Yet another toolchanger starting on Kickstarter!

[Bryan Eckert]

Here's another one, from SnapMaker. 270x270x270 so slightly larger than an X1C but far less waste and faster multicolor/multimaterial (could do TPU hinges!)

They have a $30 deposit (refundable) on their webstore that gets you a rebate if you back it to get the machine for $675. That doesn't include shipping though. 

https://www.snapmaker.com/en-US/snapmaker-u1?irclickid=3lCz8:38jxycUTHwSy0T6yMLUkpxTT1vO1lU3o0&irgwc=1

[Kurt]

SnapMaker made another 3DP a couple years ago - and I remember people were REALLY Trashing it - saying how AWEFUL the machine was!

And, as for this SnapMaker having the ability to do TPU Hinges - in fact - you CAN In Theory do that on the Bambu H2D - as it has 2 "heads"/nozzles - and the one has a single feed in - while the other connects to the AMS...

-K

[Bryan Eckert]

Lots of people trashed the Elegoo Neptune 4, and most trash their Giga, but they hit a homerun with the Centauri. Bambu screwed up the A1 initially with the cable issue too. 

As always, we'll just have to wait and see. This one actually looks promising. Looks like Prusa style attachment, but with the cooling fan on the carriage, powered by magnetic contacts from the print heads.

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[Bryan Eckert]

Besides which, the most exciting thing about all of these is - maybe they will kick Bambu's butt to put out a toolchanger!

[Kurt]

I know a LOT of folks will probably call BS on my comment. However, I still thing a Bambu style printer with an AMS still has GREAT potential - as I think it's an Easier Tech. platform to implement than a ToolChanger. Also, I think the H2D has potentially REALLY Solved some problems by having TWO nozzles and 2 filament feeds - with the one feed coming from the AMS units. 

Lastly - I think it possible them my friend Sophie may potentially help solve some Serious issues with the Filament Waste on the H2D!!! And - I am VERY Serious about that. I had tried to experiment about a Year ago with the X1C - when at VM - to try to Minimize plastic waste - including the idea of purging via Infill. And, I think if I had serious access to a Bambu - like having my own unit - I could have finally proven a way to potentially Drastically Drop the amount of plastic waste. But, Sophie is an Eng. - and thus has a leg up on the issue!

-K

[Bryan Eckert]

The main problem with a single nozzle extruder is for things like supports. Running non-compatible materials through the same nozzle means either lots and lots and lots of purging, or severely weakened layer adhesion. Granted, the H2D does help solve that with a second nozzle but it doesn't solve issues like white material and colored materials bleeding into each other. You still need lots of purge for that. Tool changers just don't have that issue.

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[markni...@gmail.com]

Bryan,

Snapmaker always tried to use premium components (at a premium price).

Their efforts were not always successful, which is what Kurt1 is reffering to.

Look at some of their recent efforts reviewed on youtube.

Their more recent offers are much better reviewed.

[3D Printing Tips and Tricks]

As Kurt A wrote, the H2D has two extruders which will allow use of nonbonding materials for support… but what Kurt A doesn’t realize is just how huge a difference there is when you have reliable toolchanging. I have both and I see the difference. Toolchanging is the way to go just as it is for CnC machines. In my opinion Kurt and others way underestimate the reliability of toolchanging over auto loaders. In my experience, auto loaders add just as much complexity as a TC but my TCs have been way more reliable,easier to maintain and easily support flexibles.

[Bryan Eckert]

The main advantage of - and what I primarily use my AMS units for - is continuous printing when a roll runs out. 

I have on many occasions loaded a near empty spool to start, run it out mid print and the print finishes on the next spool.

Unfortunately, Bambu has all but rendered that feature useless as I hear people saying they tape the filament to the spool 

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[Kurt]

I totally agree with you - about filament/color changes being an issue. And, that's why I mentioned what I did - about doing Infill purging...

Darn - I never sent this reply last week - just saw I started it(Here at worK)...

-K

[Kurt Gluck]

I watched some YouTube on the snapmaker.  Haveing an XL my concerns about the snapmaker center around reliability.   The snapmaker printheads/tools electrically connect to the tool picker ( is that what it’s called ) useing ‘pogo’ pins.   I have these on my iPad for the keyboard. They (pogo pins), as so far only one YouTuber has said, wear out.  He stated around 10k-50k connections.   My XL was factory reset this past January so I only have data for the past 8 months, tool head 1 is over 25,000 tool changes in that period.  

People without a toolchanger seriously underestimate how many tool changes one does, since once you go tool change you can start to switch colors/fillaments without thinking about how much it would slow down the print (it does, but not by that much).  I am constantly doing prints with 4 or 5 toolheads being used on each layer.

I would be interested in other peoples toolchange counts and over how long.  On the XL the information is on one of the screens after scrolling down. 

Secondarily the tool grabing looks like a slightly cut down version of the XL, you know about half the number of interacting points.  Since toolhandling issues happen on the XL, one wonders again if this is a less robust design which will result in more issues.

Kurt-A

[3D Printing Tips and Tricks]

Yeah… from I can see the Snapmaker uses a very similar approach to that used by the XL.

Regardless, I’m anxiously awaiting the Bondtech solution. No need for a daughter board, all the wires, heaters, etc. The Ndx design way simplifies and cuts costs… not to mention way less flying mass… way more room for more than five extruders… so many benefits that like their twin gear feeder design ten years back, they will likely become the de facto design solution and likely also kill the mkt for auto loaders.

[Gary Tolley - Grogyan]

My feelings are still the same for TCs and MMUs

Produce stuff for something else as your purge or prime object. 

While I am not going to back the U1, as it is still very expensive for me. 

I am though interested to seeing the Bontech INDX being incorporated into other machines, especially those you may have on hand with a single extruder. 

Will that then mean that CORE XZ conversion kits for bed slingers come out more to enable the INDX?

Or is the U1 the new benchmark?

These are things I'm looking forward to seeing play out 

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[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

Yeah - Andy - it's the "Flying Mass" - as you state - which I believe is TRULY KEY to the whole situation (or at least Part of the Key). Less Mass - less backlash. Although, yes - there is Tech to accommodate for that backlash (the proper term right now Escapes me). 

As for your comment - Kurt the Doppelgänger - I would LOVE for you to prove something to me. And, yes - this IS INDEED a Bit of a Challenge to your comment of "...without thinking about how much it would slow down the print (it does, but not by that much)". 

I know that in prior podcasts by Andy - he was working on Techniques to make tool changing faster. And, believe me - I CAN Relate - from my time at Essentium with the HSE 280's - and doing Tool Changes. I know that Andy kind proved that with the XL you can pull the filament out of the Melt Zone - which limits oozing and related problems - and he tweaked things for FASTER Tool Changes!

But - my Challenge - Print a Part (and, if you want - I will GIVE you a Great part as a Test - my Rocket design) - and print it with like 5 colors. But, then - print it AGAIN - with ONE Color - to confirm the difference. And, yeah - my Rocket is Designed to print HOLLOW. That being said - when I TRIED to printed it Hollow in Multicolors/filaments on the Bambu - it Screwed up the slicing - and tried to print material within the inner hollow space - and so I could NOT print it Hollow. But, maybe the Prusa Slicer CAN Properly allow it to be printed Hollow - in Multiple Colors!

Would you be willing to take on the Challenge???

I'd LOVE to see the XL Tool Changer print my rocket FAST!

And - Andy - I'd be curious to know if you have your profile perfected in a way - that you could potentially print the Same rocket, in multicolors - and do it EVEN FASTER Than my Doppelgänger!

OF course, if nobody wants to take on the Challenge - I will still survive...

-K

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

Gary - I agree with you. However, I think - if the Technology is pushed correctly - including what Andy has done on the XL such that 1 filament does not even NEED a purge Tower(either it's PLA or PETG that does not need it - but, the other does) - or, folks like Sophie who ALSO Wants to Push the Envelope of what is possible - one can potentially Eliminate purge/wipe towers! I'd LOVE to see that happen.

I have also been contemplating algorithms to do so - more like concepts on where to put materials - like purges in Infills - but, even more ideas about that - but, I am NOT a serious Coder (like CG & Math programming - as I am mainly a Database systems programmer) - otherwise I would love to work on the teams of folks who implement the Slicers! Of course, with AI now - maybe I could use AI to help implement concepts - to limit the need for purging and wiping!

Alas - my time is limited - after working a full 9 hour day, then a 1 hour commute - it's tough - not much time left for myself on weekdays...

But - better to be working than BROKE!!!

-K

[Kurt Gluck]

Kurt-1

If you send me the stl I could of course do that, but prusaslicers time estimates are reasonably accurate (I think), so you can just slice it twice and see the difference. 

While your at it you could slice it in bamboo studio and see how long the ams would take, and then back in prusaslicer for a core one with a mmu etc.

Kurt-A

Sent from my iPad

On Aug 21, 2025, at 7:39 PM, Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!! <vr...@optonline.net> wrote:

Gary - I agree with you. However, I think - if the Technology is pushed correctly - including what Andy has done on the XL such that 1 filament does not even NEED a purge Tower(either it's PLA or PETG that does not need it - but, the other does) - or, folks like Sophie who ALSO Wants to Push the Envelope of what is possible - one can potentially Eliminate purge/wipe towers! I'd LOVE to see that happen.

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[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

Really? PS is THAT Accurate at calculating Slicing Times?

That was something I found not to be quite viable - at least in other slicers. Like at Essentium we were originally using S3D - and if you had a lot of toolchanging - it simply could not calculate the proper time for tool changes. Maybe it's different in PS since the XL is THEIR Printer. 

But, as a Start - yeah - I should find my model and send it over to you. Also, even though I use PS - I don't have any XL specific profile - at least not that I am aware of. Although, that being said - it's been bitching that there are new updates - for a little while now - and I have NOT let it install the updates yet...

-K

[Sophie]

I have also found bambu studio has extremely accurate timings compared to the actual print time. So again no need to actually print it could just be run through the slicer.

My experiments so far with flushing are as have already been said in terms of switching colours. If I'm not using full contact support I will always try to put the darkest colour in the second nozzle as that takes up the most flushing to all other colours. I'm bound by software limitations in terms of the purge tower. Ideally I would like to purge just a tiny amount to set the flow pressure and then use the bambus impressive nozzle cleaner system and then go straight to print, but unfortunately the way it works to get the right flow, just the short distance between the back printer and to the print, it drools like heck. But from the prime tower to the print it is fine, but this is set in the firmware I think. I can't seem to get around it. I'm not sure if it's the same on the X1C but the nozzle cleaning system is pretty decent I'm impressed with it and I like it a lot.

But anyway as someone said before, flushing into another object that you were going to print anyway is a good option. But it does add significant time to the print. So as long as time isn't a bother. Also there's the idea that printing a bed full of things helps which has been mentioned before many times by many people including Andy and Whitney. The tool changer will always put do the AMS for changing colours, but the AMS is still a very good system in my opinion, the TC and H2D just have different applications and use cases for now

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

Hey there Sophie - I VERY Much appreciate your feedback in this posting!!!

A Lot to Contemplate for a Small Minded guy like me...

:-)

-K

[Kurt Gluck]

Kurt-1

I think the reason you have historical issues with slicer slicing times is that you have worked with more engineering materials than I.   The motion commands timing should be very close since its an open control system - to my limited understanding, the gcode commands where it becomes more difficult to predict how long a print takes are the ones where you instruct something to move to a temperature since that implies a wait-until-tempature.    If your printing in PLA the temperatures are lower and the printers dynamics are relatively understood by the manufacturer so the timings probably are closer.  Of course if you are printing in a very hot or very cold room all bets are off.    

Kurt-A