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  1. #1

    Help me pick a dual extruder printer

    At work I design parts and I hate supports. I have a Prusa MK2 and MK3 that I have printed thousand of parts with. I just don't have the time to clean up supports and some designs simply can't be cleaned up of the supports. So now I'm looking for a 3D printer that has dual extruders to user a soluble support material.

    I purchased the Prusa multi-material upgrades kit and it was rubbish. Never been able to get a single print with that abomination. Wasted many hours with disassembly, reassembly, recalibration, etc. I don't have the time to keep messing with it. (I'm very good at assembling things so I believe it just has issues.)

    I was toying with the idea of a desktop SLS but that is going to run $10K and the mess and hassle is probably not worth it as I'm probably fine with a lower cost solution such as using a dual extruder 3D printer.

    This is what I'm looking for:

    Build size at least 9.5" in one dimension (229 mm).
    Reliable quality printer that does not require constant tinkering
    Preferably self leveling heatbed
    Removable heatbed

    Thanks for any recommendations!

  2. #2
    Super Moderator curious aardvark's Avatar
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    my favourite budget idex printer: https://www.formbot3d.com/formbot-la...ize_p0018.html

    second favourite: https://www.bcn3dtechnologies.com/en...r/bcn3d-sigma/

    best non-idex dual extruder that (just !) hits your build size: https://www.amazon.com/QIDI-TECHNOLO...y&sr=8-2-spell

    My all time favourite idex printer. Probably a bit pricey - but it's just an awesome bit of kit: https://www.lpfrg.com/products/leapfrog-bolt-pro/

  3. #3
    Check out makergears offings.. they have independent dual options, build volume is 8x10x8, Made in the USA
    https://www.makergear.com/

  4. #4
    Super Moderator curious aardvark's Avatar
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    look expensive for what they are.

  5. #5
    Hey guys - thanks for the tips! I'm leaning towards the Formbot T-Rex 3.0 after looking around the link from curious aardvark. The build size is awesome at 400x400x700 although I may save $300 and go with the 400x400x500 size. I kind of put a mental limit of about $2K for a 3D printer.

    What would be the closest competition to the T-Rex 3.0 in the $2K or less price range?

    What do you guys think about the Creality3D CR-X Dual Color? It is smaller by 100mm but still ok in size for my use. At 1/3 the cost of the T-Rex I have concerns if quality and performance will not be top notch. Seems like either one or the other is too high or too low in price?
    Last edited by AlanS; 04-29-2019 at 10:18 AM.

  6. #6
    Super Moderator curious aardvark's Avatar
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    the creality is a totally different setup.
    It uses a mixer extruder that puts two filaments into one nozzle.
    So harder to use different materials and you'll most likely need a lot of purging inbetween changing colours.

    It's also not as well built and lacks most of the other features of the t-rex.

    You can't really compare an idex system with a mixer nozzle.
    That's why the price difference :-)

    There's a t-rex 3 ? have to see what changes they've made :-)

    Like the springs holding the wires away from the print, that and the new bed look like the main changes. And the filament run out thing. Most people seem to bypass those :-)
    Last edited by curious aardvark; 04-30-2019 at 03:10 AM.

  7. #7
    I pulled the trigger and ordered the Formbot/Vivedino T-Rex 3.0 with the 400x400x500mm build size. The 19.7" is about 10" more than the min size I was looking for which is nice as there have been a few times I had to split up parts, and with 19'7" I think that will cover anything I need to print. Didn't see much as far as reviews on it but on paper specs look good. $1799 didn't seem too bad for the size, assuming they use quality parts, and provide some level of support if there are any problems. I'll post something here once it arrives and I get a chance to try it out.

  8. #8
    Super Moderator curious aardvark's Avatar
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    cool :-)
    just occured to me to wonder what slicer they use.
    link to cura 15.04.02 - on the formbot website.
    Which i believe is the last decent version of cura before they restarted the numbering and it went to hell in a handbasket !
    See how you get on, but would probably be worth your while investing in simplify3d.

    Pretty sure we've never had anyone on here with a problem with a t-rex - which is usually a good sign.
    take a look at the thousands and thousands of threads about problems with the ender 3, for example :-)
    Now that's a real piece of junk.

    We tend not to get too many people on here saying: 'I bought a printer and it works really well.'
    Which is a shame as it's just as useful to know which machines work well, as which ones are just a waste of space.

    One of the the things I like about the formbot website is that they don't tart it up with shiny graphics and bugger all details. Just tells you what it is and the bits they used.

    Last edited by curious aardvark; 05-01-2019 at 07:00 AM.

  9. #9
    What about the new Zortrax M300 dual ?

  10. #10
    Super Moderator curious aardvark's Avatar
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    the creality is a standard dual nozzle setup NOT IDEX !
    Also creality build quality is very poor compared to the formbot.

    You get what you pay for :-)

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