Dual Hotends

[type]

I am really interested in Dual hotends, I know some other more conventional printers are doing this both in forms of Mods to exsiting machines and units that are coming preassembled with dual hotends.

I think the multi color idea is cool, but I am way more into multi materials. Really interested in Water Soluble materials like the MakerBot PVA etc. I would really use this material for supports while printing more complex parts with overhangs etc. I think that printing with supports would give you a much cleaner print than when the printers currently overthrow or spit out more of the normal material and get it to hang etc.

So with the Delta platform, what would be needed to support a Dual head? It seems like the RAMBo can support it as it has 5 stepper controllers, an extra one for the 2nd extruder right? Can it take controlling another hot end with the temp etc?

Would you just need to make a wider main platform to fit both heads and then the configuring part with software?

I am an 100% newbie with printers so if someone who has thought about this could shed a little light that would be fantastic.


Edit.
After thinking for a moment, I realized that while I think two heads would be enough right now and that Im not really into mutli color.... Im sure that would change down the road after I have built and used a 3D printer for a while. If we could add a "hot end bank" with 3 to xx number of hot ends that the Delta form printer could navigate to and lock on and then use to print, then put it back and grab the next one required.... All the while knowing when to bring each one to temp etc.

That would be epic. Ok the Idea is there. Now how do I turn that into a reality!

[type]

Just found this, http://www.tricklaser.com/Dual-hotend-a ... RM-DHA.htm

So that really answers a bit of my question. I still would like input from others that can help point me in the right direction.

[cambo3d]

rostockmax already has parts to do this, you get them from seemecnc but its still in its infancy.. heck you can even add a third if you wanted, the max will support up to 3 hotends.

http://shop.seemecnc.com/Rostock-MAX-AD ... TRUDER.htm complete kit

[type]

I saw that kit, and knew that it would be possible but they did not link a new main carriage or head or w/e its called so I was wondering how the hot ends would position themselves.

The link I posted to Tricklaser shows a new main carriage and it explained alot to me.

With the edit in the main post I took it to a very advanced level haha with a hot end bank ready to grab any number of hot ends and print. Im sure it could be eaiser at that point and just figure out how to use multi fitments with the same hot end.

[MorbidSlowBurn]

The Rostock appears to have the abilty to install 3 hotends without mod to the carriage. If you take the spaces out of the carriage the hot end will stick through like the images on Tricklaser. The only difference is that the SeeMeCNC mount for the hotend has 3 holes around the center hole that can be used for hotend mounting.

The true goal is to do a "tool changer" in which the carriage picks up a new head on material/color change. This would maintain the build area of the printer and would minimize the chance of the non-printing head from interfering with the print.

[type]

Need to set up a pneumatic / plunger set up that can push out any filament that has already been headed. Once you can do that you can have a automatic tool that cuts the filiment at the right point and rotates a revolver of filiments and then the right extruder kicks in and starts pushing down the next required filament.

[cambo3d]

you wouldn't need anything pneumatic, just some sort of arm/gear that rotates preloaded hotends that are ready to print.

[MorbidSlowBurn]

I read some info on people doing different methdods of switching colors. Someone made a triple extruder that feed 3 different filaments at the same time into a single hot end. He can vary color by how much he feeds each filament. The problem is the lag between the filament switch and when it prints. Also the previous color tends to stay in the hot end for a little while. And tends to bleed out a little at a time.

[type]

Yeah.. Ideally I think one hot end and a revolver style of filaments would be the lightest combo and the least amount of trouble. Keeping all those hot ends to the right temp and not extruding could be an issue.

Although Im a huge 3D newb so thats just an though. I think any of these ideas would be uber cool to see functioning.