Excellent coverage of 2023, Nathan! So much has happened this year and next year is looking up to be even more exciting. Thanks for such detailed and specific recommendations and evaluations as well as current Black Friday sales. The sales are fierce this year!
I think the AMS is amazing in that you can just throw the fillaments you want to print with in your AMS(') and then just select it in Orca Slicer without having to do all that extra stuff of pulling fillament out and purging manually etc.
Yeah, from what I've heard from people that actually use it, its more useful as something to change out filaments between prints, rather than a true multi-material printing solution. Something like the V6 is actually designed to change colors mid print, so I think it's just a matter of being optimized with different goals in mind. I haven't used my AMS, because wi-fi only mode sucks, and the wifi is broken on my only P1P that is still assembled... So I don't want to figure out how to use everything, having to juggle micro-sd cards, spool assignment, etc.
@@NathanBuildsRobotsAnkermake still has not effectively answered how there is so much material savings. How do you fully flush one color from the hotend with the next color and not waste any material? Are they using magic? It is BS. You don’t need a purge tower with the AMS, and you can dial in tighter flushing volumes and you can create a purge model to print something if you are really concerned about it. I don’t see how you could nominate a product that is not yet released and has ZERO sales or customer feedback over the AMS which has shipped to thousands of customers who are generally satisfied. It reeks of bias. A product that did not sell this year and WON’T should not even be mentioned. It is a joke.
@@NathanBuildsRobotshow is ‘just swapping filaments’ different than multi-material printing? In order to do multi-material printing you need to swap filaments. From what I heard, zero people are using the Ankermake ColorEngine to do zero things. It is true that the people using the Ankermake color engine are saving filament by doing zero prints at all. So congrats on that… Kindly explain how there is no material waste in flushing the hotend. Where does the flushed filament go? To filament heaven where it is magically reincarnated? Come on.
@@mandoreforger6999 As you suspect, the V6 was mentioned a bit prematurely because it was sponsored. If you paid attention, you'd notice that neither the sponsored printers, nor the V6 were awarded. To answer your other questions, the material savings come not from magic, but from a multiple extruder system. This system is evident at 2:13. Mid-print purging is not required with such multiple extruder systems, and mid-print priming is only required if filament leaks out while inactive.
V0.1 is the best way to learn 3d printing inside and out. Whether you buy a kit or source it yourself, you’ll have to learn how to fully utilize klipper or whatever you choose to use. That basic understanding of what all the values actually mean really changes your perspective
I wouldn't have the confidence to build a Voron. I have no experience with electronics and I don't have a 3D printer yet. So I would have to get the printed parts from Etsy or the Voron PrintItForward program. Probably the Prusa kits or the Lerdge iX kit would be better for me as a beginner. The latter in particular seems to me to be something where you can't break much but learn a lot.
@@NathanBuildsRobots Then you become someone like George Jetson, whose job it is to press a button. Believe me, I have enough experience with people who can only push buttons. They have no basic knowledge and if the button they usually push is now green instead of blue, they are completely lost.
Lot's of the interviews at FormNext also seemed to be full of leading questions, almost as if provided by the companies. Also saying that a machine that uses v-groove wheels has "the best mechanical design" seems crazy.
Do you really want to know....? Okay, if you must: They requested that I add special effects highlighting the price during the sponsored portion of the video. That's all.
@@NathanBuildsRobots That's very reasonable. IMO, if you're going through the effort of giving what you believe is your fair and honest opinion without allowing manufacturers to influence it, then you should highlight this in your video's. It would be unfortunate if you go the extra mile and then people don't know about it (like I didn't)
@@OneHappyCrazyPerson If they wanted me to change the order of things i'd probably just cancel the sponsorship, delete the 90 second ad roll, and publish it anyways. I am always open to companies that want to support my channel, as long as they are ok with me being fair and honest!
This video is why I subscribed to your channel. Humor, your honesty and your expertise. The other youtubers make me want to sniff toxic resin fumes and/or are hypebeasts. I too abhor resin printing.
I’m a software engineer getting into 3D printing as a way to stoke the creative side, I bought an ended v3 a few days ago & waiting for it to deliver. Super stoked to see I made the right choice
@@Ayubmohamed-r2g yes! I’ve been really enjoying it thus far, I’m surprised at the quality of prints with no tuning. I’ve been running it at a pretty high uptime too and it’s holding up great.
32:55 - Elegoo is working on the rest of their Neptune 4 lineup! I'm waiting for the Pro version of the Neptune 4 Max because I want steel rollers on steel rails for such a large fast printer. Take my money, Elegoo!
1st half of the year I think we'll see all the major manufacturers releasing coreXY machines. Elegoo already said to watch Q1 next year, Ankermake, Anycubic, Sovol, etc won't be far behind. Which makes me think the K1 and K1 Max will get permanent price drops that will probably coincide with a Creality MMS announcement. That Ankermake V6 looks dope!
Creality is going to dropping the floor out the market. They are like, hey people keep buying bambu kachines, what can we do to remain competitive? How about sell the machines at near zero margin. If I can’t have the market, NO-ONE CAN🤬
Creality has great print farm management through Creality Print. I believe the ender 3 V3 KE, K1, K1 max, and Ender 3 V3 are compatible. Also apparently PRISA has a good print farm interface. If you go klipper, there is probably some third party apps for multi printer control. Bambu Studio would probably be ok too. From what I know it seems like it’s more optimized for controlling a few printers, but I’m sure they are working on a print farm interface for those type of users
There is multi material and multi color printing, I would not bunch them up together. To print multi color on a FDM machine it´s probably best to use translucent filament and sharpies or some other way of coloring. Multi material is for when you need to combine PVA supports or PLA supports with PETG prints. Or flexibles with ASA or similar. You can then even go ahead and do both multi material and multi color print.
There is a little update on P1S. You don't need an account/wifi to start using the printer😮. If you are comfy printing from microsd, and using orca slicer and feel, there are not many features or severe bugs to warrant a firmware update, don't need live view and good with the simple interface of the stupid keypad, it is a good standalone printer with/without ams!. On FLSun, I see ballscrew driven delta. Can't achieve it with just belts alone! Glad to see a balanced review.❤👍👍
@@NathanBuildsRobots Now thinking about it, Its possible FlSun might use custom linear motor like Peopoly Magneto X, instead of the expensive precision ground ballscrews. Its also logical, since most suppliers in China are seen as a shared resource unless the manufacturer makes it propreitary, through exclusive contract agreements/inhouse R&D. Just some 💭
My Neptune 4 Plus just arrived 🎉. First impressions are positive it is fast for bed slinger and big enough for my needs. Greate choice if you need bigger bed and don't want to pay over $500.
Tough to get that price, they sell out immediately, Best Buy won’t price match anymore, I tried it for the max at 4 Best Buy stores, all rejected me, I think it’s because Best Buy’s 3d printers are all on sale now
@@trisdanahuna3914 yeah I think microcenter had overstock and could take the hit. Mine had 24 of them so if you got there quick you got it. That’s too bad on Best Buy price match.
The FlSun S1 says it will be 1200mm/s 😱 we shall see. Kinda like the 600mm/s machines that only move that fast but cant print well (or at all) at those speeds.
@@NathanBuildsRobots - My mechanical engineer friend told me the same thing ("Dont shoot your eye out kid!") in an email last night. I agree with your assessment in this video that these open frame diode lasers are not safe. I'm building a full enclosure for mine to preserve my eyesight (what's left at my age) and to exhaust the fumes. I accumulated the parts to scratch build a LinuxCNC 80W CO2 laser almost ten years ago but never got a round tuit. Now that I can buy a $250 laser engraver and build a box around it, I'm in. Advancing technology outstripped my progressively worsening old man sloth.
Thanks so much for your Excellent 2 part review. I almost bought a bambu A1, but I think to start the Ender 3 v3 ke will work out better. I just ordered my v3 ke and cant wait to get started.
I finally bought a P1S Combo! Runner up was the K1 Max, which I was going to compliment with the Co Print KCM set. But it would have cost more, and I would have to wait until next March to have my "ideal" printer. What made me decide on the P1S Combo was the phrase "works out of the box." I'm still waiting for the printer, but my accessories came. Those free "random" colored filaments turned out to be a light blue PLA tough and blue PLA silk. 🤦♂️
Nathan, could you share your 2024 prediction for Prusa? :-) Do you think there gonna shorten their development lifecycle or are they going to be improving their MK4 / XL for couple of years?
PRUSA is moving towards a more industrial market. They have the PRUSA Pro lineup that has impressive specs but is super expensive. In the best case, I hope they will step up their game and make a new printer that reinvents their brand. All 3 of their mainstream lineup is not competitive to the consumer market, maybe they are forfeiting the hobby market? They need to come out with something big soon. Or heck, even contract someone like elegoo to make a budget line with the prusa name but increased quality standards… do something man!
I believe you understanding of eye floaters is wrong. Floaters are strands of your vitreous humour that have separated, stuck together, and are casting shadows on your retina. Scars on your retina are different beasts.
@@NathanBuildsRobots nah, just a science nerd who, in his early 40s, got freaked out by his vision temporarily blurring in one eye (as the vitreous humour liquified), and had a visit with an opthamologist who explained things.
I want to do a video with a local opthamolagist. Only problem is their time is worth like $400/hr so its hard to get them to sit down and BS with some random RU-vidr!@@ericthecyclist
Crazy thing, I found a basically brand new QIDI X-Plus 3 for sale on Facebook Marketplace for $400 and talked them down to $300 and drove a little over 2hrs away to buy it. So worth it! But the community mods for it are nowhere near where they are for the K1 series which I had in the past but I've not once seen this machine show a single VFA or layer shifting like I did on my K1. I blame those goofy 32T pulleys they use for the X and Y axis. I'm very curious where FLSun is gonna take the S1 in terms of technological advancements over the current market, using a large radial fan CPAP design like a VzBot? They claim 40k accel and 1200mm/s print speed which is batshit crazy for today's market standards. If this holds true, I'm gonna have to have one, especially if its bigger than the V400.
I like how creality has changed over the last year. From pretty pricey printers that weren't up to date even back then to very modern machines with competitive pricing. Explanation: compare an ender 5 pro (400 euros) with a sovol sv05 (200 euros) and tell me why to pick the ender 5. Compare a ender 3s1 (280 euros) with a elegoo neptune 3 pro (210€) and tell me why to pick the ender. Compare a cr m4 (960) to a elegoo neptune 3 max (360) and tell me why i should buy the cr m4 over two neptunes. Now you got the k1 and ender 3v3se which are very difficult to beat in terms of pricing. The cr10se is a bit more expensive compared to the competition, but still very good compared to a ender3s1pro, which is only marginally cheaper
Yeah, you want a P1S? That’ll be $700 you want hardened steel extruder gears and a touchscreen that doesn’t suck? That’ll be another $500. Same deal with MacBook. You want 8 GB memory and 256 GB SSD? $900 You want a 16GB and 2TB storage? That’s a $800 upgrade, so $1700 for that $80 of hardware
I only use my AMS as an easy way of selecting what filament to use, then I just print the whole model with that filament. Still think it's great, been months since I touched a filament roll. (I don't print that much). Also have an ender 5 pro, with that one I always have to go fetch a filament roll and feed it into the printer, which is why I rarely ever use that printer anymore. I have some black PETG in my ender 5 pro, only use it if I want to use black PETG. I do wish I had a proper multi material 3d printer though, but considering how little I print I'm probably not buying any more 3d printers.
That's fascinating that a bunch of people comment that their main use for the AMS is more of spool selection for a print, rather than actual multi-material printing on the same print job. I think they can make more by marketting it as a multi-material printer, but in reality everyone uses it as an automated changeover spool-holder, and is very happy with its capacity for that purpose.
aww, large format section was a bit lacklustre. gigastorm you can't get right now. I backed it, but looking at something for the meantime in the 400^3 - 500^3 category
Do you think Prusa would do something similar to the Bambu Lab A1 Mini having multiple spools? Or some sort of upgrade for those that already have a Prusa Mini to get a multi color system?
I'd like to get your top picks of printers you've actually used. For example, I know you think the ratrig and creality orange are more noteworthy than the Kobra Max and Neptune Max, but I take it that you've actually used the Anycubic and Elegoo? How do they perform compared to other printers you've used? They all cost less than a 3rd of the rat rig, let alone the orange. (p.s. still love your work, and this video)
In terms of value, I would say the Neptune 4 Max is *Probably the best (I haven't used it but have seen it in person and have used the Neptune 4) The Anycubic Kobra 2 Max is nice, I am using it, but the first layer quality is only half of what it should be. I think their auto-z offset calibration is flawed. The CR-M4 is great, have used it a lot. It has the best Y axis of the three - using dual linear rails. But it has 2 issues: hotend design is outdated - it uses a PTFE lined hotend. Also the bed material is Polycarbonate instead of PEI lined. The PC bed has been ruined after heavy use, and now I need to replace it with something. Ratrig I haven't used, but just looking at the collection of its parts, it should be excellent. Orange storm, only 1-3 prototypes exist - so it is by no means a finalized design. But from what I've seen, they are definitely on the right path to making an excellent product. Will have to withhold judgement on it, but I'm excited to see how it turns out.
@@NathanBuildsRobots yeah I keep hearing people complain about that weird z calibration nub on the Kobras. Such a strange concept, I'd love to hear how they ended up with that idea instead of using the actual print surface to calibrate z-offset.
Really great video! Now, as you mentioned V3 SE, do you think it's worth waiting for V3 KE instead? Or even forget about them and add more money for an A1 mini without the AMS? But as you said, Bambu comes with its own issues, and it's a smaller printer. Thank you!
KE will be a lot better for print farm use, thats the main upside IMO, because I think it can use Creality Print's multi-printer management functionality
I've been following FLsun news for a while now, V400 was supposed to be my next printer, then they announced S1 and T1, so I'll give them a few more days to see how it turns out... The name is a bit unfortunate, since most search results will point you to an Ender 3 S1, but oh well... So far, everything they have said sounds awesome, even the price, while not yet stated is said to be "much lower than 2k usd for S1 and 1,5k usd for T1" (a response to a reddit comment). So if it's around 1k, I think it will be an awesome deal. The flow rate they promised sounds a bit too good to be true, making it on par with the Slice Engineering's super-hotend you showcased. Good thing is that those printers will release before Black Friday deals end, so there is a bit time there to think about what to choose.
based on some marketing posts on reddit they are stating 1,200 mm/s at 40k mm/s² acceleration, with a flow rate of 110mm ³/s. Now it makes complete sense to have that CPAP cooling. That's a LOT of plastic at once If it delivers even half those numbers I'll be blown away. I know marketing numbers are fudged. My K1 cannot reliably do 600mm/s, more like 400
@@TGMisKillingTheMiddleClass Yeah, that's for the S1, T1 is supposed to be a bit more modest, but still highly impressive. I'm still not sure what to think, FLsun has had some really impressive machines in the past, V400 might not be so impressive right now, but it was out BEFORE X1 and all the corexy klipper craze, at the time it was waaaay ahead. So far, whenever they released a new machine, it was top tier. So, in my eyes at least, they have some good credibility that they'll make awesome printers. I'm supper curious about the build volume, since on the photos it doesn't really look like all that much. My hope is that they sent out early review copies, and that we'll actually have some youtube reviews before the week ends.
So, prices are 1500 USD for the S1 and 600 USD for the T1, with a 200$ and 100$ discounts for early birds. Those seem like reasonable prices, but makes me believe that build volume is less than on V400 :(
There's the Sermoon D2 or something. Idk how much it costs, probably a lot. They said they are working on multicolor and will have it ready next year. Looking forward to seeing them take a stab at it!
If Prusa do their usual Black Friday free international shipping thing, a Prusa Mk4 should actually be practically the same as a P1S in terms of cost (because Bambu doesn't ship here and personal shipping prices are crazy), I want a printer that'd bring me the best print quality, time and enclosure aren't an issue. Which one would you recommend (if they cost the same)?
While you review that kobra 2 max i think everyone who owns one but who isn't design savvy would appreciate a quieter part cooling fan mod. Ty for your vids!
Just getting into 3D printing, I am a 3D artist and wanted to print some of my work. Has Bambu Lab's fixed there privacy policy. I watched your previous videos and you said you don't recommend them.
Not sure, I bet I could come up with a mod for it... Like a higher precision button instead of whatever they are using now... And a manual adjustment to get everything more spot on... Heck, even a firmware update to have an option to do manual z-offset would be an improvement.
I'm not sure how good their button is on the hardware side, but try if you can find any comparison between it and a "Voron Sexbolt" (yes, that's what it's called), they seem to be working on the same principle, but the Voron one is very reliable(I'm using several, but not on Voron printers), and quite cheap (also easy to DiY). Again, I don't have a Kobra, but it might be possible to simply change the button out for the Voron one.
I have narrowed my search down to an Ender 3 V3 KE or an Ender CR-10 SE. They are now only a $30 difference at my local retailer. The CR-10 SE sells out fast but they have plenty of stock of the KE. Any suggestions on which one I should go with at only a $30 higher price for the CR-10 SE? Thanks
Wow.. just wanted to give you one of these 👏🏼 for your mechanical engineering master's degree. I am a maintenance technician and I am about to pursue and mechanical engineering / electrical engineering degree. What's that said I only expect to come out with an electrical engineering degree LOL
Idk about print speed. They had it running pretty slow at FormNext, but I’m sure they could have turned up the speed. The ankermake machines are very solidly built so I’m sure it could handle the added toolhead weight
Regarding the Sovol SV07 Plus, what are your thoughts on its use of V-wheels? Would it be better to get the Klipper-screen version of the SV06 Plus? For some reason the SV07 Plus is advertised to be twice as fast. I'm just speculating, but could this be attributed to a lack of accelerometers, or some other difference in the motion system?
Microswiss hotend for K1 (and K1 max).... Solves non-issues: - allows for one handed nozzle change (so its not even remotely helping with automatic toolchanging) - leakproofs a hotend that doesnt leak And creates issues, thatis frequently a dealbreaker: - proprietary bullshit aka. no CHT for you - opposite of best value
...and the only true multimaterial soluion is automatic toolhead changing. -Its truly multimaterial, not just multicolor. - It keeps toolhead light for speed (And it obviously doesn't produce waste)
Great video but as someone totally new to this world I'm stikk confused as to what one is best for beginners that dont want to start from the beginning and jeep upgrading.. i want one that's all around good without a steep learning curve and just works and isnt small.... everyone will say Bambu but something makes me feel they aren't as great as some reviews say....🤔 Elegoo Neptune 3 plus seems like the reasonable one...?
@@NathanBuildsRobots I'm not looking for speed...don't care if it takes all night...I'm more concerned about quality and reliability. What would be suggestions then?
Anker's venture into 3D printing has been a chit show. You might not have gotten enough working time with these machines. I could write a long list, but for the V6 specifically, they've delayed and changed plans multiple times and people have been waiting since the kickstarer campaign with $300 sunk. I get that they are trying to big on their multi head, but this assures almost every user won't be able to work on their printer due to the complexity. The whole experience feels like this is a low priority for and has not been a good look for Anker. Not really sure why you think this is cool.
Because I saw it running at Formnext. If its reliable, and that is a BIG IF, it will be the first system that allow casual multi-color printing without huge efficiency penalties. It's a very complex system though, and I get that it is taking some time to get right before releasing.
@@NathanBuildsRobots they cancelled it about a week ago yeah, despite promises of "we are committed to making it work", I guess it was too hard to get 6 nozzles working on one head. You would have to account for thermal expansion on each one perfectly I think. They refunded everyone and gave a small incentive as far as I know, I wasn't a backer but I was in the ankermake discord. A few people were upset, they did wait a while after all but to be fair, thats the nature of kickstarter. A huge company couldn't get their ams equivalent working meanwhile bambu pops up out of nowhere and well, you know what they've done since lol. I know of one person who used the $600 he got refunded to put it towards a P1S and hes happy with it. I would have liked to see it get made, more competition is always good and it would have been a lot less wasteful than Bambu and cheaper than the Prusa XL
