XChange: Toolchanging comes to affordable 3D printers
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 พ.ค. 2024
- Printermods has created the XChange, an affordable toolchanger design suited to any 3D printer, but easily installed on budget printers like the Ender 3. E3D previously brought the toolchanger concept to enthusiasts, but the price was immense and a lot of troubleshooting was required.
I’m really excited by this product and I can’t wait to see what the community thinks of it. The idea is simple but R&D has ensured a quality result. How would you use the XChange to expand your capabilities?
You may have noticed a lack of printing footage in this video. Rest assured, the system has been in place for almost a month, but having signed a non disclosure agreement, I have avoided filming this printer. The system works and works well. Now that this video is done, I will be disassembling the generic tool heads and building some specialised options.
This prototype was provided free of charge by printermods.com for the purpose of providing feedback and for making this video. All opinions expressed are my own. As always, there is a risk in backing a Kickstarter project. Do you research first and make an informed decision.
XChange on Kickstarter:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
0:00 Introduction
E3D toolchanger store page: e3d-online.com/products/toolc...
Chris Riley’s E3D Toolchanger summary video: • E3D Tool Changer Updat...
1:16 Introducing XChange
Printermods LEDs guide: • 3D printer LEDs - Begi...
Printermods MDD kit guide: • Modular direct drive k...
2:02 What is it? How does it work?
Samtek: www.samtec.com/
2:26 Where to buy? How much? What printers?
Kickstarter page: www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
Linear rails guide: • Linear rails guide and...
4:16 Installation
Adjusting the Y axis to realign the nozzle: • Align / offset your no...
6:40 Firmware options
M305 Marlin reference: marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/M305....
7:42 Specialised printing on a single machine
Non-planar 3D printing: • Achieve true 3D printi...
8:37 Expansion beyond 3D printing
Universal paste extruder: www.thingiverse.com/thing:20733
9:23 Improved efficiency and reliability
9:52 Customisable with wide hardware support
11:06 Sharing components between machines
11:50 Automatic toolchanging on the horizon
12:12 Kickstarter warning
www.kickstarter.com/trust
12:45 How could you use XChange?
13:09 Conclusion
Buy quality and affordable filament from X3D. Buy 3, get 1 free and a free sample pack with every order: www.x3d.com.au
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3dprintersonline.com.au/
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I love how printermods gives the customers exactly what they want. linear rails, direct drive, x change ,, etc...all priced well below the competition. thanks guys for making it easy to upgrade !!
What do you mean below competition? Mutant costs exactly the same. (Same as xchange on kickstarter, what price they will set later is a question)
Bro probably doesn’t even have any of these and just watched sponsored videos like these
I'm going to be bold here and say this is possibly game changing. Hopefully PrinterMods improved their support system and customer service since this is going to bring in much more customers. I'll definitely be watching this project.
I do think soo...
it won't be long before similars appear on the market...
@@VolcanLAB no doubt.
It wont be. It looks cool.. but no. This is early game for quick change tools and this design wont make it to the end. But it might get interest up in what is possible. Reprap wasnt the ultimate printer or anything like it. But it started home 3d printing
There support is terrible they just don't answer at all after purchase and I've bought a bunch of stuff for them. I won't buy this because support will be nonexistant
This is probably one of the most useful developments in the world of 3d printing I have seen. It is incredibly exciting!
As I mentioned, design philosophy is flawed.
Due to the multitude of different tools/effectors, means that the drive electronics needs to mounted to each tool/effector, and communicate with the control board.
Only the RepRap Duet V3 offers an end to end solution, via CAN Bus. Bigtreetech have GTR, but Marlin Firmware does not support at this time CAN Bus
github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/issues/7735 is my Feature Request for MarlinFirmware
nope, that's not good. There is still one nozzle used per print. That's not a real toolchanger. See Jubilee printer for more informations.
@@grogyan It's easy to sit back and criticize, it's far more difficult to create something useful.
@@chuck7873 It is still a step forward. It is still progress. For the things I do, I see utility in this, being able to run a bowden set up for speed, and a direct drive set up for flex or high detail with linear advance. I'm happy to see the technology of tool changing driving forward, because something like this, while in it's infancy can grow into something like what E3D is using with tool changer.
Responses to a few frequent comments/questions:
1. A number of people mentioning Proper Printing hotswap adapter. I have printed and featured this on my channel previously: th-cam.com/video/RrzrBclm8P8/w-d-xo.html
It is a fantastic mechanical design, more repeatable than the Creality CP-01 and BIQU BX systems. This system is both mechanical and electrical. Comparing the two side by side they are very different solutions, the XChange being a lot more professional. Of course that comes with a price. Each to their own.
2. Plenty of people mentioning this is not a toolchanger because it is not automatic. This is acknowledged in my video and there is a section at the end where the expansion to automatic is covered. It is on the roadmap, hopefully the implementation will be as good as the manual operation.
3. Some people question how repeatable the mounting is. In my opinion this is one of the greatest strengths of the XChange. The four tapered posts in the corners are meet the exact same way each time, and the magnet holds them there. It is an elegant and effective solution.
It makes the maker's mind race with ideas!
This is very exciting, promising and sustainable project. Can't wait to see Prusa's toolchanging approach dedicated for XL
Been wanting something just like this after seeing Jon' @ProperPrinting trying his darndest to make one!
Damn i'm early to this one, and just when i thought i couldn't buy any more stuff for my ender 3 pro
I also have one
3D printers are like having a mistress, the cost and fun never ends
Backed this on Kickstarter. It will be perfect for my LayerFused X301 build.
Very exciting.
I was trying to develop this kind of system for myself. A lot of nice insights here!
Amazing to see where the hobby is heading.
Thanks for the update Michael.
I love the whole, hand change tool at the release and the future of automated tool changing with the input of the end user.
🤜🏼🤛🏼🍀🇦🇺🤓🎁
I run a small lighted camera on my head's; it would be nice if the XChange had at least 6 extra connections on the plate for non standard equipment. None the less, very cool system!
The version after what I've tested here has additional pins available for ABL so you might be able to work it out.
This is really cool. I might have to back this one, 2 hot ends and a laser for my 2 printers would be an awesome set-up.
This is amazing stuff! Awesome video btw! I’d use this to help with the transition to non planar printing for automotive prototypes and just the added convenience of swapping setups.
Very very cool! I’ll have to keep an eye on this once it’s available for sale normally.
better than what i was trying to do, but fairly similar. LIKE! and buying.
Looks promising! I don't back Kickstarter though so will wait to see how the retail release goes and how the community implements tool heads that are useful to my needs
This is a massively clever idea!
this is a great idea thanks Michael
Ah man can’t wait for that non planar printing follow up vid
I see the future here!
I got to say I am impressed with your tech speak, very precise and knowledgeable explanations +subscribed
This is amazing! Thanks
Wow iam impressed by this product
Great video, great idea.
Yes want one. Like the idea of being able to add laser or pen plotter to my ender3 to do some different things with the frame.
Another great video... thanks for sharing!
This is really cool. I'm defnitely getting one when I get an Ender 5 (or similar machine, whatever's best when I have the money)
I just can't believe how far more versatile my brother's Ender 3 Pro may become when this is made available.
I got it for xmas in a promo, after asking for feedback in a 3d printing group. We assembled it on the 20th in about 2hrs and I've been playing around with it ever since.
My first thought a few days ago was - can I get a thinner nozzle? - well, I could but it would mean a lot of hassle to change nozzles.
I also find the other possibilities like light laser engraving / cnc milling quite interesting.
Heading to kickstarter to check it out :D
Happy New Year!
This is really cool!
Thx again Michael,
OMG I NEED THIS
DAMN YOU Michael. I was just on twitter say no. DAMN YOU 😂 Cheers, JAYTEE
Superb introduction and overview, I too am very excited about this technology. My sons and I are constantly talking about upgrades and changes to accommodate various filament materials and setups. We would love to have a nylon, ABS etc dedicated machine, but it's not practical for our small custom part business. Much of what we do is 1-3 off parts for customers. We need this capability to swap ends quickly and easily. Changing nozzles alone is worth considering this, as we often want a larger size for 1 piece especially prototypes. Your shop description is very similar to our thought process, but we don't have the access to free demo machines and are only paid for design and production time.
Thank you for all your efforts and ideas, always appreciated !!
You got the nail on the head by saying my setup is possible due to receiving free machines for review. For anyone buying a range of machines to suit different applications this product amkes a lot of sense.
You can use Mutant for this already.
Great video, 2 years ago i tried to install the Mark II (dual heads with magnetic tool changing) upgrade on my Ultimaker but had trouble with the board. Now i am building a CoreXY and am inspired to do a megnetic tool changer, am using a Duet 2 board so it can handle it.
I'm excited for this technology! HOPEFULLY soon it'll be available, & can make the 3D printer be a CNC machine, 3D printer & Laser engraver ALL IN ONE!
You can't do any kind of practical material cutting with a 3D printer frame. Even the most robust 3D printer frame is not rigid enough for CNC material cutting. Never mind that magnet won't hold up.
Yes please take my money !
7:23 Love the colors you chose for your nails.. really suits you
I can not afford to buy something like this. But i love this concept.
I am changing around parts on my x axis carriage all the time (just to experiment)
And this could let me screw around even faster :-P
How repeatable the the mount? It looks a little overconstrained but I'm not an expert. I do really like the wiring being tied into the mount like that, great idea. Means you can run an infinite amount of hot ends with any control board! Oh and what are the dimensions? Didn't see anything on the Kickstarter
Mount is very repeatable. The four locating pins are tapered so everything returns to the same position each time. I never had to adjust Z offset after taking the head on and off multiple times.
@@TeachingTech that's awesome and the most important part. It looks super easy to use and is highly modifiable! Hope the get the auto change done soon!!
This is what I was planning to make myself.... fantastic!
Can’t wait!
I Just need to check how much it will cost 😅
Blimey... really good feedback.
Remind me to produce a good enough product too get you to do R&D.
🤜🏼🤛🏼🇦🇺🍀🍀🍀🎁🤓
I thought I couldnt print the RDD until I saw this, which put an idea into my head: I can print an RDD mount for it.
I would like to see more videos on the tool changing options. Custom tools heads sound really powerful. jut one frame and all the tools that you need.
Marlin set-up thou can be a pain.
Nice tool for home use.
this is absolutely amazing, i'd love to back this but im afraid i'd have to wait until it gets more affordable
If the company and/or product survives the rigors of commercialization beyond the Ks campaign, I can almost guarantee it’ll be more expensive later on...
Go have a look at proper printing channel, print it your self and save that money.
Instant like for the shirt!
wow... the imagination can run wild unlimited possibilities... color objects.. 🤔
Well, it looks like you have to change the colors manually. Compared to an automatic change, it is a drawback and compared to manually changing the filament (not that I tried it myself) it seems to be not a gigantic upgrade.
@@merkatorix they are working on integrating this into an automatic tool changing process as well.
@@Specte That sounds cool, and in that case, I really apprecheate that they did think of the manual option. In my opinion, it doesn't enable you to do something new, but it really adds convenience. I would compare it to auto bed leveling. Most of the time, it is just adding convenience. I hope Teaching Tech will test it, too (for example, using the SecKit SK-GO), when it is ready
Looks nice and I want one (well two really), not sure I can justify it though.
I envision a pause command to allow changing print heads for different colors, materials, and filament sizes. Yes, the slicer needs to be modified to do this.
Thanks,
John
Keep up the good work. Love the tech update. Maybe you could try the new bond tech when the time comes.
Already lined up with them. Will be testing kits for two machines :)
Thanks for talking about this system! We're excited to start using these on our in house print farm. Also, side note: love the Ayrton Senna shirt!
Did Slice ever end up implementing this? Curious whether legit engineering teams could make this work out for them or not...
@@catexis Our farm rotates through printers very frequently, so the quick change systems don't get as much use as we'd like. If we had a more uniform set up it would be great!
More of a hotswap system than a toolchanger at this point, but this is incredibly useful in itself. One of those things that makes you think why nobody has made this already.
Need!!!! 🔥
This is an extremely well thought out product and is reasonably priced... I’m gonna get in trouble with the fiancé...
Seems like a pretty good start but i'm worried about the magnetically pressed together electrical contacts. Seems to big a huge possible point of failure. Id much rather see quick release mating plugs for the $$ and piece of mind
3:33
@@fwdsrq Not in terms of magnetic strength but in dirt and corrosion over time
@@Jynxx_13 I think that's more a factor of the quality of the connector and plating. There are environmental factors, but if this connector is already being used in industry, it's probably good
Obviously I've only had this for a month but it is still perfect at this stage. My understanding is the connector really is aerospace grade. I don't anticipate any problems beyond removing dust and debris when required.
To me this mod would be worth it just to be able to quickly change nozzle sizes. I find it to be such a pain even though it isn't that big of a deal.
I saw this advertised on Facebook and to be honest did not look any further. It’s Kickstarter and there’s hundreds of adverts for Kickstarter and many are cons.
I have lost a lot of money on Kickstarter and will never back another.
You mention Kickstarter and give a warning so that’s ok you’ve given a proper warning.
Your review/preview is excellent and I know of the company and the quality of the parts is outstanding.
The options for something like this are huge and I would really like to back it.
But it’s Kickstarter.
I have lost quite a lot of money already on Kickstarter and had to spend a bit getting a poor quality Kickstarter project to work at all due to the abysmal support provided after the item shipped.
I am excited by this and will buy it but I will wait for a retail product.
Although I believe that this company can do this properly I am not rolling in money and I am not gambling again on Kickstarter.
Loved the video Michael it’s really made me want it and I will get it but never again for a Kickstarter project regardless of who does it.
Keep up the excellent work and I would like to see further videos on this, as long as you continue to warn each time about Kickstarters.
As it is in house manufacturing, they can get started soon and hopefully deliver the pledges on time. That means it won't be too long until you can order from their online store.
And I probably will this is a very exciting product as long as the final product is the same quality
I think a cool way to do quick tool changes would be to set up a few at the front of the bed that the head could easily reach the different tool plates there, moving between them to take/place them.
I just received my first printer for Christmas, So I'm a newbie but i also work as an engineer at Intel. I have a new topic for your channel. While I was putting together my printer I noticed that the extruded frame pieces were not sitting flush at the connection points. I took the printer completely apart and checked all the extruded pieces for flatness of the extruded material and the 90degree cuts. Well the extruded pieces are some what flat the 90 degree parts are close also but both could use improvement. I have the luxury of owning a flat stone used for truing instruments, I used 600 grit and sanded all 90 degree cuts but first I used a very accurate digital level to verify all surfaces were true I now have a well fitting taught frame . This might be a good subject for a video. Thanks Keep up the good work . Maybe this year will be a better F1 season can't wait to see upcoming regulation changes.
Ps my printer is a creality 3 v2.
I modified an ender3 pro to be a pen plotter, laser engraver, light rotary engraver, and vinyl cutter. Gave up on bothering with the 3d print head as everything else needed only a few wires or nothing at all. I use shall molex clip connectors and its all pretty simple. Uses a 3d printed bracket that clamps down and no magnet from a Proper Printing design. I like this option for more complicated wiring needs and may look into it for the option to quickly change print heads on a Prusa of that ever happens.
Oh my I don't need this but damn do I want one. I can only justify one printer in my house but I would love to get into pen plotting on the side, this allows me to enjoy both so much easier, awesome.
If you just want to add pen capability, save your money and print a pen holder for your existing hotend setup.
I like the idea of backup tool heads. I've been down days as I've had to get parts and take time to replace parts.
This is absolutely amazing! Just when I’d decided to be done buying mods for my CR-10 I’m totally in for this!
Dear friend, although I am always looking for videos related to information about 3D printing and I really like your information, what most caught my attention and made me very emotional was how much you admire Ayrton Senna, I say that because besides being Ayrton Senna fan I'm Brazilian. Thanks for the tribute you do to him with the clothes you wear in the videos.
ayrton senna shirt is dope :D
Having an easy way of changing heads for 3D printing, Laser engraving and CNC would be incredibly awesome!!!! I can't wait to see it happen!!! Thanks for sharing this information!!!
Great information ....
I have a Creality-CR10S and love it, still learn.
I would use it for multi-functional printing ( 3D and laser - maybe even quick-change nozzle sizes ). The cost “may” be a barrier ( $2,500 US is too much for the other tool changer ).
Michael, great video. I like this concept. I've been interested in doing laser etching and milling, but I didn't want to buy another printer because I have limited space. But this kit seems to solve that problem.
I hate having to change nozzle traditionally especially since they're brass nozzle and I have stripped/snapped those requiring an new heaterblock and nozzle. But this toolchanger is an instant buy for me.......... if I have some money laying around.
This looks similar to what comes with my EcubMaker ToyDIY printer. It has different toolheads for dual color printing, CNC carving, and laser engraving. They don't attach quite as easily though, you slide the head on but then bolt it down with a thumb screw and manually attach the cable.
i would love to rock 3 sets big nozzle for cosplay peices with low detail. a normal mid nozzle for finner yet still larger prints and a fine nozzle for minis or terrain that needs most detail but not as much as a resin printer would give.
Love the shirt
It already sounds useful, but did they think about an automatic version? Being able to print two different materials is a capability, which can not be achieved using multiple printers (Of course, this is already much more convenient and probably cheaper than having many printers, but the multi material printing is always the one cool thing, which as not even possible before using a single extruder).
Patiently waiting for my xchange kit to arrive here soon. Prepping what setup I want to add to all my plates. I like the idea of what you did with the standalone BLTouch mount on the main plate. Where can one get the files to remix? I'm looking to do the same but with an EZABL probe. Thanks again for posting great informative videos! Learned so much from you!
looks nice. Actually was looking for something like this since i got my 3D printer for a project for which i also want a cnc. My plan i to just 'print' the cnc, but i was also looking for some 3d printer cnc mods. This looks pretty nice but still more expensice than a printed one.
My hope would be that the Xchange plate system in some form would become a standard that future printers would adopt. I'm interested in how much actual setup is required to resume actual printing after heads are changed. I'm also a bit concerned about the added weight especially if you are using direct drive extruders and how that affects print speed and quality.
Had it on the printer for a month and noticed no issues. Remember the moving bed on y is heavy to start with. Also, you could run this with a Bowden tube like the e3d system, although according to Chris Riley this has been problematic.
My first Kickstarter pledge ever! (I am with you, on my reservations in regards to them)
Glad you made this video. It will save me big bucks having to develop it myself, which I have bought many parts to do just that. This is way better than my take on it, very happy you posted this!
I really like the Ayrton Senna t-shirts appearing in your videos!
greetings from Brazil
Senna Da Silva - lol -.
@@SidneyCritic HUE HUE BR BR
@@VolcanLAB I remember when he changed his name back to Ayrton it had me confused, because we only got written reports of Senna in the lower classes - basically no pictures -. I had to put two and two together to work out it was the same Senna, and that is why I still remember Senna Da Silva first.
Thanks for the Airton Senna shirt...
I'm planning to build a new large nozzle / high flow printer and this would be a great fit to swap hotends back and forth between it and my existing printer. Often I don't need a large bed, I just want to print fast. And sometimes I need a large, high precision part. This would give me both options easily. I'm not a kickstarter guy but I'll keep my eye out for the finished product.
Im more excited about the non planar printing follow up. WHEEENNNNN
Just waiting on the slicer. The plan is anyone can do it without any particular expertise.
@@TeachingTech This is so exciting!
Hi, Michael! I have a friend here in Brasil that have made something very similar, using Neodimium magnets and printed parts! I´ll look for his videos to show you! It´s in the inicial testing, but seems to be very cool...
nicework
if the master has pre drilled holes for V rollers on 2020 and 2040 style motion systems, it would make the utility of this even more exponential.
I'd try to have a bowden head,a direct drive head, and one that could do engraving on aluminium all on a single machine
I would love to be able to switch between direct drive and bowden tube. I would also like to use a small milling head for pcb cutting and precise layout for manual drilling and cutting. A pen plotter would be cool but not really needed.
You have very pretty fingernails. I like the Blue polish specifically.
I’m very down for this.
An incredible concept! Thank you for this great video too! I love the idea of affordable tool changes on an Ender 3. I would much rather have 1 or 2 tool change capable printers than a small print farm.
Great video as always. I was wondering if you have tried a laser, pen, cnc, etc end with the system and your thoughts. In the back of my mind I have the thought of using multiple tools on one print job with just pause and resume but the concern would be if the tools are not precisely the same length it could cause problems with hitting into the already formed pieces. Would be nice for auto tool change (have seen videos of people that have it working!) but the manual option keeps the cost down.
Explaining the "same length" - just like changing nozzles, you could have a slight variance in your z-offset and with the print already partially done when changing tools it would be difficult to reset the z-offset. Hope that explains it a bit so you understand what I mean.
Different nozzle sizes would be nice. I suppose ll of these need to be direct drive, so the cost per print head would go up a bit, but would also then be able to deal with flexibles better. Seems like a neat system. On the other hand, the Ender 3 selling for
Michael, do you think this would be a relatively simple adaptation for the seckit sk-go? The rail is underneath on that one, so I guess we'd need a new carriage plate? Or just mount directly/with a printed adapter to the current one?
I've been printing on my new Ender 5 Pro and it's soooo fun and I am amazed how gud prints turn out! My only gripe is having to use the tiny microSD card! I bought a ribbon adapter to SD card but it doesn't get detected but 30% of the time. Big objects even @80mm/s and .3mm takes a long time! I set up a security cam to monitor it...
use octoprint on an old phone with a OTG connected to the printer, you can send prints and monitor them through the phone in your local network
Hype!
I'm very tempted to back this! My primary worry is will the mount stand up to my printers max acceleration on 33,000mm/s^2 with a hefty Hemera on it, that's pretty violent.
nice