What the Dual Extruder 3D Printer Can Offer You

Even though they are still considered to be relatively new technology that is still in its diapers, 3D printers have found a place in a surprisingly large number of different fields and professions, and are even very widely applied in domestic use as well. And it’s easy to see why since the ability to be able to create your own items out of certain materials sounds incredibly appealing. The exact range of the items your printer will be able to produce will depend on a few factors, the most noticeable of which being the size of the printer and the size of the items it can produce, and the type of filament it is using. Another important factor which is often glossed over is whether you have a single or a dual 3D printer extruder.

In simple terms, the extruder is the part of the printer that melts the raw plastic materials that are used in the creation of the objects later on. The extrusion process entails feeding the filament into the extruder, and then the print is created when the melted material is pushed through the nozzle and used as the base. The way that the dual 3D printer works, and the advantage that it has over the standard models is that it adds a second extruder to the mix which allows the printer to pull from two different filaments simultaneously. This is best used when attempting more complex designs, but there are also a few other benefits that go beyond that.

The dual extruder’s ability to draw from two filaments at the same time removes the need of having to constantly swap out one filament for another when creating something that requires two distinctly different materials to make. Then there is also the ability to layer one material into the other to serve as a strong support and give the item a bit more stability, like when using a water soluble filament that can simply be washed away after the printing is done. And of course, there is also the option of more easily being able to create a multi color print.

There are however a few things that you need to keep in mind before buying a dual 3D printer as well. For one, you should know that just because it has two extruders, it doesn’t mean that the printing process will go any faster even though that is a common misconception. Also, you should be careful of an item not turning out like it should because of the filaments mixing during the switch which may result in not getting a clean break between the two.

Without a doubt, the dual extruder can prove to be incredibly useful for certain tasks, but in the same measure, not very necessary for others, and it’s up to you to decide whether its benefits outweigh the drawbacks.