The Prusa XL Experiments - 5 Tools, 5 Materials
TLDRTaylor reviews 13 ambitious 3D prints made with his Prusa XL printer across 5 materials and tool heads, showing the capabilities and limitations. He prints models combining rigid/flexible and soluble/non-soluble filaments. There were first layer adhesion issues requiring glue stick, firmware bugs causing failures, filament jams, tool docking problems - but most issues were recoverable. The printer enables very efficient multi-material/color printing with little waste compared to other options. Overall the XL had a rocky start but is getting more reliable and opens new possibilities, though good quality filament is mandatory.
Takeaways
- 😊 The Prusa XL can print good quality basic prints like the 3D Benchy.
- 👍🏻 The Prusa XL is very efficient at multicolor printing with low waste generation.
- 😟 Early adopters faced issues like stringing and z-banding on the Prusa XL.
- 🤔 PTG makes decent support material but results vary case-by-case.
- 😮 The Prusa XL allows printing complex mixes of materials like PLA, ABS, TPU etc.
- 🙁 Filament changes can cause layer shifts on the Prusa XL.
- 😕 Bed adhesion is inconsistent on the Prusa XL and glue helps.
- 😠 The Prusa XL requires high quality filaments to print well.
- 😃 The Prusa XL is great for efficient multimaterial and multicolor prints.
- 🤩 The Prusa XL enables trying creative prints with exotic material combinations.
Q & A
What materials and nozzle sizes were used to print the objects discussed in the video?
-A variety of materials were used including PLA, PETG, TPU, soluble PVA, and ABS. Most prints used 0.6mm nozzles, although some models were designed for 0.4mm.
What issues did the presenter encounter when first using the Prusa XL printer?
-Early issues included poor first layer adhesion, stringing, z-banding, and failures of the prime tower when mixing incompatible materials.
How did the presenter solve the z-banding issue?
-The presenter developed a 'bump block' method to realign the print head between tool changes. Greasing the tool couplers was later found to help as well.
What happened when there was a filament runout?
-The printer would pause and allow the user to unload, reload, and resume printing. However, a small layer shift would occur at the point of the filament change.
Why did the PLA support fail when printing the tire model?
-The presenter explains that the adhesion between the bargain PLA and PETG filaments was just not good enough to provide adequate support.
What slicer settings could have been improved for the tire print?
-The infill percentage was too low resulting in pillowing. The presenter would have increased infill for better top surface quality.
How did the printer handle errors during complex multi-day prints?
-Overall the error handling was good. Most errors were recoverable with guidance provided on the LCD. The printer was able to resume prints reliably after pauses.
Why does the presenter recommend using high quality filament with the Prusa XL?
-He explains the printer is like a sports car requiring high octane fuel. Wet or brittle filament is prone to issues like stringing and breaks in the long PTFE tubes.
What enhancements were made over time to improve print quality?
-Firmware updates and slicer improvements helped reduce stringing. Dropping print temperatures also helped. Print quality and reliability improved over time.
What unique capabilities does the Prusa XL enable?
-The printer makes printing multi-color models very efficient with less time and waste. It also enables mixing different materials like soluble supports which isn't possible on other machines.
Outlines
🖨️ Humble Beginnings with a 3DBenchy Print
The first print is a simple 3DBenchy model, printed well in PLA and comparable quality to a Prusa or other modern printer. Printed with a 0.6mm nozzle, setting a baseline for prints going forward, though Prusa has since changed the default to 0.4mm.
👍 Easy Dual Color Prints, with Some Stringing
The next print is a dual color Benchy, showing the XL's efficiency over other multi-material printers in time and waste material. However, there were some quality issues like stringing that have improved over time with firmware updates and lowering temperatures.
🐑 Mixing PTG Support with PLA Model
A dual color sheep print uses PTG support under the chin, showing the first example of mixing materials in one print. It worked well for bridging but not for internal supports sticking to PLA. Banding issues also showed up, leading to the 'bump block' solution.
🌈 Efficient Multi-Color Objects
Some more ambitious multi-color prints demonstrate the efficiency of printing different objects and colors simultaneously on the XL compared to other solutions.
💣 Using PTG Support for Larger Prints
A large 3-color bombom print uses PTG support, with mixed results in different areas. Failures like this led to discoveries about enforcing wipe tower shells.
😖 Filament Runout Causes Print Artifacts
A complex 5-color Tiki mask shows the first example of a filament runout pausing the print. While recoverable, it leaves a visible artifact in the final print.
🐌 Mixing TPU and PTG Materials
New materials like TPU are attempted, with challenges loading the filament. A snail print shows success mixing TPU and PTG for multi-material prints.
👉🏽 Functional Multi-Material Print
Flexible TPU/PTG pliers print shows real-world function, though some separation at layer interfaces due to differences in material adhesion.
💀 PTG Support, TPU Flexibility
A spine print combines PLA, TPU and PTG well, using differences in inter-material adhesion to enable movement. Filament runout was handled smoothly.
✋ Soluble Supports Example
An articulated wrist print tries soluble PVA supports, running into issues with support removal and material bonding.
👾 Ambitious Articulated Multi-Material Prints
Fun prints like posable posums and tires push limits of geometries, tolerances and material combinations with mixed results.
📝 Key Learnings and Takeaways
Main conclusions after extensive testing are that quality filament is crucial, recovery from errors is generally good, and the XL enables incredibly efficient multi-material/color prints.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Prusa XL
💡Tool changer
💡Multi-material printing
💡Support materials
💡Print quality issues
💡Adhesion issues
💡Prime tower
💡Filament quality
💡Error handling
💡Print efficiency
Highlights
The XL enabled unique prints combining rigid, flexible, soluble materials in one print
XL minimizes waste and print time compared to other multi-color printers
Early XL prints had issues with stringing and z-banding
XL handles multicolor printing efficiently with minimal waste
PTG works well for bridging supports but not for all internal supports
First successful multi-material print combining flexible TPU and rigid PTG
Designer created functional multi-material pliers combining rigid and flexible materials
Filament changes cause noticeable layer shifts
Soluble supports enable otherwise impossible geometries, but need dedicated nozzles
Articulating posum print tests XL's capabilities for articulation and color
Cancel object feature allows removing failed sections while continuing the print
Heater timeout issue caused failed print - needs firmware fix
XL requires high quality filament - issues with cheap or wet filament
Prime tower failures are a common issue
XL enables prints not possible on other printers due to multi-material capabilities
Transcripts
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