What new printer/extruder features do you want?

[dustmann]

Many of you are aware of my collection of single and double extruders and upgrade parts for MakerFarm printers. Everything I've done to date has been based on my needs and the things that bothered me. I'm thinking about what's next and thought I'd toss the question out there for the community.

What do you like about your printer today? What frustrates you?

What kinds of upgrades would you like to see? What would make the printer better?

I would really like to see improvements for multiple filament printing. Maybe I just haven't spent enough time tuning my printer, but the inevitable ooze from the unused hot-end almost always ends up with a nib that breaks the print loose, or drips some unwanted color/material into the print. The temperature drop/retraction method for the inactive extruder works fairly well, and the pillars method wastes too much filament to be practical in my opinion. The retracting hot ends I have seen seem unduly complicated and I question repeatability with reasonable accuracy.

I have seen a couple of clever servo mounted wipers for the nozzles on delta printers, but have not seen it implemented in a prusa frame as of yet. Would it be possible to mount something like that on the X carriage (so as to move with the Z axis)?

[clough42]

I would really like to see improvements for multiple filament printing. Maybe I just haven't spent enough time tuning my printer, but the inevitable ooze from the unused hot-end almost always ends up with a nib that breaks the print loose, or drips some unwanted color/material into the print. The temperature drop/retraction method for the inactive extruder works fairly well, and the pillars method wastes too much filament to be practical in my opinion. The retracting hot ends I have seen seem unduly complicated and I question repeatability with reasonable accuracy.

I have seen a couple of clever servo mounted wipers for the nozzles on delta printers, but have not seen it implemented in a prusa frame as of yet. Would it be possible to mount something like that on the X carriage (so as to move with the Z axis)?

It's possible. Wiping will help, but not if the nozzle keeps oozing.