Prusa MMU3 Review - Pros and Cons
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- Опубліковано 14 чер 2024
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Glad to hear that you find the MMU3 to be reliable. I think that is the most important thing. Space issues can be dealt with in many ways, but they all take effort. Prusa doesn't really provide much help with that.
X1C is still more fun to use. But I'll be trying out some things on the MMU3 for a bit. Thanks!
This is the first video who shows the mmu3 with the spools. It takes a lot of space. Thank you for that video 👍
Thanks for watching!
I fixed the footprint with my MK4 by going vertical. I've got a drybox that holds 5 spools up above the printer on a french cleat with the PTFE tubes running down into the buffer next to the printer on a LACK table.
That's similar to what I'm working on. Thank you!
@@tada3dprinting
I've had my MMU3 for about 4 weeks.
It's been running flawlessly.
With no prior experience, my (HVAC engineer) wife put it together all by herself in about 5 hours. I'm both impressed and proud of her.
Still - its about a days worth of work...
I agree that the spool holders and buffer could be both better and more compact.
I immediately ditched the spool holders and reused some dryboxes made from IKEA 365 airtight containers that each hold 2x 1Kg spools.
I only use the Prusa spool holders for some 3Kg spools I have...
The printer - in it's enclosure - is on a table with the filament containers on a shelf below.
Later, I will be printing a spool enclosure/drybox that sits on top of the enclosure, along with a buffer that fits inside the enclosure.
I find the original buffer to be working well, but with it's crossing tube paths and all, it's kind of annoying to use.
Tip: For sharpening filaments, there are several designs that uses a blade from a pencil sharpener to make a filament sharpener. I will be making one of those myself.
Future update vid on the dry box?
You have been objective and fair, thanks for your review. It has 5 colors instead of 4. That may seem little, but it gives you even more options
you can go up to 16 on a p1 or X1 printer.
P1S 849 4 colors + 300 for each increase of 4 colors. so for the less than the price of an mmu3 plus mk4 you can do
12 colors.
That's true. Thanks so much!
Actually, as the MMU is open source, there are designs for MMUs with more than 5 colours. And for less cost.
@@oleurgast730 I think there is room for the DIY and the plug and play. Ideally I just want to print but I can see how some folks want a project.
The price of "free" open source is paid for in time, building, tweaking, configuring and other frustrations.
Take the mmu3 custom build of hours(days?) vs attaching 8 cables(4 power/data cables and 4 ptfe tubes) for 16 colors which would take minutes at most.
So I make about 35 an hour at my day job.
mmu3 is $330 with shipping and I am expected to spend at least half a day to build and configure it.
my labor is $420= $35/h x 12 hrs
the part is 330
I could get 2 AMS units and 4 way buffer for that and be up and running in minutes. The upfront cost of a simple solution overshadows the potentially lower cost of the unit if you ignore everything else which I cannot do when you value your time.
Thank you. I am glad to see your MMU experience has been good.
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the very nice video, well done 👍. The efficiency and quality of prints are out of this world! 👍
Thanks so much!
Thanks for all your videos on the MMU3 with the MK4. I got mine right after your videos came out, and I used them for reference on my build when needed. I also have my spools to the side, but I have them in a 3 and 2 setup. I made shorter tubes for 1, 2, and 3. And then put 4 and 5 in back of those with the standard tube size. I also found that using a nail file to sharpen the point of my filament helps some. Thanks for the videos.
Oh that's a good idea to stagger them. Thanks so much for watching!
Your build videos helped me and I hear ya on the horizontal approach which I compressed a bit with the four spool holder. I hear ya on loading the filaments. When I cut the filament, I use the smooth part of the pliers to squeeze the filament back round on the end and get loads perfectly now. I agree on the reliability once going, have had the same experience here. Thanks 🙂
Thanks for watching!
Really enjoy the videos keep up the good work
Thanks so much!
Thanks for your review here. I look forward to your results for rewinding spools and retiring the buffer if you go ahead with that as mentioned earlier. I have a MK4 and MMU3 but have not built the MMU3 yet. I do not have the space for all this so will need to find a more compact solution.
Yes I am working on the video for this now. Having a little trouble with my after market tube fittings. Will post soon. Thanks!
Great review, explaining it all really well. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks a lot for another excellent video! I couldn't wait for mmu3 delays, poor delivery times and bought Bambu P1S with AMS. Can't be more happier with a decision. Set up is easy and compact. Print quality is excellent.
AMS is dreadfully slow !!!
I have several X1C with AMS and like them as well. Thanks!
Thanks for your review, well done and thought out. I did not follow your previous videos on the MMU, since I am not interested in it, I have the Bambu X1C and the XL with 5 tool heads. The tool changer seems to be the best solution, the challenge for most people is the cost of the XL. I think we will see other affordable tool changers that will work and be competitive. Lots to look forward to.
Thanks for watching this one. Yes the MMU3 seems to be for a different crowd than the XL. It'll be interesting what comes next. Thanks!
Very informative and clear video. Great Job on the review.
Thanks so much!
I appreciate your honest reviews, I do plan on getting a MMU3, yet it's the upgrade kit from the MMU2S rather than a full on brand new kit.
I plan on doing the same for one of my MK3S+, I plan on getting the MK3.5 kit. Yeah I don't get nextruder but for me and my applications, it's the best of both worlds since I have years of experience working and maintaining my MK3S+ printers. Input shaper and the touch screen sound like pretty neat upgrades.
Yeah that should work out! Thank you!
Great eval on this printer, like seeing the cons as well as the pros, Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Good review I solved the footprint problem by using a RMU Buffer and placed a homemade pvc holder of to the side easy to load and change my filament.
Sounds great! Thanks!
i agree 100% with everything you mentioned in this video.
Thanks so much!
Nice review, thanks!
Thank you!
Excellent summary, thank you! The MMU3 seems like a great option for somebody who has one printer and wants to do multicolor. If I hadn’t already bought a 5T XL, I’d buy this for sure. Maybe less of a great option for someone like you who needs multiple printers, just due to the time required to build them all. If/when Prusa sells these mostly assembled or even as a fully assembled version of the MK4, that may change the calculus. It feels like there’s a real opportunity here for somebody to design a slick setup to hold the spools in a more compact fashion above the printer.
Yes the XL has a lot of great features. I'm working on a more compact setup for the MMU3. Thanks so much!
Very helpful, non-fanatical review with real-world challenges. I'm sold on it, but now I can plan better.
Thanks!
It is not just about filament, time counts ⏰
Yes and ease of use is important to me. Thanks!
Nice vid, I was already thinking about upgrade for my MK4! Thanks for another piece of info I can ponder about. ;)
I would say the footprint is a very debatable thing: 5 spools just take a lot of space, there is no way around it. You can put them on the top, or print out a vertical feeding system, so it's seems like something you can easily sort out.
From what I have seen elsewhere, the AMS is ssssoooo sssslooooow, I wouldn't have the patience for that. :D
Seeing the reliability, speed and print quality, I now am torn between the MMU or breaking the bank and doing the full switch to XL. Any thoughts on that?
I still am not thrilled with my XL. Honestly the X1C with AMS is my favorite right now. It's just fun to use. The waste sucks but I have had a lot of failed prints on my XL which ultimately are a waste too. Thanks!
I did n't realize it was beating competition on speed so much. Good vid. Sounds reliable for the filament changing scenario. which has always been a nightmare from what i read.
Thanks so much!
If you are having problems inserting the filament into the MMU3 check to make sure the PTFE tubing is pushed all the way in the back of the MMU unit and you can see it in the little window when looking down from the top and the lid open(see section 6 step 37 of the build instructions). I just had to push the tubing in further on my dad‘s unit because he was having issues loading slot three and it was not visible in the window.
Ok I will check that out. Thank you!
I own a 5 tool XL and seeing how the filament is loaded for the MK4 MMU, I don't think I'll ever get it. Great points made in the video.
Thanks so much!
The XL must be lots faster, swapping tools is bound to be faster than filament replacement on the MMU3 (but, of course, it is also more expensive).
Good review of MMU3 - fits with my conclusions so far 😊. I'm going to try hanging the reels from an axle below a shelf - of course, your metal bldg presents a problem doing that. I have seen various ways to eliminate the buffers, the most workable seems to be leaving a short tube behind the MMU3 so the filament is not dropped. Retracted loop is still a problem, of course.
- BTW, MK4 may have touchscreen firmware soon !
Thanks for watching! I'm still trying out a solution with the filament above. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your testing/experience with the MMU3. I really like the efficiency of filament, but the footprint is really big and not suitable for my setup.
Thanks so much!
Good arguments and a good overview in your test.
Some of your negative points are advantages for me.
I enjoy putting it together. If I needed more than one, I might see it differently.
I hate waste, even if filament is cheap.
I accept the somewhat cumbersome loading process.
However, there is a workaround for this and I don't have to remove the rollers in the buffer but can push the filament through to the MMU3.
Now just place the filament above or below the printer and the space requirement is halved.
In this way, I can create a system that is precisely tailored to my needs.
I really enjoy something like this. The tinkering, looking for the best solution.
If someone doesn't want that, which I can understand, they might be better off somewhere else.
I have a loading fork I found and printed that I use instead of pulling the cartridges out.
Yes I think Prusa customers have always leaned toward those that like to build/tinker etc. Thank you!
There are auto rewinding spool holders that eliminate the need for a buffer and make loading filament much better. Enraged Rabbit Carrot Feeder uses Filamentalist but there are several out there.
Thank you!
While auto-rewind spoolholders are cool, the extruder needs mor force to pull the filament.
Actually - while I do not like the close source approach Bambulab has - this is designed much better on the AMS and AMS light. They have their own feeders, permanently attached to the filament. The "filament buffer" on the printer (on the side of X1C, P1S and P1P, on top of the printhead on the A1 and A1 mini) does only buffer a few mm of filament. The AMS-feeder push the filament to the printhead, and if the filament is not taken by the extruder, the "buffer" detects this (using a spring, a slider, a magnet and an hall-effect sensor), stopping the feeding. Quite a nice concept, as this takes all the workload of feeding filament away from the extruder.
I would realy love an adapter (including the "buffer" and electronics) to use an AMS or AMS light on the mk4...
Nice Video! I think that you can use every spool size from 250g to 10kg is a huge advantage to the ams systems. And if you use the original Prusa enclosure you have a warm build chamber, you can bring all the 5 filaments and the mmu into, the printer is quiet, it is more efficient and it’s made in the eu. And as a kit it costs as much as a BBL X1C. I think this is a better solution than the X1C, but only for hobbyists like me
That's true. Thanks!
As always, thank you. 👍👍
Thanks for watching!
I do not know how other people here see it, but my working time should not be free of charge. Therefore, I would always charge an hourly rate for necessary construction time, which is added to the base price of the device, e.g., minimum wage plus something. This is all the more true as there are devices from competitors that require no or very minimal assembly. Only when I add these costs to the basic price do I arrive at a real comparative price.
→ Which makes the MK4-MMU3 combination even more pricey.
That's a good way to look at it. Thanks!
Is my understanding correct that the buffer is solving the “retracted” filament so it doesn’t tangle problem? Where the AMS solves that by rolling your spools to retract? Also full transparency I used to love Prusa but they dropped the ball on the Mk4 in price and feature comparison to other printers. Mine collects dust while my X1C with 2 AMS units prints everything
Yes it's nice that the AMS has motors on each spool to feed filament in and retract. Yeah my Bambu are getting used more and more. Thanks!
I agree with the filament loading and to get the filament to the buffer is kind of annoying. However i did it some more times now and the loading by the mmu is now kind of flawless if your mmu is adjusted the right way.
I probably need to mess with my Idler tension. Thanks!
How is this supposed to work with the Prusa Mk4 enclosure? I bought a MMU2 --> MMU3 upgrade. The upgrade does not include the injection molded spool rollers and you can't buy them on Prusa's web site. The footprint with 5 filament spools is larger than the XL! Not sure Prusa thought this one through.
I see most people with the enclosure putting their filament on top of the enclosure and keeping the buffer inside. The process works. Just not great if you want multiple printers. Thanks!
It's looks very good. Wish I have that space to get one.
Thanks! I did condense it a little.
I have my spools on top of an enclosure I use for the Mk4, so YMMV quite a bit on the whole footprint thing.
Good to know! Thanks!
Hello, thank you for video. Can i get Spool holders stl?
They came with the kit and are injection molded or vacuum formed. I would try these for the Mini -
www.printables.com/model/57214-mini-printable-parts
@@tada3dprinting thank you
My 2 MK4 are printers I use on a daily bases they just seam to do a bit better detail. then my K1 and K1 max however it does not have a way to use up all the part rolls PLA hanging around. and with how the MMU3 takes up all that space to perform that task I got a pre order for the NEW K2 plus with MMU ( CFS ) is what it is called. I was lucky to get in on the pre-sale and paid 959.66 USD for the combo, just go to pull it out of the box and hit print with nothing to put together. I did not want a Bambu being the print bed is smaller 300mm Vs. 350mm AS you can tell not plaining on do "color" prints just using up my scrap rolls in the shop.
Oh that's good to know it's out for preorder. I have been wondering about it because of the size as well. Thanks!
How is the reliability of the MMU3 compared the the AMS on Bambu coreXY printers?
Probably similar. Reports are that the MMU3 has finally nailed reliability, so I don't think it lags behind the AMS anymore when it comes to reliability.
I feel that it's very similar on both printers once filaments are loaded.
However, I am still fighting my MMU3 to load filament more than I would like. Usually 3/5 filaments seem to not load on the first try. I'm still trying out different Idler tensions. I'm sure it's something on my part.
@@tada3dprinting what works for me is straighten the filament end, and cut the last off.
I absolutely love my mmu3. I ordered the upgrade kit from the mmu2 as I upgraded my printer from a mk3 to a mk3.9 and lost the mmu functionality.
One thing that is an absolute con that you may not have experienced is that if mid print it stops loading, there is no way to take manual control to fix the issue. I'm unsure if this option exists on others but is a feature prusa needs to add to make it more likely to fix a print instead of it being scrap
Yes and there should be a cancel button when loading filament etc. Using the reset button all the time seems excessive. I'm sure there will be firmware updates. Thanks!
@@tada3dprinting I do have an open github feature request outlining this problem and it has meen seen by the dev team so maybe. It has not yet been marked as completed or anything.
Will I work ok if you put it on a shelf directly behind it ?
Yes but the tubes won't quite reach to my shelf. And the buffer is still a pain to load. But I'm working on a solution. Thanks!
@@tada3dprinting I would be interested if you come up with a solution hope to see a video on what you did
It would be nice if they could make a side-by-side buffer/spool holder combo in one piece ... something the same dimensions as a normal spool holder except, say, 20mm wider. Then you could just arrange those as you want. It should take up less space and reduce the rat's nest of tubes and filament.
Yes I agree. Thanks!
Glad i went XL 5T. This thing seems like way more complexity than it should take.
And an even bigger footprint than the XL. Thanks!
I would love to be able to add one of these to one of the toolheads on a 5th xl.
I have the 5TH XL and I don't have any waste anymore. I don't use the tower since I installed the Brushes. Prints perfect 99.9% of the time and the only waste is the initial purge line.
Waste is such a red herring it is no longer a calculation.
Filament is inexpensive and the price difference between a XL and any other filament changer solution is worlds apart.
I've heard other people say this as well, but I find that there are small but noticeable changes in the initial filament that comes down after a tool head change if you don't have the tower. Especially on filaments that tend to change volume or ooze much more, the couple of small wipes per layer in the tower are well worth it to me. And it's such a small amount of material used that trying to eliminate it seems pointless.
@@falxonPSN I've had several prints fail because the tower itself failed. Printing without the tower (using the brushes) gave me the same quality. It's very rare that something didn't get cleaned off the nozzle from the brushes that would affect the quality.
I have also removed the tower on my XL. Mostly because of it failing and ruining prints. I haven't had the same experience with the MMU3 but I am printing much smaller things. Thanks!
So question.. why do folks say the XL has no waste? Even if we ignore brims, skirts, supports there is a few feet of filament that is left over due to the run out sensor being near the spool holders. Did Prusa fix that issue to where you can use up the entire roll even after the filament sensor is tripped?
Does the XL use the entire roll now?
I'm not going to get MMU3 because my brain is still scarred from MMU2 and anything where you have to shape the end of the filament is a waste of time IMO. I'm waiting to see if Bambu release a multi-head printer and if they dont then I may get the Prusa XL 5 toolhead.
I completely understand. My MMU3 is still pretty finicky about the filament tip and if the filament curves. Not something I have much patience for. The XL has never given me that problem. Thanks!
need a nice big 5 color 20 hour print if you want to truly comment on reliability. Something with multiple changes per layer.
That's true. I usually just print small things. Thanks
Yeah you can reduce the waste on the AMS but you can't reduce it enough where it's not a problem it's still a very big problem
With how much money you can save with the A1 or P1S, you can afford to buy LOTS of extra filament.
@@A1N0I don't think anyone's complaining about the cost. I think people are upset about producing more plastic waste from an environmental perspective, which I think is very fair. Plastic waste is a very big problem, and lots of people contributing to it via 3D printing certainly does have some level of impact, so being more interested in less wasteful options is a priority for a lot of people.
Do you know how many makers print useless plastic boats? The moment you seriously get into FDM printing you have already committed to adding more plastic waste into the world. There will be nearly used up spools, purge lines, supports, skirts, brims, test prints and countless other things that add to the waste.
The waste is inevitable and you always have the option to recycle if you truly cared.
@@AwwwSnapperz I never printed a benchy it's pointless
It's china. They don't care about plastic waste.
I still struggle to understand why Prusa fails to produce fully assembled products at a reasonable price. Literally everybody else can ship their products completely assembled, and at a lower price. To me this just feels like a ripoff, and is partly the reason why they are losing a massive portion of the 3D Printing market.
Yeah. Their excuse is "EU labor is pricier!" But given the repeatability of these tasks and that they can use unskilled labor, I don't buy it.
Yes I like knowing how the printer works and how to make adjustments. But I don't want to build 10+ myself. I'd rather spend that time doing just about anything else. I would imagine they will offer it in the future. Thanks!
I'm sure the mmu3 is good but I've had my ams for my p1s for 4 months and I've never had any errors either yes it wastes a bit more but I don't care about that you can buy a fully enclosed x1 carbon that does everything that the xl does for a fraction of the price for $2000 and the xl costs $7000 to $8500
The Bambu printers are very fun printers to use! Thanks!
It is simply not true that the Bambulab can do everything like the XL.
It is considerably faster at multicolor printing with much less waste.
The main advantage, however, is the ability to combine different materials.
This opens up completely different, new possibilities.
A Bambulab X1 really has nothing to do with a Prusa XL
Which is not to say that the X1 is bad. Just not really comparable.
you say it takes up more space but it takes up the same amount of space as a bambu AMS? you just dont have the rolls attached to the top of your printer. Arguably there is less volume in the AMS3 than a AMS
Yes, you're right. But height isn't really a problem for me. I can fit almost 3 X1Cs in the same tabletop as 1 Prusa MMU3. Thanks!
XL is just in a different league! 🏆 It saves a lot of time ⏱ and yeah, filament too! 🎨✨
That's true. Except that last 4 feet or so of the roll. Thanks!
Thanks a lot, well the ams and the ams little are way better than this one, customers pay for the filament waste so that's okay
I'd argue the MMU3 is generally better than the AMS Lite. Faster, creates less waste, and give you an extra color.
How on earth is the AMS better when its slower and more wasteful.
@@LilApe I can see some arguments for the regular (non-lite) AMS, since it can be daisy chained for more colors and can act as a dry box. The AMS Lite doesn't have those, though, so I can't see that as being any better than the MMU3.
At the end of the day, it's generally up to the user how much they value the features.
A very honest review. I had the MMU1 and the MMU2, both of which never worked. Now I have Bambu Lab printers and I'm very happy. Yes they waste filament, but filament is cheap, my time is more valuable. I can literally start multicolor prints from another room and NEVER even touch the printer. I did recently build a MK4 from kit, and that is a pretty good printer, of course why didn't they include a simple light or camera on a $1000 printer, I will never know. I have no desire to get an MMU3. I do have a Palette3Pro, which I don't use often, but that seems like a better solution than the MMU3 anyway..
It just seems like PRUSA goes off to design what they want to design, rather than build products that directly meet people's needs. At one time that probably was good enough, but the world has changed. PRUSA no longer operates in a vacuum. Not only did Bambu Lab create many new innovations, but they also spurred many others to copy them, which ultimately helps everyone.
I have several X1C and really like printing with them. I agree printing from another room, easy to load etc improve the experience. And a camera is pretty standard at this point. I'm surprised the MMU3 seems to be just the same setup etc as previous MMUs. But my Prusas print just a bit smoother prints. I like having both. Thanks!
Not only is it cumbersome, it's 40% cumbersome.
Have to disagree with your point on assembly. I love building the printer and MMU. It's so rare for consumers to be able to assemble / repair any machine these days. It's a lost art.
Some people want a finished product out of the box. I don't think that's the market Prusa is going for.
I have assembled my mk3s upgraded it to 3.5 still I think some would like to be free for this experience, I guess they are selling some Mk4 fully assembled so there would be a market for it I think. Maybe one is funny but time is money so the next 9 is ok assembled. :-)
I understand. I do like knowing how the machines work. But I'd like to build one, and then have the next 10 built. Thanks!
Imagine companies trying to make a print farm with MMU3's. They would be willing to pay for preassembled ones, baffling prusa doesn't offer one.
I'm surprised they haven't come out with the option by now. The buffer is not large so it could ship pre-assembled. Just would need to make the small adjustments to your Nextruder and attach. Thanks!
Overpriced 😅
I arranged it with a smaller footprint if that is useful for anyone. ua-cam.com/video/peyPL7cUErQ/v-deo.htmlsi=pSisrJABGhSPrTDj
Thanks so much!