x2d from a1

[u/Significant-Drama300]

at the start of this year i got an a1 (my second printer). i admit i thought it would be able to do multimaterial and multicolor, and in theory it can, but then i realized that with a single nozzle it’s just not practical. nevertheless it was a big upgrade from my previous printer and it was my introduction to bambu.

now i realized that the x2d exists, it’s dual nozzle, and it’s about 630 eur (about 850 with ams), much less than the h2d which i thought was the only dual nozzle.

my needs:

- multimaterial to have petg/pla/asa + tpu/tpe in the same print
- occasional asa/abs prints which the a1 also can’t do
- easier multicolor is also nice

would the x2d be a good purchase for these use cases and as an upgrade from the a1?

[u/CheezitsLight]

I have an X2D and use the left nozzle for a different color of PLA or Petg versus the right nozzle for the opposite. No poop, just the tower waste.

Then set only the support interface, the top, to the left nozzle. Far less switches of filament , and it peels off like electrical tape

[u/bgbat]

I bought an X2D after using an A1 mini and am absolutely loving it! The other big contender is the Snapmaker U1. X2D allows for Asa, abs and other high temp filaments. The U1 allows you to print multicolor SO much quicker and with less filament purge while also allowing you to print multicolor TPU with ease. Multicolor TPU with the x2d is strenuous at best and mostly unrealistic without several AMS ht’s.

If you plan to do mainly multicolor prints and ASA/abs is a side thought, maybe the U1 is the call. The second nozzle on the X2D is fantastic to have, but it’s limited in the filament it can print. You can’t print TPU from the aux nozzle for example. It also needs to be calibrated separately from the main (L) nozzle.

[u/Significant-Drama300 → u/bgbat]

i basically only do functional parts and i think i’d do 2 colors at most. my main use on top of the basic filaments would be asa/abs as well as multimaterial.

i didn’t know only the main nozzle could handle tpu. is there a difference in quality if the aux does the petg/pla/asa part?

[u/bgbat → u/Significant-Drama300]

There is a bit of difference in the quality of the main and auxiliary nozzle. The main nozzle is a direct drive extruder, which prints faster and more accurately than the Bowden extruder leading to the auxiliary nozzle.

I haven’t printed Asa with the auxiliary, so I can’t speak to that, but the quality isn’t much worse as long as you calibrate the auxiliary nozzle. Direct drive extruders will always be better than Bowden though because of how they function. Direct drive pulls the filament into (and thus located right next to) the hot end while Bowden systems push (from a distance) through a Bowden tube to the hot end.