I’m looking to get another printer and it has to be able to use soluble supports, so I’m looking at dual extruders that can do this properly. I’m really interested in the BCN Sigmax which seems like an excellent machine and has great reviews, but I’m concerned that you don’t seem to read much about it. Has anyone any experience using this machine (or even just the BCN Sigma R17), especially in terms of how well it uses soluble material? Can anyone offer any opinions over how well the UM3 does soluble/mixed materials in terms of ooze control? Any other suggested machines?
There’s the stratasys u print. But it cost over 16k
Try a resin printer. Those can usually desolve
I have experience with both (as well as the BCN Sigma, and Ultimaker S5). Just overall, they’re both very good for dual extrusion/dissolvable support. The majority of the issues are really material related and not hardware related. Put simply, PVA sucks to print with. It’s not a thermoplastic, and isn’t meant to be extruded. Improvements in the materials available will significantly improve the results you can get.
In terms of the comparison between the 2 - the Sigmax can do some things the UM can’t. Specifically, printing infill with a larger nozzle and the perimeters with a smaller one. This significantly decreases print time. Also, even with the same size nozzles, the BCN prints quite a bit faster because it doesn’t need to heat up/cool down on tool changes like the UM.
UM has the camera and wireless capabilities that the BCN lacks.
Overall, the user experience and polish is better with Ultimaker, but both can produce excellent prints - easily the best dual extrusion printers in the sub- $5000 range that I’ve seen and tested.
@Taylor_Landry1 Thanks, just the sort of response I was looking for. Neither the wireless nor the camera particularly bother me - I’m happy using SD cards for files and if I want a camera I can set one up. The speed and flexibility of the BCN does lean me in that direction - plus the extra bed size.
@Chevrolet_Diesel_Nat I’ve had a Form 2 SLA in the past and while it doesn’t need the same supports as FDM, the extra post-processing, cost of materials and, in my case, unreliability, caused me to get rid of it.
fwiw. we get really good prints with the UM3 and PLA/PVA. i always use the prime tower for critical prints to solve any oozing issues. that said, the PVA does suck to print with compared to other materials. i use the dense interface option in cura to help make the overhung areas look good.
It’s the ooze that always concerns me, which is why I’m attracted to printers like the R17 that have waste/wipe buckets. That said, I’ve only recently realised that the R17 is 3mm (as is the UM3), which makes it less attractive given that all my other machines and filament stock is 1.75mm, so I’m now leaning towards the Raise N2 or possibly the T-Rex 2, though I’d really like an enclosure.