So I build this sturdy printer last year, wanting to build something strong and rigid, and also keep it simple. Weight was not a concern.
I am really happy with what it came out and the quality of the prints, I could even put a milling head on it and it would do a great job too. There is no deflection or play anywhere.
(340x340x340 build volume, standard Cartesian).
Now I want to implement some sort of double(or triple?) extrusion, in the form of tool change or double X carriage, not dual hotend on the same effector, and I am not sure which way to take…
1 - keep the current kinematics, increase weight and add another X carriage with direct extruder or bowden
2 - keep current kinematics and weight, and implement a tool changer mechanism, allowing more than two extruders but I will kinda be forced to switch to bowden all the way. Direct extrusion and tool changer will be a little more difficult to implement but not impossible…
3 - switch to CoreXY and reduce weight but loos stiffness , gain some speed, and implement a tool changer with 100% bowden setup.
I must confess that while speed is not a priority, I wouldn’t mind having the prints finish a little faster, but I am not sure that the trade-of in quality worth it.
I’d go with #1
Standard cartesian is very rigid and simple, especially at that size. I run mine at 5000 mm/s² acceleration and 150-300mm/s printing speed.
Use geared extruders so you can use a smaller pancake stepper.
Option 1, you can always convert to Bowden to lose weight. If you want to keep Direct Drive and lose weight, there’s always the Flex3Drive or Zesty Nimble
With regards to option 2 - Y Splitters are not ideal and can cause a whole lot of headaches. Believe me, I know, I’ve ended up moving back to a single extruder due to it.
@Ax_Smith-Laffin No no no, no Y Splitter. I mean real tool changer, switching between hotends, or laser engraver, or foil cutter, or pen, or the bed probe, or or or … And if I thing about it more at the possibilities… it seems the best option … isn’t it ? @Ted_Huntington No specific design, I wanted something simple and designed it myself. I was swinging between corexy and standard cartesian, and just went with cartesian because of the simplicity.
