Is the tool changer something for me

Discussion in 'Getting Started' started by DanielF, Jun 6, 2020.

  1. DanielF

    DanielF New Member

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    After a lot of scary research I’m still tempted to get one.

    I get that it’s not for beginners and probably only something for tinkers and companies working on new prototypes and people loving the concept...
    I see myself as advanced guy who joined the 3D printing world 1.5 years ago but who has some advanced knowledge ... I’m positive that my first impression won’t be similar to the strange video I saw on YouTube

    My first printer was a prusa because I wanted a stable quality and a good device for beginners where I don’t need to take care of anything else except assembling and YEA... it worked great for me. It was definitely the best decision, then I got addicted and got more printers which weren’t that noob friendly and where I had to take care of more stuff then with the prusa where I could literally trust everything in combination with prusa sliver and the predefined slicer profiles.

    Even if I have 2 printers with a MMU unit, I’m unfortunately not that happy with the MMU2s and am seeking for an alternative for multi material prints and I have 2 possible alternatives on my radar...

    Toolchanger and the Raise3D E2
    The raise seems to be more of a “plug and play device “ and while it has advantages over the toolchanger, I’m really impressed with the possibilities the tool changer provides, but I’m also scared that it’s even probably too complicated for me.
    I’ve been watching the project for the last 4 months and while it was quite hyped in the past, it’s quite silent right now( which isn’t a bad thing at all) and there are still a lot of people posting their videos and experience on Twitter, it’s still strange that there weren’t some groundbreaking new setups... TBH I expected some mind freaking setups and ideas since it got out of beta..

    Sooo, dear people with one. Should I keep myself away from it today and get back later or will it take some time but I’ll be happy with it after few months of tinkering?
     
  2. Andy Cohen

    Andy Cohen Well-Known Member

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    Wow... first off...
    While I LOVE my first gen Raise 3D N2 I would NOT AT ALL recommend a Raise3D to ANYBODY for ANY reason! Why? Too much to put it all here. In a nutshell, the company as a whole has very serious issues.

    On the TC... note, you are on a forum about it and not likely to get objective opinions... What is the opposite of a rant? A gush?

    Should you go with a TC? I cannot answer for others, but my personal experience with the Toolchanger has been one of the most intense FUN things I have ever done with 3D Printing! So if your goal is to have fun and if your idea of fun is figuring out a combination of HW,FW and SW issues then the toolchanger will deliver.

    I seem to have the only TC setup (that posts publicly) that has used all Zesty Nimbles for my tools. I did my own method for wiping which I posted about here. I have had quite a bit of printing success, but to get there I have had breakdowns and accidents which one would never see in a single extruder 3D Printer. BUT it was WORTH IT!! I can print >4 colors in PLA or ABS or PETG reliably, really good quality (not perfect but good) and with minimal added time for wiping/priming. Even more exciting is the use of 2 materials where 1 is 100% dense support and pops off the other without having to stick it in a water bath. A dream come true. I waited NINE LONG YEARS to be able to do that reliably!

    Now if you read all the posts here you may see the trends that I see.
    Such as... Printing with 1 extruder is not at all a good indicator of how well the system will perform with multiples. With tool changes everything changes and how well a single tool print comes out is irrelevant. So starting with one tool and growing later may be a waste of time. IMO get all four tools.
    Also, I am seeing that having different tools adds a complication to a lot of things that is real tricky to work out for a number of reasons which you'll see if you read the posts.
    So if your goal is to PRINT and not invent or explore then IMO go with four tools which are the same.
     
    Greg_The_Maker likes this.
  3. Michael Pearson

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    Where to begin...

    The toolchanger is an awesome piece of engineering. I almost find that I enjoy tinkering with the hardware and software as much as printing. That being said it is definitely not plug and play nor was it intended to be. You are given a general concept and basic config. You have to take it from there. Building, configuring, calibrating, and figuring out how to slice are all an adventure. I agree that getting all four tools the same in the beginning is the way to go. That way when you are trying to calibrate you are comparing the same setup. When you are comfortable with those setups and what it takes to adjust the offsets and keep them working together you can expand.

    So far I have loved every minute of owning the toolchanger. It has driven me crazy some days and other days I am in awe just watching it draw with a sharpie one minute and multi-material print the next. There are limitless possibilities with this machine and it definitely requires you to expand your knowledge to make it work.

    If you just want to print its probably not for you. If you are in it to learn a lot and expand you capabilities printing and beyond the toolchanger is the perfect platform to take you there.
     
    Killercds and Greg_The_Maker like this.
  4. Mirar

    Mirar Member

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    I'm in the same position, with a Prusa3D MK3S MMU2S setup and looking at the toolchanger, because the Prusa setup is not solving my issues (like using soluble support or flexible filament in combination with other filaments).

    But it's not reliable enough to just be a workhorse that solves my issues after some initial setup?

    I can't get the Prusa to print reliably either, so...

    (I'm an embedded software developer working with robotics professionally, so I don't really consider myself a newbie. But I like things that works the same way the next day.)
     
    Killercds likes this.
  5. Mirar

    Mirar Member

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    From the lack of answers, I guess the Toolchanger isn't for me.
     
  6. DanielR

    DanielR New Member

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    I went with the toolchanger and while it’s not as easy to set up as the prusa MK3S and MMU2, I’m trilled with the results!

    Edit: It seems that I have 2 accounts here I’m the guy from the first post :)

    the biggest advanced over the prusa setup is that I can use not different materials with different nozzles
     

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