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Glossary · Function

3D printing

Tool changer

A printer with several print heads that automatically switches heads during printing. This allows colours and materials to be combined with almost no waste.

Explained in more detail

Each tool has its own hotend and nozzle, and unused heads park outside the print area. Compared with single-nozzle systems, there is hardly any purge waste, changes are faster, and very different materials can be combined, such as PLA with TPU or water-soluble PVA. Drawbacks: higher price, additional mechanics and calibrating the head offsets.

Where does the term come from?

Translation of the English tool changer. The term comes from manufacturing, where CNC machines have long changed automatically between tools. On a 3D printer, each tool is a complete print head.

In practice

  • A head change takes only a few seconds. Parked heads are often lowered to a lower standby temperature so that less material drips out.
  • The offsets between the heads in X, Y and Z must be correct, otherwise colours shift against each other. Many devices measure them automatically.
  • The number of colours is limited to the number of heads. Plan models so that they get by with the heads you have.
  • Here too, a small prime tower or a wipe may be needed so that a freshly fetched head feeds cleanly straight away.

Not to be confused

Not to be confused with printers that have two nozzles on one head or with IDEX (two independent heads on one axis). With a tool changer, complete heads are fetched from a parking position and put back.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a tool changer and AMS?

A filament changer such as the AMS feeds several filaments one after another through the same nozzle and has to purge with every change. A tool changer has its own head for each material and thereby saves almost all of the purge waste.

When is a tool changer worthwhile?

If you often print several colours per layer, different materials or soluble supports and you are bothered by purge waste and change time. For the occasional two-colour sign, a colour-change pause is enough.