3mm filament with Reprappro's Mendel

Hey guys,

I've got a Reprappro Mendel with a 1.75mm extruder, and I'm looking into adding an extruder which can handle 3mm filament (so I can take advantage of the cheaper-per-cc 3mm filament from Faberdashery.) I'm new to the Reprap (and 3D printing in general) so I'm not sure if this is something I can do off the shelf, or just how much I'll have to sort out for myself. That said, it seems pretty simple.

I have no plans to go multi-colour, so I am thinking I'd attach the 3mm extruder to one of the spare mounts on the x carriage, and then switch round the wiring on my PCB when I want to switch between the two extruders, as opposed to moving entirely to 3mm filament.

Will this [reprapworld.com] be suitable as a starting point? Is there something better to use as a starting point? I realise I'd need a bunch of other hardware components too, but I can basically use the design of my existing extruder for as the basis for that.

Regards,
Carl.

Hi Carl,

Those v5 style hotends seem to be EOL-ed and for a few bucks more, much better hotends are available. So if you don't mind spending a little extra on a hotend and want a good one, get a 3mm J-Head mkV

Hello,
I think you would find it easier to use a hotend/3mm nozzle from reprappro as there are subtle differences between machines supplied by various companies.One of theirs should fit onto the carriage
alongside your other head.
trustytrev.