Now, 3D printers that come with a dual or triple extrusion setup have been avaiable for a good number of years. On top of that, there are other options in the Geeetech “A” family that allow for multi-color/material 3D printing, such as the A20M/T, A30M/T, which are more advanced than the A10M. With that said, the A10M, aside from being user-friendly, is the most affordable dual extrusion system in the “A” series. Not to mention the fact that the new version features an upgraded mother board, LCD screen and new gantry. It is therefore safe to say the upgraded A10M is one of the most competitive multi-material 3D printer for beginners and the frugal-minded who are looking to enrich their 3D printing experience.

But before we move on, let’s first debunk the following myths around dual extruder 3D printers.

Myth #1 –Dual extruder 3D printers print twice as fast as their single extrusion counterparts.

If you are a novice in 3D printing, you are probably wondering why this is not the case. More often than not, a dual extruder 3D system is faster than a single extrusion setup, but it almost certainly does not double the speed, and definitly not for the reason you may think.

The real reason is that, with a dual extruder printer, you can avoid the lengthy process of swapping out one filament for another.

Having more than one extruder allows you to have different filaments piped in from the very start.Changing filaments, whether for a different colour or material, is labour-intensive.With a dual or multiple extrusion design, you no longer have to pause a print, empty out the extruder, feed in the next filament, and resume the print every time you need a different material or color. This is where the saved time comes from. As a matter of fact, the two extruders share the same print head and can’t move independently.

Myth #2–dual extruder 3D printers are only useful for multi-color objects.

The Geeetech A10M features a 2 in 1 out design. It enables you to print with numerous combinations of colors using the Color Mixer software developed by Geeetech. But its another, more common use is to seperate the filament used for printing your object from the support material, which is often less expensive, of lower grade, and soluble in water, and will eventually be removed.

A single extruder 3D printer is actually capable of printing multi-color objects and support structures. But the whole process is tedious, as pointed out above.

The Geeetech A10M comes half assembled , and is easy to set up. Check out the unboxing video here by Hoffman Engineering on Youtube.

This blog post will be updated when full review video is out. Stay tuned!

A10M on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3gN3l0C

Before reading this article, please make sure you have already read the setup guide of the version of the 13B single extruder and that you are able to use it to print 3D models. If not, please learn how to operate the single extruder. Of course, you can take this one as the single extruder version to get started.

Step 1

Open Repetier Host, and click Config/Printer Settings to set up the connection.

1. Name your printer.

2. Select the corresponding COM port and baud rate. The baud rate is generally 115200 or 250000.

3. If you are not sure about the COM port, you can check it in your device manager.

Step 2

Set up your extruder

1. Choose the number of extruders, here we choose
2. Select the diameter and color of the filament
3. Offset X/Y refers to the distance between the two extruders, which can be adjusted based on real situations. You can leave it alone now.

Step 3

Set up the shape of the printer

Choose Classic printer as the printer type.

Home X: min Home Y: min Home Z: min

Print height: 150

Now you can click the Connection button on the left corner to check whether it can connect with your printer. If it fails, please recheck the COM port and Baud rate.

Step 4

Manual control

1. X home

Click X home to home the X axis, or you can click the right/left arrow to move the axis to check whether the direction and distance are correct or not；

2. Check Y axis and Z axis respectively in the same way

3. Click the icon of the heated bed on RH to heat the bed. observe whether the temperature is rising to a pre-set value

4. Click the icon of the heated bed and extruder, observe whether it is heating up to the pre-set temperature, and keep it at that value

5. When the temperature for the extruder surpasses 170 °C , choose extruder1 and extruder2 respectively, you can move them and check their directions

Step 5

Leveling the two extruders.

Leveling the two extruders is very important if you want to print with two extruders at the same time.

First, you can adjust one extruder to make it parallel with the surface of the heated bed (the same way you level for a single extruder setup), click the button of Z home to adjust the distance between the nozzle and the heated bed, make sure the vertical distances of the nozzle to the four corners of the bed are the same.

After that, tweak the distance between the second extruder and the heated bed by adjusting the screws, as shown in the following picture: Loose the screws, and then you can move on to get the right distance between the two extruders and the heated bed.

you may need to repeat this step to get it all right.

But it’s worth it. Once you get it done correctly, you won’t need to do it again.

The settings mentioned above are on Repetier Host, which only involves the control of the 3D printer and the preview of the model.

All the settings do not concern the print result but the slicing. So we will continue with the slicing setting. The slicer is independent of Repetier Host. So, should we set up the slicer now? Take it easy. Let’s see whether our printer can run normally.

Step 6

If the printer goes well. We can go on with the slicing. First, let’s get a quick view of the slicer.

RepetierHost supports many slicers, with Slic3r and CuraEngine being the most popular; Slic3r is more powerful in terms of functionality, but CuraEngine comes with more optimized slice velocity.

You can choose a slicer here. Upon selecting the slicer, please click Configuration.RepetierHost will bring up a wizard of the corresponding slicer that will walk you through the configuration.

Here we take Slic3r as a demonstration. As to the configuration in CuraEngine, we will pick it up in the follow-up study in our forum www.geeetech.com/forum/, so, please stay tuned. If you are experienced in CuraEngine, we would appreciate it if you could.ld share your insights with us.

Next, download the file:two_color_cube.zip, unzip the file, and save it somewhere. You will need it later.

Step 7

Click Configuration， open Slic3r

Step 8

We have prepared a set of parameters for I3B_2E dual extruder, that is, I3B_2E_config_bundle.ini. You will need to import those parameters to slic3r from here.

In Slic3r, under file> Load Config Bundle.. navigate to the folder we just downloaded and unzipped, open I3B_2E_config_bundle.ini,

Step 9

After loading, you can find the option of Geeetech_I3B_2E in the drop-down menu.

In my case, I use the Geeetech pro-C model,(I refer to the I3B_2E in this article)， the extruder is MK8(1.75cm-0.4mm)， PLA filament, so we choose Geee_I3B_2E, PLA 1.75mm, and Geeetech_I3B_2E respectively.

All the parameters you set can be saved in RepetierHost for future reference.

Step 10

Unzip two_color_cube.zip， click Load to import the .stl files，choose two_color_cube_1.stl and two_color_cube_2.stl respectively.

Actually, two_color_cube is composed of two .stl files. each printed by one nozzle.

After loading, you can preview it. The two files are separated. Now you need to adjust the locations to combine them together.

Select Object Group 2 and click center, then Object Group 1 and center. Now the two models are combined as one.

Assign printing tasks for both extruders respectively.

Step 11: Slice

If this warning pops up, choose NO

G-code is generated successfully

Step 12: you can print directly via serial port (USB connector）or save the G-code to an SD card, and print stand-alone.

Step 13′: The end

This post was originally published on the Geeetech wiki page and is edited in this blog.

Please be noted this article was last modified on 11 August 2015, and hence is subject to changes, due to software updates and hardware upgrades over the years.

If you already have a dual extrusion system, we would like to hear from you. Share your story/experience with us by joining our forum or Facebook user club. You are also welcome to write on our blog to reach a larger audience.

Hiding behind its gentility appearance is a slew of excellent features, making it outstanding among its competing products. High printing accuracy and speed, incredibly thin layer height, stable frame, customized 3D printing software— EasyPrint 3D, easy-to-manage LCD screen and open filament system. The most attractive one is its agile dual extruders, allowing you to print in multi-colors and unleashing your unique creativity.

With an extra Wi-Fi module, you can upgrade Duplicator 5 to enjoy the convenience brought by our cloud 3D printing solution. After you configure your Duplicator 5 with Wi-Fi hotspot, the cloud 3D printing solution enables you to enjoy a plenty of free 3D models, direct control over the whole printing process and share your printing experience via App anywhere and anytime.

Features:

1.  Multi-functional dual extruder

With dual extruder, you can print a single two-color object or two objects with each coming in different colors. Besides, you can just print one single-color object, as with other single-extruder 3D printers; or you can use one extruder for infill or support.

2. Safe, stable and space-efficient

High-quality wooden plank renders Duplicator 5 firm and durable as well as attractive in appearance. The main board and power supply unit are installed at the bottom of the printer, safe and space efficient. This structure lowers the gravity center of the printer, providing stable support for printing. The half-opened design of the printer provides you with various perspectives to observe the whole printing process as well as enough protection.

3. Printing quality: High layer resolution and tolerance deliver smooth surface finish and durable object structure.

4.Large print volume: 230x150x150mm standard printing area, enough printing volume catering to your creative ideation.

5. Self-developed GT2560 control system.

The main board is our self-developed GT2560 3D printer control board which supports dual extruder and comes with more well-designed interfaces.

With its flash memory as 256KB and working frequency as 16MHZ, GT2560 control system empowers Duplicator 5 to run at peak performance.

6. User-friendly LCD 2004 control board & SD card, stand-alone printing enabled.

Duplicator 5 adopts LCD2004 controller, with which detailed printing status could be clearly presented on the screen. Besides, it is convenient to select 3D models and adjust printing speed, temperature and other parameters via the simple operation flow.

With a SD card and the straight-forward LCD screen, Duplicator 5 can easily run under the stand-alone printing condition. This allows Duplicator 5 to print untethered to your computer.

7. Open filament system: ABS/PLA/Flexible PLA/ Nylon/Wood-Polymer, providing extendable space for your creativity. Give you a wide range of printing choices.

8. Cloud 3D printing solution: use a Wi-Fi module to enjoy 3D printing untethered. (Note: Wi-Fi module is not included in this kit; you need to buy it separately.)

After you upgrade Duplicator 5 with a Wi-Fi module, the cloud 3D printing solution is available for you to enjoy a plenty of free 3D models, direct control over the whole printing process and share your printing experience via App anywhere and anytime.

9. The joys of DIY

Further simplified and stiffened parts make it a reality to assembly and adjust the whole frame fast and easily. Building Duplicator 5 step by step, you will have an in-depth knowledge of 3D printers. Time-saving and full of the sense of accomplishment.

10. Application

Duplicator 5 can be used to deliver practical printouts for different fields, such as art, fashion, household, learning, tools and toys. Meet your virtual needs.

specifications:

Print technology: FFF/FDM

Build volume: 230 x150x150mm

Layer resolution: 0.1-0.3mm

Positioning Precision: 0.1-0.3mm

Filament diameter: 1.75mm

Nozzle diameter: 0.4 mm

Filament type: ABS/ PLA/Flexible PLA/ Wood /Nylon

Software:

Operating system: Windows/Mac/Linux

Control software:  EasyPrint 3D, Repetier-Host and other 3D printing software

EasyPrint 3D App

File format: .STL, .G-code

Temperature:

Max heated bed temperature:  about 110°C

Max extruder temperature:  about 240°C

Electrical:

Power supply:

Input: 110V/1.5A  220V/0.75A

Output：DC 24V/15A

Connectivity: USB, SD card (support stand-alone printing)

Mechanical:

Body: Quality wooden plank (black)

Build Platform: Aluminum plate + MK2A hotbed

XYZ Rods: Wear-resistant, stainless steel

Stepper Motors: 1.8° step angle with 1/16 micro-stepping

Physical dimensions:

Machine dimension: 467 x 313 x 375 mm

Shipping box: 520 x 440 x180 mm

Net weight: 8. 50 kg

Gross weight: 10.13 kg