Hi all,
I’m looking to buy a dual extruder 3d printer (for dual color printing mainly).
I’d love to have either a plug and play printer or at least one easy to set up.
I don’t want to spend hours tweaking it.
Ideal budget is max 3000$
Do you have any recommendations?
I saw the cel robox. Any feedback on it?
Thanks
I have the orphaned Cube 3rd gen printer, a dual extruder device. Being able to use wash-away support material is great, but for any dual color/material print, it takes four times as long. One color prints, the nozzle moves to the waste bin while it cools, then the other nozzle moves to the waste bin while it heats and then the other color prints. With each color change, there’s the increased chance of getting debris from the nozzle mixed in, or threads of mixed color.
http://reprap.me/diamond-hotend.html
is a single nozzle that changes filament and allows for more than one color.
I can’t find it now, but there’s also another design that has a shut-off pin to stop the flow from the unused color, allowing the hot ends to remain hot, saving a tremendous amount of time.
Unfortunately, I suspect that these better options might not fall into the plug-and-play description.
What I recall about the cel robox is that it is nearly identical to the Cube 3rd gen in so many ways, particularly the plug-and-play aspect, but unfortunately also to the proprietary filament. I don’t know the prices for that printer’s filament, but the Cube 3rd gen uses filament that extrapolates to US$150 per kilogram!
@Fred_U thanks a lot! this diamond hotend nozel is awesome! I wonder if a printer (not diy) comes with it built in
I screwed up big time. The robox cel printer is the one with the needle valve design! That means it would print faster than a conventional dual head printer. This review:
https://gigaom.com/2014/12/16/robox-review-this-3d-printer-is-great-for-beginners-but-lacks-in-print-quality/
clears up a bit of misinformation. You can use ordinary filament, but it says to expect to have to tune the settings for your selection, rather than allow the proprietary stuff to register with the printer.
I wasn’t able to locate any printers that include the diamond nozzle, but I did see references to many manufacturer’s names for which this extruder will fit.
You could perhaps contact the diamond nozzle people (http://reprap.me) and ask if any major names are on their distribution or client list.
3D printing is nowhere near plug and play, at least not in this price range.
But I’ve heard Flashforge Creator Pro is a good dual machine.
BCN Sigma. Easily the best dual head printer in that price range. It’s excellent.
Yeah I have to second the @BCN3D_Technologies ’s sigma printer. It looks like a pretty good design (still haven’t seen one in person) and the prints I’ve seen are fairly clean.
The BCN Sigma gets good review from Rich Horne:
The video he post is interesting, he says it’s an out-of-the-box, ready-to-use" and isn’t exaggerating. Considering the original poster’s request for plug-n-play, this fits the bill quite well.
Pricey, but within the original specification of three grand at US$2540 and available from a US distributor too:
http://designbox3d.com/products/bcn3d-sigma
@Fred_U @Taylor_Landry @Justin_Nesselrotte Thanks, I looked at that one as well. I was wondering: That fact that it is not fully enclosed is not a big deal ? (note: I will mainly print in ABS)
I still does not really understand if fully enclosed or not make a big difference
But yes, the sigma looks pretty good
The two working 3d printers I have are not enclosed, but I print in PLA. The Sigma has a heated bed and an amazingly wide range for the nozzle temperature, so you’ll have even greater options for filament. I’m also not too sure about the benefits of a full enclosure, or the disadvantages of a non-enclosed printer.
I understand that one gets ambient heating from the nozzle and bed in an enclosed printer, therefore providing less chance of warping.
Few reviews I’ve seen have mentioned the perceived disadvantage of an open chamber, although ABS has a smell that is objectionable for some.
I’ve considered for a future printer that might need additional assistance to connect infrared heat lamps and point them in the direction of the part. Some experimentation would be needed, so it’s not plug and play.
It’s also likely you could construct an enclosure if you determine that one is required. Again, not plug and play, but the Sigma really has a good following.
If you have the money to spend the Sigma is awesome. There is a great review of it from Richard Horne on YouTube.
The good news is you don’t have to worry about open/closed because with a $3000 budget, there aren’t any fully enclosed, dual extruder options.
@Fred_U I saw a very nice IKEA hack to make a full enclosure for a printer. Not plug n play but quite easy to do
@Taylor_Landry true but still interesting to know the pros and cons
I do not own one, no. And there’s pros and cons to every printer. I’ve worked with BCN3D before and they’re pretty good people so if you do have any issues, you could talk to them about it and they should be able to help you out.
@Ashley_Webster I don’t “own” it, but we have one and use it. Other than it being significantly louder/noisier than most of the other machines I use on a daily basis, it’s a really nice printer.
@Taylor_Landry are you saying there are no dual extruder fully closed for under 3k?
Not that I’m aware of
I mean enclosures are still a bit taboo because of legal territory and the fear of being sued.
I’m confused about legal territory regarding enclosures. If one is constructing an enclosure as a DIY project, there should be no liability nor intellectual property considerations. Is this a reference to patent violations or similar?
Correct. You could make a box, sure, but you can’t really make your printer be an enclosure with a door, really.