I caved... Ordered the MMU 2.0 Upgrade for my Prusa i3 MK3

While I don't necessarily NEED a multi-material print capability, I really would LIKE the ability to seamlessly print something with a dissolvable support material baked right into the print job. (Added colors/other materials would just be an added bonus.)

This video convinced me that I NEED this... heh!



I held off on ordering the original MMU and I am glad I did. It appears that Prusa has completely redesigned it to address a bunch of issues that they had with the original design. The new design is simpler, appears more reliable and supports 5 materials instead of 4.

They are back-ordered on this MMU 2.0 kit till November, so it'll probably arrive right around Thanksgiving. I don't mind, it really looks like it is worth waiting for. I also had a $20 discount code from their printer survey I wanted to use up anyway.

Looks very cool. Not sure I can justify adding that to mine yet.

Agreed, very cool but definitely not a necessity for most folks. The ability to print multi-color models is going to be neat and all, but what I'm really after is being able to use PVA on support structures like they demoed in the video. PVA is pretty pricey to begin with, so being able to just use a thin layer of the stuff where it is actually needed at the interfacing layer of the support structure is going to be a huge plus... that and loading up an almost empty spool and having it auto-switch unattended to the next spool during a print when the first spool runs dry is also a pretty enticing feature.

Looks neat. You're brave (or the other thing) for pre-ordering hardware though. I rarely even preorder software anymore. Once hardware goes out the door, it's final version, unless you have to print pieces yourself to fix it. Fingers crossed there's no major issues or delays for you.

Logan321 said:

Looks neat. You're brave (or the other thing) for pre-ordering hardware though. I rarely even preorder software anymore. Once hardware goes out the door, it's final version, unless you have to print pieces yourself to fix it. Fingers crossed there's no major issues or delays for you.

Click to expand...

Technically, it's not a pre-order, more a back-order as they have already begun shipping this kit out. The Prusa folks are also pretty good about folding design updates/fixes into their production line items as well - they ship them with the very latest mods/improvements since they actually design, print and use and all their 3D printed parts in-house (and make any new design part changes freely downloadable as well.) By the time they ship this (~2 months), I expect they'll have any minor kinks worked out as well as the assembly documentation perfected. Not really worried here - if I do need to tweak anything, I've got a backup printer that can handle creating the needed part.

Some thoughts now that I've received it, put it together and completed my first print with it:



1) With the MMU, the printer needs quite a bit of space - especially if you plan to employ all five spools that it is capable of using. I'm going to have to explore some sort of custom spool rig if I want to place my printer in the Lack enclosure that I built. It will fit - just the spool management is going to be an issue.
2) The kit takes a good 8-10 hours to put together and calibrate. More if you stop to eat the Gummy Bears as instructed during the build process and wash them down with a good beer. I recommend a Peanut Butter Porter to go with Gummy Bears.
3) The MMU seems to work perfectly - but it has quite a few parts. I can see some folks who might not be all that tech inclined or good at tinkering ending up having problems with it due to not assembling/calibrating it correctly.
4) There is a slight learning curve to using the printer with the MMU. Not quite as easy/straight forward as just the one reel.
5) Biggest pro: You can print with 5 colors/materials at once!
6) Biggest con: It seems a lot more could go wrong... I haven't experienced any issues yet, but complicating the printer's functionality/operation this much may lead to some issue later... I'm thinking tweaking/maintaining it may become a chore.... then again, maybe its bullet proof. Reliability is still unproven.

Supercharged_Z06 said:

Some thoughts now that I've received it, put it together and completed my first print with it:

View attachment 131654

Click to expand...

Looks awesome! Can we see the wipe tower (or w/e it's called, the block that gets printed off to the side when flushing the nozzle between filament changes) compared to the final print?

I'm very jelly of the MMU! I dream about soluble support material but I think that's a ways off for me. At least I have a MK3 coming in Jan/Feb now thanks to a friend that wants to take my MK2S off my hands. Very excited to have them side by side and play for a bit.

Fuzzy_3D said:

Looks awesome! Can we see the wipe tower (or w/e it's called, the block that gets printed off to the side when flushing the nozzle between filament changes) compared to the final print?

Click to expand...

Sure, it looks huge, but it's hollow. Perhaps ~5% infill.

guitarslingerchris said:

I'm very jelly of the MMU! I dream about soluble support material but I think that's a ways off for me. At least I have a MK3 coming in Jan/Feb now thanks to a friend that wants to take my MK2S off my hands. Very excited to have them side by side and play for a bit.

Click to expand...

I had both the MK2S and the MK3 side by side for a good 6 months or so. Print quality was identical. The MK3 is just quieter, a bit faster, and has more convenience features. For someone wanting to get into 3D printing between the two, I'd recommend what I did. Start with the Mk2S kit first. It's a fair bit cheaper and a great platform to learn with. Then after a year, sell and step up to the MK3 and perhaps explore the MMU option as well.