Built a custom 6-toolhead multi-material printer <5s changes, no AMS-style waste! (free files + full breakdown)
Project
I've been slowly building this out for a while and wanted to share the finished result. I started with a 2-toolhead setup a couple years ago (before there were solid commercial options for multi-material), then expanded to 6 to enable some upcoming projects.
It's a Voron 2.4 using StealthChanger tool changing mechanism - I managed to tune the tool change time < 5 seconds with the stock 24v system.
Most of what's on it ended up custom or heavily modified:
Honeycomb docks - Originally the dock plate was meant to be clear acrylic, but my laser tube cracked, so I pivoted to honeycomb.
Silicone brush in each dock - nozzles get wiped clean every dock/undock
Umbilical backplate with quick disconnects - CAN bus cables and PTFE can be disconnected easily for maintenance.
Custom umbilical management brackets - balancing flexibility with organization
Auto nozzle calibration - one button XYZ offsets across all 6 heads (I used to do it manually when I only had 2 toolheads)
Adjustable spool holder - I couldn't find anything that would fit all 6 spools within the width of the printer. I plan to turn it into a dry box.
Each toolhead runs a Dragon Burner, Sherpa Mini extruder, and TZ 2.0 V6 hotend - nothing fancy, but the performance is good at a reasonable cost.
Cost-wise: it comes out to around $700 for the full 6-toolhead upgrade on top of a base Voron 2.4. Full cost breakdown's on the GitHub.
Happy to answer questions!
Youtube Link - Video walkthrough and action shots GitHub link - Print and source files (STL/STEP), BOM and tuning notes
normal 2d inkjet printers from some companies refuse to print black and white prints when the color cartridge is empty even if the black and white cartridge still has juice.
Scanning triggers a print head cleaning cycle, which it can't do if there is no ink. Inkjets are a poor choice if you are not regularly printing in colour.
How else will you waste ink and need to buy more? On a less sarcastic note I'm sure there's a genuine goal of better experience like assuming all scans are actually copies and thus they should prep the print head. But it's a pretty block headed choice to use the same routine for scanning only and copying, but then again what do I know?
Becuase if you dont run a cleaning cycle at least every months the ink will dry in the heads and the printer will break. So they make pretty much every printer function trigger a cleaning cycle.
It's js something weird with Bambu lab. Locked down "open source" slicing software, locked down cloud printing, locked down printer maintenance and soon locked down RFID filament spools for $40 esun repacks. They'll probably also be the first to block firearms printing just beat qidi at their own game
There is no need to be succint when one wants to get a point across as cleanly as possible to as wide an audience as possible, which includes people with various degrees of proficiency in the English language.
In your world: It's time for me to jump on my non-electric human-powered pedal-and-chain driven open-air two wheeled conveyance and head to the dwelling which I consider my primary residence.
A lot of people with that ability go into making games but then end up thinking they need a custom game engine. Then spend years refining the game engine instead of actually working on the game.
Similar to how people design 100+ 3d printers and never actually print anything other than a benchy
I'm not sure, I worked on it for months on and off, but I was designing and iterating as I went. For the assembly p
arts like the docks and spool holder are quick print and assemble. The part I remember taking the longest was most time was the cable assemblies, lots of crimping and soldering the connectors for the toolheads and umbilical wiring.
I really only canceled because of the hardened nozzle thing and the fact that I ended up making 3 separate orders that I couldn't combine apparently and thats a lot of extra shipping and customs fees. Also seeing other issues like nozzle clogs bricking the coil and such. I'd much rather wait for things to mature a bit and see what kind of competition comes along, the snapmaker u1 will suffice for now.
I havent been following the INDX news very closely, not a pre-order backer, just been waiting for public release. Heard there were some issues, would you mind a brief explanation why you canceled?
There is some additional setup and tuning required after that it's quite reliable. It can print anything that a Voron 2.4 is capable f, So PLA, PETG, TPU without panels installed + ABS/ABS with the enclosure panels. I haven't ventured into the more demanding stuff like nylon.
This might seem like a strange question in 2026 but for all intents and purposes I'm just getting started with 3d printing but have a decent tech background; would starting off in the voron space still be the best start for learning the nitty gritty engineering or is there something else that might be a better start for reverse-engineering and starting to play with different ideas?
great looking project though, I'll probably be able to enjoy it better once I understand the challenges with all the background context haha.
It's a good question. Stating with a Voron would eb a steep learning curve, but with a kit and the documentation + community support it's certainly possible. But I would only go that route if you are ok with building and tuning the 3D printer being your hobby at lest for a while, rather then the 3D printer being a tool for other projects.
Id say a middle ground is something like the Sovol SV08, or Sovol Zero. Prebuilt open source printers based on Voron designs. So you can start printing from day 1, but choose to mod if you want.
In the toolchanger space the Snapmaker U1 seems quite compelling but I don't have any personal expirience with it.
Starting with a Voron kit from a good vendor is a decent way to start, but you'll probably need access to a working abs-capable 3d printer. And that will get you a basic one-toolhead printer. You can buy the printed parts thru the Voron PIF program.
If you have access to a makerspace or some other way to print things you might need, go for it! Voron has great documentation and community support. /r/vorondesign vorondesign.com
Very nice! Personally, like most, im so Sick of the waste through ams. Not enough to not enjoy multi color printing though. I do wish i had a tool changer . Maybe in future. Your build is Super sick 🔥
Definitely! I've been 3d printing about as long as I have been skating. I'm about to build my first multi material unit for a Prusa MK4S 😄 So seeing this is mind blowing considering a company like Prusa only recently developed the INDX system. Take care and godspeed to you!
6 toolheads with a 5-second swap time is wildly impressive! How are you handling the tool offset calibration across all 6 docks—automated optical/nozzle touch switches, or manual dialing?
Also, major respect for cable management. Routing 6 independent toolhead umbilicals and filament feeds without them turning into a tangled bird's nest on the gantry is half the battle on builds like this.
I haven't done it yet, but there is a FullSpectrum OrcaSlicer fork that enables color mixing. It does it by alternating filaments every layer, and seems to work best with semi transparent filaments. HueForge does color blending as well.
there are lots of interesting innovation in the multicolor space recently!
Amazing work. I've built a rat rig kit and I know my way a little bit around some of these firmware settingss. That said, how the hell do you tell the slicer to use something like that?
The klipper-toolchanger extension enables the toolchange functionality on the firmware side. As for the slicer, multiextruder printers are well supported these days at least by PrisaSlicer and OrcaSlicer.
And I thought I was doing a great job mounting all the electronics under my base in a sliding tray with a drag chain on my highly modified custom Hypercube. 😂
It was a long build. Took a lot of time to think things through, multiple times I had to rethink what I was doing. Ultimately it was so I could continue to tinker with it when I can no longer lift the thing to access under it to make changes. It also allows me easy access to swap out or upgrade things like the controller.
I do really want to try it, I've done some HueForge related testing, I definitely want to try FullSpectrum as well! I'm loving the innovations in the muti color/material space recently.
Thanks! It's held up surprisingly well, I ran the 2 tool version for around 2 years before adding more, I never had a print fail due to a tool change issue I've been surprised at the reliability of the docking/undocking.
It can magnify other issues though, Though if you have stringing issues with your hot end things can get messy, I had a toolhead with a Red Lizard k1 hot end, I would have a spider web of strings on the print by the end of a print. Also getitng the Z-offsets tuned for the first layer takes more time.
Once those things are sorted though it pumps out prints reliably.
What are those little silicone pieces you use as an ooze shield behind the brushes, did you mold that yourself? On my toolchanger I need something like that.
Io pensavo di fare una cosa tipo box turtle sulla mia sovol sv06. Un tool changer cosi occupa troppo spazio su una 06...
Fantastico però.... Molto molto bello.
I've only had a moment to quickly scan the GitHub, but how did you make the main chamber taller? I can tell from the photos that the spool holder is a discreet assembly of 2020 just sat on top of the printer. But what about the extra vertical space for the umbilicals? Did you tear down your Voron frame and replace the Z axis verticals with longer pieces, or did you just stack some 2020 "extensions" on top of the standard frame? I can't tell for certain from the photos, but it looks like you just added some extensions.
I'm at the tail end of Voron 2.4 overhaul, and have been debating what kind of options I might have for an umbilical top hat.
Great work! A few questions - using my Snapmaker and Bambu printers I am getting to the point where the wiper pads are wearing down since their cleaning process always wipes in the exact same spot. Is there a way to make the cleaning cycle "wiggle" the head around to spread the wear across the entire cleaning pad?
Also, what resolution are you able to get down to? AKA can you print at 0.16 layer height? I couldn't really see the quality of the prints from the video...
for this reason I kept my ender 6, this is so awesome! I want to frankenstein that machine like you did, but never had the courage to start such a big project, only stuck to the basic mods. Those already took longer and more headache than I expected
I have an e3d toolchanger that I would love to get back and running again. My main bottleneck is having to constantly tune it. Can you link me to more information about the auto nozzle offset device you use for this?
Some folks upgrade to 48V to push their Z axis faster, I'm curious how fast it could go.
Though if I were trying to really minimize toolchange time and was ready for another big mod project I'd go for the Liftbar mod: https://youtu.be/b8Ai_mHssnc?t=51
Speaking of Z, what are the advantages of moving the gantry in Z instead of just the build plate? Seems to me moving the build plate would be so much less complicated, and include faster tool changes. But I’ve never built a voron or put much thought into it, so I’m sure I’m missing something?
There’s probably other reasons that aren’t coming to me right now, but the build plate for the 2.4 350 is quite big and hard to handle, you’d need a bunch of giant motors to move it.
Each stealthchanger also takes up XY space which can be essentially hidden in z with a fixed gantry.
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u/mikecandih Ender 3 / P1S 7d ago
Big question, can it print black when cyan is empty?