Printing different Materials / Multi-Material printing

Hej there guys!

Unfortunately I cannot find any affordable solution for 3D printing different materials at once.

I mean, sure, there are a couple of 3D printers out there like the "Pharao" solution which can carry 2-3 separate nozzles or the 4 in one "Kraken" solution from E3D. But as far as I have read until now it always leads to extensive dripping of unused material onto the building plate/model or one of those unhandy 3-fold mixing hotends.

Well now my interest is in actually trying to print something from different materials... Rubber, Plastic, Metal, etc... Is it just me who wants to do something like that or are there people out there who have a better grasp of that topic and can point me into the right direction?

Regards
Laton

I print with a dual nozzle printer, and ooze from the non- printing nozzle is never a problem. The reason is that the firmware I use (RepRapFirmware) sets the non printing nozzle to a reduced standby temperature, which in combination with retracting some filament when a nozzle goes to standby totally avoids ooze. I haven't tried a mixing hot end yet.

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Quote
Laton
actually trying to print something from different materials... Rubber, Plastic, Metal, etc...

Any one of those materials can be printed individually with ease. The problem being if you want two materials in the same print.

Metal? not a chance SLS is how almost all metal printing is done and by definition can only be done in one metal at a time (suppose if someone needed a really fancy part and had millions to burn they could sls print in 2 alloys simultaneously) There are also a few desktop metal printers that are FFF style but cant print near plastic without ruining the plastic.

I have seen compound ninjaflex and PLA prints before that turned out pretty neat.


Do you have any new ideas to share in the realm of multiple materials?

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If you need some help, or don't understand what I just said, feel free to send me a PM anytime

Printer: Prusa i3, 2 E3D v6 Hotends, Arduino + RAMPS 1.4 with a Bypassed 5V Regulator, 400w Insignia ATX PSU, Custom Designed Bowden Extruders

With the amount of work that will take, the hours in the iterations and the research money needed, I don't think you will see anytime soon a reprap printer like that, even less the affordable part. You will have to either have a big pocket for a commercial printer or for your own development.

Everyone wants to reach that point, but will take several years to get there.

Prometheus will be shipping a two element system soon.

The latest printer i built has two independent x carriages and can switch between materials without heating up or cooling down one hotend or the other. The switch takes maybe a second and the unused printhead stays in a parking position where the nozzle is closed. I have printed various flexible materials and Nylon together with ABS. It works, though some materials bind better than others, it is usually a good idea to design mechanical interlock into the parts.

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[www.bonkers.de]
[merlin-hotend.de]
[www.hackerspace-ffm.de]

So is there really no solution for more than one or two materials?

Quote
dc42
...non printing nozzle to a reduced standby temperature, which in combination with retracting some filament when a nozzle goes to standby totally avoids ooze...

Does the Hotend cool down quickly enough?
Did you never have problems with a clogging hotend than with the constant removal of the filament?

Quote
DaGameFace
The problem being if you want two materials in the same print.

Lets skip the metal for a second. I am currently working on a solution in order to combine a variety of materials in one print. Question really is: Would anyone need it? ... or ... What to make of it?

Quote
ggherbaz
You will have to either have a big pocket for a commercial printer or for your own development.

Commercial printer sure... but being honest. I have seen a number of small commercial printers <2000€ being on the same or worse quality level as a reprap. So why not have a similar technology in the reparap? ... At this stage the question is whether building a reprap is the way to go, or if a reasonably cheap platform to start with wouldn't be better in terms of focus. (Which than again could be a bought reprap derivative).

Quote
etfrench
I have printed various flexible materials and Nylon together with ABS.

Sounds awesome! What did

Quote
Srek
two independent x carriages and can switch between materials without heating up or cooling down one hotend or the other. The switch takes maybe a second and the unused printhead stays in a parking position where the nozzle is closed.

The parkingSounds like a similar solution than the Xioneer solution. But how did you "close" the nozzle?

Quote
Srek
two independent x carriages and can switch between materials without heating up or cooling down one hotend or the other. The switch takes maybe a second and the unused printhead stays in a parking position where the nozzle is closed.

Sounds awesome!! What did you make with it?

... accidental double posting ...

You can see it in action on Youtube
[www.youtube.com]
The nozzles are closed using a thin strip of metal. It uses minimal force as not to damage the nozzle.

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[www.bonkers.de]
[merlin-hotend.de]
[www.hackerspace-ffm.de]

Hej Srek, you mean those strips it runs over when it moves to the sides?

Yes, they are simple to adjust and easily prevent any oozing while parked.

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[www.bonkers.de]
[merlin-hotend.de]
[www.hackerspace-ffm.de]

Awesome!
So, is it enough? Printing with 2 materials? Always when I think of cool new objects I run into the problem of them being made up from one material only...

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2016 05:43PM by Laton.

Quote
Laton
So is there really no solution for more than one or two materials?

Quote
dc42
...non printing nozzle to a reduced standby temperature, which in combination with retracting some filament when a nozzle goes to standby totally avoids ooze...

Does the Hotend cool down quickly enough?
Did you never have problems with a clogging hotend than with the constant removal of the filament?

Yes it cools quickly enough and I have no problems with clogging. I use 10mm tool change retraction, simply because that was the default in slic3r and my RepRapPro hot ends don't have a problem with that. It wouldn't work with such high retraction if that machine had all metal E3Dv6 hot ends. I haven't measured how low the retraction could be set and still not get oozing.

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

i had the drip issue with dual nozzles made it hard to use. so i made a rotating nozzle platform unused nozzles are capped i works reasonably well. not perfect yet still get some excess blobs but much better then simple dual nozzles. but it is big and heavy but i have a big printer.