Simple Zero Ooze Dual Extruder - CRUX - no electronics, motors, or changed firmware

thingiverse

Update 10/23/17: The mechanism continues to work great almost four months later. One thing that could be improved is the cooling fan mount, because it tends to slip down if the screws aren't tightened properly. I made a little piece to keep it upright that I will include in the files. Update 7/2/17: The hotend holder cap was updated to work with normal-sized hotends and to reduce cooling of the heat block. The retaining arm for the extruder part was also changed to be less fragile and easier to assemble. Update 6/18/17: I modified the design to work with either volcano hotends or normal-sized hotends, but not both at once. Update 6/17/17: The current version only works with volcano hotends. I am working on a version for regular-sized hotends. If you have ever tried dual extrusion printing, you know how frustrating it can be. The other nozzle bumps into what you're trying to print, and it's hard to get everything to stick together. But with this mechanism, you can easily switch between two different materials and colors, making it perfect for printing complex objects. To use the mechanism, first load filament all the way into each hotend before starting a print. You especially need to check this after stopping a print halfway through, since one of the filaments will be retracted by 90mm. If you're having trouble with the first layer not sticking, it's probably because your nozzles aren't level. Level the nozzles as best you can, and if it still doesn't work, try using a raft, which will make it much easier to get everything to stick. Don't be alarmed when you hear the extruder "clicking." The mechanism is making that noise, and it's normal. The two wheels with magnets are skipping past each other. You probably want to assign the extruder with the mechanism attached to the second extruder, so you don't constantly use it when you're doing single-color prints. And you probably also want to use it for the part in the model that uses the least material, again so you don't constantly use the mechanism. Printer: TEVO Tarantula Rafts: Doesn't Matter Supports: No Resolution: 0.3 Infill: 20% Notes: Two perimeters. All supports are built in. For me, it takes around eight hours and 100g of plastic to print all the parts.