Change the tool. Keep the material ready.
Changing colour or material can mean clearing the previous filament out of a shared nozzle. The multi-tool Prusa XL approaches that change by keeping separate heads ready.
In practice. Prusa documented shipment of multi-tool Original Prusa XL configurations in its October 2023 update.
What to keep in view
This case concerns the multi-tool Original Prusa XL documented in 2023, not every XL configuration or a later model. Toolchanging does not make printing waste-free, and comparisons require representative print jobs.
Prepared tools, different jobs
The printer parks independent print heads and picks up the one needed for the next part of a job. Prusa documents multi-tool configurations and their shipment in its October 2023 update.
This arrangement can avoid some of the flushing involved when several materials share one nozzle. It also allows different materials to be assigned to different parts of the print, including suitable support structures.
The reset is a design opportunity
Our reading: the broader idea is to examine what happens between operations. A repeated reset may be reduced when each tool retains the setup it needs for its own task.
The result still depends on the job. Calibration, material compatibility, supports and failed prints all belong in a useful comparison of time, waste and cost.
Read next.
Digital knitting at studio scale.
Both bring digital fabrication into a smaller production setting. Files, material preparation, calibration and maintenance remain part of making.
Put the material connection inside the milling blank.
Both coordinate material and tool decisions before the object is complete. Subtractive dental milling and multi-tool additive printing follow different workflows.