Both of those are great “interim” solutions, but I do think I’ll wait a while.
We already have a new solution for printing with multiple filaments in the works. It will be something completely different, a complete re-imagination of the concept, which also means that the upgrade path from the MMU3 will be broken (so it’s not going to be an MMU4).
I think I’ll put off my MMU decision until I see if I’m right about a Bondtech collab! The MMU is really a Multi Colour Unit at the moment, not a Multi Material one (or am I being a bit over optimistic?)
I don’t think so, they are still perfectly good at what they do, and as @Tokoloshe is doing, work perfectly on the latest iteration of printer.
I have done a complete 180 degree turn on the need for multi colour/materials in the past twelve months. I have a specific interest in doing more hueforge work, which almost led to my wife convincing me to get an XL. The reality is that I have to get a lot of other stuff out of the way first, so if a CoreOne solution bobs up that’s even better than the MMU I’ll be ready then!
I’m pretty sure that the current MMU would do all I want to do for the foreseeable future, but I’ve been thinking about multi materials a lot lately… what if they can make that work?
Man, I wish I could say the same. I loved my MK3 before I put the MMU on it. Super reliable, quick and easy to load filament and it just worked perfectly.
Once I added the MMU I spent months fighting to get it to load filament reliably. I ended up doing some changes - mostly adding PTC connectors for the PTFE lines between the buffer and the MMU…but also a few other small changes I don’t remember…and it mostly works.
But only with some filaments. With my usual Hatchbox it will print single color fairly reliably - but filament changes during a print almost always jam. If I use prusament or Atomic filaments then it works well…but I don’t normally spend that much on filament.
The other big issue I have is PLA gets brittle after a day or two and snaps in the buffer - happens with every brand I’ve tried including the expensive ones. PETG works great…but I don’t print PETG as often. I’ve been told it’s probably moisture - but…I live in the desert - RH in my house is usually around 15-20% and the PETG which is more moisture sensitive doesn’t seem to act up (I’ve had wet PETG before and had to dry it to get it to print well…but I can leave spools setup on the printer for several months and they print the same as the day they come out of the bag.) So I’m guessing it’s more heat and dryness than moisture and probably just part of my environment.
But as a result - almost every time I go to print…even single color…I have to clear out old filament and reload fresh filament. And loading it through the buffer is really obnoxious and a pain.
Oh and the latest firmware update…really drove me crazy. Wasn’t clear that the 2 now appears as a 3 so it was giving me machine mismatch warnings until I changed my slicer to expect a 3 even though I still have a 2. And the way it homes the MMU is really loud and obnoxious now…and means I have to retighten the screws on the idler servo every couple of weeks.
When it works I love it…I just spend way too much time having to fuss with it. And I do like being able to do multiple colors and swapping the MMU in and out is too much of a pain so I deal with it. Still part of me misses the simplicity and reliability I had without it.
Hopefully someday I’ll be able to afford a toolchanger machine and switch this one back to single filament. That’s the way I want to go for multi filament in the future.
Ah…but 2 was said to be so much better than the original which was why I decided to try it
I considered upgrading to 3 - but it wasn’t clear when it was announced if the 3 only worked with the MK4 or if I could upgrade just the MMU on my MK3s without doing a 3.5 or 3.9 upgrade as well. And of course it wasn’t available at the time it was announced so I put off a decision. Now I don’t even see the MMU2->3 upgrade offered anymore
Nothing like a bit of misogyny to cap off a conversation. Speaks volumes about -them-
It’s a defect in human evolutionary psychology where once upon a time in human history the tiny tribe was all that mattered for individuals and communities to survive.
Meanwhile, back on the CoreOne - who has ordered one apart from @Tokoloshe? I’m due home in the middle of October and the upgrade kit is presently showing 7-8weeks lead time, so at this stage I need to order in early September I guess!
I am so conflicted though - I really don’t want to waste all those lovely parts from the Mk4, but it still makes the most economic sense by far.
@turbinbjorn bought one and is sending me pictures of assembling it, taunting me now that my delivery date has been moved back to the end of July… ARGH!
/edit: oh, it changed again to the middle of July.
I actually thought about doing this. There are only a few parts that are missing. Since you need another extruder and board, you can throw in any other.
The MMU is really a Multi Colour Unit at the moment, not a Multi Material one (or am I being a bit over optimistic?)
