3rd extruder on Prusa i3

Hi.

I want to add a 3rd extruder in a highly modified prusa i3.

How can this be done?

What kind of hardware will I need, since ramps only allow to connect 2 extruders?

Also, how ill I be able to control it via slicer? For those who done it before, what kind of slicer / app do you recommend to control 3 extruders? Thanks!

You would need to wire another driver using spare aux pins on the arduino. That would involve creating amother shield or external board.

Hardware would involve another hotend at the expense of print volume.

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Prusa i3 Rework - Ramps 1.4 - E3d Lite6 - Full Graphic LCD Controller

Meanwhile, after some research, I found some stuff:

Diamond Hotend

Stepper expander (for 3rd extruder stepper)

Could this be the best to work with 3 extruders?

Any opinion over there?

Thanks!

I built my own extruder expander ...

[dustsreprap.blogspot.co.nz]

based on [www.thingiverse.com]

edit actuly it was based on [www.thingiverse.com]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/08/2015 09:31PM by Dust.

I use system MKR4 (MarlinKimbra Relè 4)
4 motor extruder width 2 driver...
Use 1 module 8 channel relé 10 €


Atttach 4 center pin relé to 4 pin driver E0, another 4 center pin to 4 pin driver E1.


Now attach NC first 4 relè to Motor 1 and NC last 4 relè to Motor 2


Now attach NO first 4 relè to Motor 3 and NO last 4 relé to Motor 4


Attach pin 1 to 4 IN relè to pin 5 ramps and pin 5 to 8 IN relè to pin 6 ramps and 12v power.


Now active MKR4 in MarlinKimbra and use only hotend width fluxcapacitor or [www.thingiverse.com]


Active SINGLENOZZLE in MarlinKimbra and print 4 color width ramps or another board width 2 motor driver for extruder...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2015 03:19AM by MagoKimbra.

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COMPRA ITALIANO - sostieni le nostre aziende - sostieni la nostra gente - sostieni il tuo popolo - sosterrai te stesso.
Alberto C. felice possessore di una Kossel K2
My Blog - My Thingiverse

Mago can you elaborate a bit more on your relay setup? I saw your idea recently in a high prices kickstarter but your version looks seductively simple.

On Kickstarter ?? Please link what you are getting ...
The idea is simple. In fact the engines of the extruders are used one at a time (for now at least). So I thought to commute the 4 wires from an engine to another engine.
In the new version that I am using even I use a driver only and use only two relays to change only two wires, by placing in parallel a wire for each pair of reel motors. But this is a bit more complicated as wiring...


In addition, the system uses only one hotend (SINGLENOZZLE), with a system that makes sure that only one cable enters nell'hotend taking it from 4 or more wires. The fw think of all managing one hotend. With this system you can print multi-material, because the change in tools stgart gcode of care or Slic3r fits the temperature of 4 hotend and is used only temp current hotend current ...
For example in Gcode post change tools:

{IF_EXT0}M109 T0 S{TEMP0}
{IF_EXT1}M109 T1 S{TEMP1}
{IF_EXT2}M109 T2 S{TEMP2}
{IF_EXT3}M109 T3 S{TEMP3}

Only 10 € to the relay board and one flux model plastic and of course MarlinKimbra FW.

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COMPRA ITALIANO - sostieni le nostre aziende - sostieni la nostra gente - sostieni il tuo popolo - sosterrai te stesso.
Alberto C. felice possessore di una Kossel K2
My Blog - My Thingiverse

Aha great, do you sell your board?

this is the kickstarter [3dprint.com] its only about the nozzle but in the video they show a multi extruder system that looks like its switching between different colors.

[www.immaginaecrea.it] and any chance you have this post in English?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/16/2015 02:54AM by sungod3k.

No no i do not sell board... You can by on ebay or amazon or another site... 8 relay for arduino 5v..
[www.ebay.it]

for flux on thingiverse [www.thingiverse.com]

The fw is open [github.com] or [github.com] for arduino due board.
Configurator on line [marlinkimbra.it]

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COMPRA ITALIANO - sostieni le nostre aziende - sostieni la nostra gente - sostieni il tuo popolo - sosterrai te stesso.
Alberto C. felice possessore di una Kossel K2
My Blog - My Thingiverse

I see, seems cheap enough.

Do you have any trouble with the feeding of the different strains of filament? I always get a little blob as big as my heatbreak in my all metal nozzle and I always cut it of when I change filament.
Did you test your setup with a diamond or cyclops nozzle?
and I have a Duet .65 on the way could I use the only extruder driver to drive two extruders with the relay board or are two drivers necessary?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/16/2015 03:21AM by sungod3k.

Thank you all for the replies. I want to be able to work with all 3 extruders in same time, to allow some kind of colour mix. If i am right, I believe your system only works with one extruder each time?

No I have a normal or hotend E3D or IEC.
When changing the color to be done purging the nozzle it is normal to completely change color ...

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COMPRA ITALIANO - sostieni le nostre aziende - sostieni la nostra gente - sostieni il tuo popolo - sosterrai te stesso.
Alberto C. felice possessore di una Kossel K2
My Blog - My Thingiverse

I have new board alligator width 4 drivers. 3 for the axes and only one per extruder.
I use 4 new width extruder system relay.
But for this system you need 4 pin to trigger the relay, while two drivers and 8 relay takes only two pins.

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COMPRA ITALIANO - sostieni le nostre aziende - sostieni la nostra gente - sostieni il tuo popolo - sosterrai te stesso.
Alberto C. felice possessore di una Kossel K2
My Blog - My Thingiverse

Is there any slicer that can generate full colour g-code fronteira a 3d modelo? Thanks

no full color support yet... as no reprap type printers do that yet, and define full color? 16 colors, 256? 2million?

Current support is more multi material, that just happens to be different colors..

And how can I handle 3 diferentes materials in.slicer without pause for swapping materials?

What slicer do you recommend?