In Action: Jim's Flying Motor Mount Dual Extruder

thingiverse

Check out this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=gR1vrykA90E which showcases the first version of the Dual Extruder Calibration Piece in action being printed. It took nearly eight months to perfect the dual extruders after the original posting. The creator built a compact dual extruder that mounts directly on an X-carriage, eliminating the need for a bowden arrangement. They also designed an X-carriage for a Prusa that can accommodate Jim's Flying Motor Mount Dual Extruder and includes a fan mount for nozzle cooling fans. Detailed instructions and updates on future plans are available in the Instructable accompanying the original Thing. The creator faced challenges such as Marlin for Printrboard not fully supporting dual extruders, but eventually found a version with support and merged it into Lincomatic's Printrboard version. They will post this updated Marlin on Thingiverse for others to use. Instructions for using Pronterface to control dual extrusion will also be included in the posting. Calibration was achieved using a simple calibration block designed in OpenSCAD, which can be sliced with Slic3r that now supports dual extruders. Longer prints revealed issues such as motor heating, leading to possible solutions like printing extruder bodies in ABS, adding cooling fans, or using hypocycloid reduction gears. Cooling fans were found to solve the heating issue completely. The creator's next steps include experimentation with settings on the Printer Settings/ Extruder 1 page and sharing future plans. Stay tuned for more updates on this dual extrusion project!