Re: Digest for 3d-printing-tips--tricks@googlegroups.com - 15 updates in 3 topics

[Kurt Gluck]

Vortek tool change with purge is 45 seconds I heard

Also your left and right nozzles are not interchangeable 

Kurt

On Dec 5, 2025, at 2:27 PM, 3d-printing-...@googlegroups.com wrote:



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• 3D Printing Today #592 - 7 Updates
• The ultimate in 3D printing technology - 2 Updates
• 100 hours in so far with my H2C - 6 Updates

3D Printing Today #592

Bryan Eckert <bigyel...@gmail.com>: Dec 04 05:52PM -0800 Hey guys great episode - but since I have one now I've been running for a bit I noticed a few misconceptions and questions you guys had about the H2C and Vortek.   Namely - and this is probably just semantics - but Vortek does NOT retract filament completely out of the hotend. Ever. The filament is cut at the heatbreak and remains in the nozzle as you can see from the picture attached of one of my nozzles in the rack. Just like your X1C, if you've ever changed the nozzle you'd see filament in the heatbreak.   The machine also does not wait to retract, then swap, then push filament, then heat up - it does all of that simultaneously as soon as it cuts the filament. The AMS is rewinding, and pushing the new filament to the hotend as the nozzle is parked on the rack and the next one selected. IF a swap requires purging (i.e. changing the color/material in the nozzle) then that swap takes anywhere from 40 seconds to a minute depending on amount of purging needed. Nozzle swaps back to existing color take a lot less time, due to the AMS pushing/pulling filament simultaneously with the Vortek swapping the nozzle.   Lastly, it seemed overlooked or not understood that this is a DUAL extruder carriage. Switching between the left (standard nozzle) and right (Vortek nozzle) takes 8 seconds. When hotend swaps happen, there is a stopper that covers the unused nozzle, no wiping is necessary. Studio tells you to load the main color into the left hotend, and lesser colors into the Vortek side. The majority of color or material swaps will probably be between those two nozzles, and not through Vortek swapping the hotends.   Also, this got corrected - yes it most definitely does clean the nozzle. Better than my X1C, which like you I thought does a decent job. It has to, as when the Vortek swaps a nozzle, there is a small bit of weep out the bottom. One function that happens with a nozzle swap is the nozzle is heated to temperature as the filament is loading, and there is a "cutter" - not sure what else to call it - at the poop chute that cuts the little blip of drool off, then it wipes on the rubber wiper next to it. The cutter goes front to back and the nozzle tips pass through a slot to scrape off goo. Then it wipes side to side on the rubber wiper. I've attached a photo of it so you can see what I mean.   Also - you talked about "powering" the heater through the wireless connection on the top of the hotend. That is incorrect. The nozzle only has an induction coil, and that is heated by the electromagnets that are on the carriage that surround it when it's seated. What gets power is the chip that stores filament/nozzle information.   One thing you probably don't know is that Vortek allows you to pair nozzles to a particular filament if you wish, to avoid cross contamination between filaments or make sure abrasives don't print on the same nozzle as non abrasives. So for instance you can have a vortek nozzle that is only allowed to print PA-GF or something like that.   Some other questions you had - it comes with eight nozzles total. The left extruder comes with one .4 installed, and a spare. The Vortek side comes with a .4 installed, and 5 other nozzles for a total of four .4 nozzles, one .2 nozzle and one .6 nozzle (all standard flow). The Vortek rack holds 6 nozzles - it's the left extruder that makes it a 7 nozzle system. Which brings up a good point - yes it only comes with one 4 slot AMS. The "ultimate" package comes with 2 full sized AMS units, a single slot AMS HT unit, 3 more .4 vortek nozzles and a .2 and .6 nozzle for the left extruder.   Oh yeah finally, since it was mentioned - there isn't a heat bed issue. 3DPrinting Nerd issued a retraction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFtvw5nd0BM Although, I personally think the gold PEI bed stinks, and the engineering bed is on par with my garolite beds I have for my X1C (unlike some I don't mind putting a little dimafix on the plate)   [image: Filament in heatbreak.JPEG] [image: Cutter and wiper.JPEG]   On Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at 7:25:12 PM UTC-5 Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!! wrote:

3D Printing Tips and Tricks <3d-printing-...@googlegroups.com>: Dec 04 08:52PM -0800 It cuts filament at the heartbreak? How’s that? My X1C does NOT do that. But.. even if it did cut the filament (I don’t think it does), it would then have to purge past the cut otherwise retractions would not work so then what would be the point of the cut?. You’ll have to show how it cuts otherwise I think you got that incorrect. It sounds like you’re saying that the heater is on the carriage? Got a pic of that?

3D Printing Tips and Tricks <3d-printing-...@googlegroups.com>: Dec 04 08:58PM -0800 Per your pic it looks like it leaves some material at the top of the heartbreak. Why do that? That is not in the melt zone. If it deforms it could easily go out of tolerance and clog the heartbreak! New filament will butt up against that to push into the thermal tube. I don’t see any value in doing that. Only issues.   On Thursday, December 4, 2025 at 8:52:58 PM UTC-8 3D Printing Tips and Tricks wrote:

Jason and a Bunch of Wires <jco...@gmail.com>: Dec 05 08:00AM -0800 Some thoughts I had on the latest episode, in particular on the topic of Vortek vs INDX, etc.   I'll start by pointing out that I've got 2 printers, both Bambu (X1C + 2x AMS2 + 1x AMS-HT, A1 + 1x AMS2). For me, at first, Vortek sounded amazing. Then I started to look more deeply, and I'm not as jazzed any longer.   First, I get the driver behind the (mostly) retracting from the nozzles - they're leveraging the large investment they've already made in the single-path AMS units. Are there technically better options? Sure, but they've already invested and aren't excited about chucking that investment. I get that. INDX seems superior with a dedicated filament path per tool.   Where am I sour on the solution? First, the whole motion-system with nozzles flying around. It seems needlessly large in volume and complexity. Secondly, electronics on the nozzle, whereas INDX has no electronics or wiring on the tools. Imagine taking a clogged nozzle and heating it to setup a cold pull or use a no-clogger on it, applying heat while trying to not damage electronics. Sounds like the express train to trashing a $40 nozzle.   It's easy to make more advanced solutions by introducing complexity. As pointed out in the show, that's what we're seeing with Vortek. The truly difficult thing to accomplish is building advanced solutions while maintaining simplicity. What's the most important part to segregate materials in? The place you actually do the melting. What's the best way to keep costs down? Only build the expensive parts once. That's why I think INDX is the way forward. If I was buying my first printer today, honestly, I'd probably buck up for a Core One L. It'll be interesting to see if Sovol picks up on the system as well. Imagine a next-gen SV08 or SV08 Max with INDX on it. 8, maybe a dozen tools. At that point, the greater problem is where to put all those spools. I envision a wall-mounted shelf, maybe with a couple of tiers above the printer holding dryboxes (homemade cereal box types, perhaps Polydryer boxes, or something else), feeding the tools via PTFE tubes. Definitely a commitment to space, but for folks wanting next-gen type multi-material printing, probably worth it.   On Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at 4:44:17 PM UTC-5 3D Printing Tips and Tricks wrote:

Bryan Eckert <bigyel...@gmail.com>: Dec 05 11:13AM -0500 Your X1C absolutely does that. Go remove the hotend, and you will see filament there just like in my picture. When you see the carriage move to the front left and smack the side at the end of a print (or between color changes), it's operating the cutting lever.   My (kickstarter) X1C has north of 7000 hours on it and I still have the original hotend that came with it, it's not a question of if it's reliable or has issues. The only issues the hotends seem to have is being press fit, and smacking something can dislodge the nozzle from the heatbreak (which is why grid infill is stupid)   I think what WOULD definitely cause issues is constantly retracting the filament out of the hotend thousands of times a print. Remember the good old days where if you set retraction too far your hotend would clog up? What's the difference in that and retracting the filament over and over and over out of the hotend during a print?   The chamber also doesn't get hot enough to worry about PLA or PETG sitting there in a nozzle when printing ABS - it's sitting in a chamber that would roughly be the same temperature the heatbreak would reach during printing PLA.   Also - you do realize induction heating is just a coil and magnets. The induction coil is the long part of the Vortek hotend. The electromagnets are on the carriage. This is relatively well illustrated on their webpage with the animation showing the nozzle being heated. They show the blue "magnetic force" flowing between the magnets and the coil on the nozzle heating up.   Here's a pic of the carriage, you can see the electromagnets on either side very prominently.     On Thu, Dec 4, 2025 at 11:58 PM 3D Printing Tips and Tricks <

3D Printing Tips and Tricks <3d-printing-...@googlegroups.com>: Dec 05 09:11AM -0800 Yeah... that's it... The AMS pulls the material all the way out when I do multiple materials on the X1C. The only reason I can see for cutting is to ensure softer material from the melt zone does not go up into that path. If it did it would likely clog the path. As such they then have to purge that bit that they leave in which in turn increases the time even more. IIRC the MMU also cuts the filament. Like I've said before all of this indicates a completely different design mindset which is not based on a good understanding of the end user needs. They are designing themselves into a corner. Kinda like what Ultimaker did. If they give me one for the podcast I'll take it, but I will not buy one.

Bryan Eckert <bigyel...@gmail.com>: Dec 05 01:36PM -0500 The X1C has to purge every time because it is a single nozzle.   The Vortek does not purge at all, unless color/material is being changed for the nozzle itself. So, for instance this morning I started a 2 color print using white and black ABS. The black in the left extruder, the white in the Vortek side. It simply went and grabbed the nozzle that it knew had white ABS in it, did a wipe/clean and started printing. If I was doing a 3 or 4 color print with the red and green also, it wouldn't purge because there are nozzles already with red and green abs in them.   If however, I changed the colors out to blue, yellow and orange.. then yes it would purge first print on each of those nozzles, but not subsequent uses of the nozzle. But you have to purge any system when introducing a new color to the color path regardless.   Since it keeps track of the nozzles via serial number, you can even take a nozzle out of the rack, then put it back in at a later date and have the machine read the nozzles. It will then know hey that nozzle has white ABS, I don't have to purge for this white ABS print.   On Fri, Dec 5, 2025 at 12:11 PM 3D Printing Tips and Tricks <

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The ultimate in 3D printing technology

Bryan Eckert <bigyel...@gmail.com>: Dec 05 08:40AM -0500 Introducing… the Shrekstruder   https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1amEB2aagL/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Kurt <kurt.the...@gmail.com>: Dec 05 08:53AM -0800 Bryan - that is INSANE - and FUNNY as Halibut. My coworker said the term is Fecalizing!   *-K*   On Friday, December 5, 2025 at 8:40:59 AM UTC-5 Bryan Eckert wrote:

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100 hours in so far with my H2C

Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!! <vr...@optonline.net>: Dec 04 03:08PM -0800 DANG Bryan - I am Totally DROOLING over this printer and your Posting! I'm so TOTALLY STOKED that This printer is GREAT with ABS! For Very Obvious reasons - for those folks that know me.   And - your Grinch Items are Insanely AWESOME!!!   It looks to me as though you obviously Acetone Vapor Smoothed the parts. Am I wrong???   *-K*     On Thursday, December 4, 2025 at 11:31:37 AM UTC-5 Bryan Eckert wrote:

Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!! <vr...@optonline.net>: Dec 04 03:11PM -0800 I just opened your pics in another window - so it opens up like full screen - GREAT Stuff.   I'd Love to print the files - can you point us to the STL's?   Since - Yeah - I can indeed print ABS on my Elegoo Carbon!   *-K*   On Thursday, December 4, 2025 at 11:31:37 AM UTC-5 Bryan Eckert wrote:

Bryan Eckert <bigyel...@gmail.com>: Dec 04 04:46PM -0800 No problem Kurt, the files are on makerworld: https://makerworld.com/en/models/1891706-the-grinch-wall-mount#profileId-2026468   Click the arrow next to "open in bambu studio" for option to download STLs.   Make sure we get some pics!!   I printed the "no ams" version which splits the arm/cuff/sleeve into three parts. Unfortunately, they didn't include pins to help register, maybe download the normal version and split the cuff off in Orca which can add those in. Although working in ABS with Testors glue you have time to get it right before the parts weld completely.   Here's a 4 color ornament I printed a bunch of for the kids, also can be found on makerworld: (realized I didn't attach it)   https://makerworld.com/en/models/2027720-christmas-tree-ornament?from=search#profileId-2186322   Printed face down. Black was on the left hotend, the other colors were in the AMS switching on the right side (the vortek side). I took one to work to give to a buddy, he asked where I bought it haha.   [image: IMG_4571.JPEG]     On Thursday, December 4, 2025 at 6:11:39 PM UTC-5 Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!! wrote:

Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!! <vr...@optonline.net>: Dec 05 04:08AM -0800 Thanks dude!   So - you used Testors to put the parts together? Still - it looks like you did Acetone Vapor finishing on the parts. Am I wrong? They all look TOO Shiny & Smooth to NOT have done that - and it looks Great with the Shine!   AS for - "I took one to work to give to a buddy, he asked where I bought it haha. " - that's Hysterical!!!   *-K*   On Thursday, December 4, 2025 at 7:46:38 PM UTC-5 Bryan Eckert wrote:

Bryan Eckert <bigyel...@gmail.com>: Dec 05 07:54AM -0500 Nope, just printed and glued together. The hand I printed with the .6 nozzle at .18 layer height, the sleeve and cuff were .4 nozzle at .2 layer height.   The generic ABS settings work perfectly for Polymaker ABS.   On Fri, Dec 5, 2025 at 7:08 AM Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!! <vr...@optonline.net> wrote:

Bryan Eckert <bigyel...@gmail.com>: Dec 05 07:55AM -0500 And yes, testors in the red tube.

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