

I'd be interested to hear how you do four materials at the same time with just the two heads. Our 1.75mm filament heads are $250 each when purchased individually.

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## Geoff

> Geoff,
> 
> Actually, every printer already comes with a camera built in under the yoke. The microscope is for closer inspections.
> 
> I'd be interested to hear how you do four materials at the same time with just the two heads. Our 1.75mm filament heads are $250 each when purchased individually.


Sorry, I meant two at the same time, I wasn't suggesting I can get 2 nozzles to print 4 items simultaneously. The camera built in is a plus.

I would like to know how you guys avoid 4 nozzles dragging across eachother prints, even with 2 heads it can be a challenge. Let's say you wanted to print a very large object in one colour on your machine, would I need to remove the 3 other heads? or what is the variance on each nozzle height?

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