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We have been putting together a guide on using Dual Extruder 3D printers. We would be very grateful for some input. i.e. what advice would you give to others thinking of buying a dual extruder printer, what tips and tricks can you suggest, what is the great advantage for you in your experience? what is the best way to go about modelling for a dual extruder machine?
so if any body has any view on the subject. For one is it worth it.
I would say it depends entirely on what the printer actually is.
Machines like the bnc3d sigma and leapfrog bolt - with dual independant heads, definitely a good idea. If I could afford one I'd buy one asap.
Or the machines with the 2 feeds into one nozzle setups. Not quite as versatile, but still pretty good.
Things like my replicator clones - not so much.
With a conventional extruder you need a serious dribble wall, or the filaments get mixed quite a lot.
Software is very important. I have never managed to get simplify3d to do effective dual extrusion, still end up using an old version of makerware.
I'm not planning on any new dual extruders in the future.
on another note - you guys going to be at tct this year ?
Thanks for the response. Added experience is always good. I think the types of head and also dribbling are the bits missing from the write up. What issue did you have with simplyfy3D, why does it not work?
As to TCT, I will be going. Last year I managed about 1hr before I got called away so hopefully it will be more successful this year. We never run a stand though, it's a fact finding mission to see what people are doing. I especially like the start-up section. Always good to see new designs coming through, new ideas that's what we go for.
The dribble wall on s3d just doesn't work for me.
The only dual extrusion print i've done regularly. Is a flexible sling pouch 3 layers thick.
With s3d the first layer didn't do any dribble control, so you essentially get a print with both nozzles simultaneously. Makerware uses a serious dribbla wall and prints them perfectly.
Haven't tried s3d v 4.0 - because it doesn't work on either of the pcs i use with version 3.1
Could just be me. The dual print wizard, isn't great. But it just seems to lack any kind of effective dribblewall (must be an industry name, but it escapes me at the moment)
In fact due to the sheer hassle of dual extrusion, i've gone back to mono colour pouches and switched from polyflex to filaflex. Bizarrely they're actually for slingers in guam. Where heat and salt water take a toll on both leather and traditional slings.
The flag if guam is actually sling stone shaped, the chamorros fought off the spanish in the 1600's for three years with slings against firearms.
But to get back to the topic in hand, I would only ever get another dual extruder if it had either independant heads or a multi-into-one mixer type nozzle.
The dual fixed head extruders are too much of a pita. Also due to the dribble walls, prints take a lot longer and use a lot more filament.
I guess it's one reason i have 2 dual extruder printers and almost never do dual extrusion prints. It's just too much of a hassle.
I have been researching printers with dual extrusion, and concluded that for it to work well the nozzles have to be very well attuned to dual extrusion printing.
Also every file will need a very specific setup. The only options remaining I found were the BCN Sigma and Ultimaker 3, out of my budget then so I decided to focus on monomaterial printing for the time being.