Does anyone have any suggestions for a good reliable dual extruder for 2-mk5 e3d hot ends.
I don’t think any dual-extruders using 2 nozzles on the same cartesian bot are ever reliable.
Nope. You want reliable dual extrusion jump into the Cyclops pre order
I can’t think of anything specifically for E3D v5.
It takes a while to dial in the machine and workflow but I’ve done a few dozen dual nozzle dual extrusion parts with ABS & HIPS together. You do need to make sure the nozzles very closely match in height from the bed.
A way to mount a Cyclops to an Ultimaker II would be cool.
What about it?
It has 2 nozzles on one toolhead and thus the same problem as all the others. This means it can not meet the requierement of being reliable.
@Marcus_Wolschon Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it can’t be done. I’m repeatably doing dual extrusion with two nozzles on my carriage and doing pretty well with it now too.
Actually the @LulzBot on is one of the best I’ve used. The way they do adjustment makes it so you can adjust on the fly which is what most dont allow. Also their calibration routine is really smooth and slick.
@Jeff_DeMaagd I don’t deny that is works.
I deny that it’s reliable.
The question was not about a setup that works. It was about a setup that is reliable.
Reliable meaning robust against small changes.
Changes like filamet expanding after it has left the nozzle and thus hitting the second nozzle.
This can happen with slightly compressible filaments but also with filament that has any surface tension at all and thus tries to conform to a more circular cross-section after it has left the nozzle and is not fully solidified instantly since it must cool first.
This is an inherent problem of this design and can only be solved in 3 ways.
The second nozzle not being present (Cyclops),
the second nozzle being somewhere else (2 carriages),
the second nozzle being higher up (raising nozzles while not in use).
@Joe_Jordans Please exlain how they allow changing the height of the nozzles on the fly. This is the only parameter that is interesting in this context. (Changing temperatures, feed rates, retractions settings and flow rates on the fly is standard since the Repman 3.0 days half a decade ago. As are pause modes that raise and cool the nozzle but not the bed and restart where they left of days later.)
See the knob on the front of the assembly? that’s how the z alignment is changed. So just like you can adjust the bed level with thumb screws on the fly you can adjust nozzle relationship. The XY tool offset is still done in software, but the Z is really critical to not be extruding in air or dragging through your print.
What I usually do is set Z on the back nozzle with the front high do a bed calibration and then rough set the front nozzle. Then run their head alignment script to get a fine set.
@Marcus_Wolschon That’s not so hard to deal with. Differences in filament diameter aren’t wrecking havoc like you portray. If you’re extruding enough that it raises after leaving the first nozzle, then the first nozzle is also going to rub as it travels over the part.
only if you run cool down scripts. I usually dont on the lulzbots. Takes to long for the cool heat cycle.
@Joe_Jordans What do you mean?
The second nozzle is either not used in the current print or we are at a higher layer and all the support material/… has already been printed 200 layers ago. If you don’t allow it to cool, you get oozing and filament expanding in the hotend and all kinds of issues (retraction works for a short while).
Even if the nozzle is also hot, that only reduces but does not eliminate the mechanical issue it’s presence poses.
I’ve done it second nozzle hot or cold. It’s not given me any issues in the past six months, which is when I designed & built my dual extruder.