Multicolor 3D printing is a great idea, but it’s hard to justify because of the amount of waste it generates. A few months ago I was able to try out a 12-color zero-waste 3D printer and it completely changed the game of multicolor 3D printing.
Normal multicolor printing involves a lot of waste
Filament changes are the bane of multicolor printing
The way most 3D printers print multicolor today requires a batch filament purge. What is a filament purge? Basically, The printer has to purge the old color from the filament. of the nozzle and then load the new color.
This happens with every color change, and some multicolor 3D prints may require hundreds, if not thousands, of color changes during a print. This can be mitigated somewhat by printing more than one of the same model, since the filament change only has to happen once for an entire build plate of identical objects.
However, that is not always possible. Sometimes you want to print a single multicolor model. In these cases, it is not uncommon for the waste created during purging to end up using more filament than the model itself uses, which can dramatically increase the cost of making a multicolor print.
There are multi-head printers and multi nozzle printers out there, but all of them are still quite limited in their functioning. Multi-head printers have the filament loaded and ready to use in the head, but the heads are large and are limited in the number of heads that can fit inside a printer. Multi-nozzle printers haven’t been much better than multi-head printers for the same reasons, at least until now.
Mova’s AtomForm Palette 300 takes multi-nozzle printing to the next level
Having 12 nozzles ready is really unique
If you’ve never heard of Mova, that’s okay. They are not a well-known brand in the world of 3D printing. In fact, the AtomForm 300 Palette It is the first 3D printer launched by the brand. It appears to be a similar situation to when Anker first entered the 3D printing space a few years ago.
AtomForm is a pretty special 3D printer. It focuses on making multi-color and multi-material printing easier and more efficient than ever. Using a 12-nozzle rotating carousel, AtomForm can make material and color changes quickly and efficiently.
I was able to try AtomForm at the launch party in March and I really think this could be the future of multi-color, multi-material 3D printing. But how does it work?
Mova has done more than simply add multiple nozzles to the AtomForm to make it efficient. At the top of the printer, there are two filament feed tubes leading to the print head, whereas typically printers, even multi-nozzle ones, only have one.
These two feed tubes allow for the least possible downtime between color changes. The printer may have one filament fed to the tool head and another waiting right there, so that as soon as the current color is retracted, the new color is introduced.
However, that’s not where the magic is. The magic lies in the rotating carousel of 12 nozzles. Whenever a filament change arises, instead of having to purge the old filament, you simply cut the filament, drop the nozzle back into the carousel, and grab the nozzle that corresponds with the new filament color, no waste required.
Seeing this work in person was truly amazing. I was very impressed, although the early prototypes we were seeing definitely had some bugs and quirks to work out.
Not only does this work for multiple colors, but it also works for different materials and nozzle types. So you could have PLA in one nozzle, PETG in another, and PA-CF in another, and each nozzle will be made of the material that matches the filament running through it.
I was a little concerned about how well the new mouthpiece would lock, as well as how it would align with the head through multiple swaps. However, Mova has thought about this and has multiple camera angles that check the position of the nozzle and the accuracy of its placement before starting to print again.
They seem to have thought of everything here, and I’m really excited to have an AtomForm in the office at some point to try printing it myself. However, seeing it printed in person was truly amazing. It definitely created a batch Less waste than traditional multicolor 3D printers.
I honestly can’t wait to have a true multi-color print with no waste.
Excess waste is the main thing stopping me from making multicolor prints right now.
Right now, I avoid multicolor 3D printing as much as possible, although I would prefer love to use it more frequently. My Bambu Lab P1S and P2S with AMS is definitely capable of multi-color 3D printing, and I use it from time to time, but not often due to the waste it generates.
I just can’t bring myself to use more filament in the purges than I use in the actual print. Since I’m also not doing production 3D printing, there’s really no chance I can just scale it up, so I’m using the same amount of purge for more elements, thus reducing the ratio.
I think Mova’s AtomForm Palette 300 will make multicolor 3D printing something anyone can do without spending a fortune. The actual printer won’t be as cheap, but it will definitely pay for itself over time with the filament saved.
It’s only a matter of time before other brands adopt this strategy.
Before Bambu Lab launched its X1 Carbon with AMS, multicolor 3D printing wasn’t a big deal. It was definitely possible, but only in more industrial applications or with manual filament exchanges. Bambu Lab adopted multi-color 3D printing and now almost every brand has its own form of color exchange system.
I feel like Mova’s AtomForm Palette 300 could be the next kind of revolution in multi-color, multi-material 3D printing. I think in the coming years we’ll see more and more companies using a rotary-style nozzle exchange system on their 3D printers, and I’m definitely here for it.
