As popular as the LulzBot TAZ and Mini have proven to be, their all-metal hotends have suffered from one issue that Aleph Objects has sought to rectify through the release of new extruders. When 3D printing with flexible materials, users might end up in a bit of a sticky situation. LulzBot has since released the Flexystruder, giving users the ability to purchase this add-on to start 3D printing with such materials as NinjaFlex. But what if you want to 3D print with both flexible and rigid materials? LulzBot has now has a solution for that, too, with today’s release of the LulzBot TAZ FlexyDually Tool Head v2.
Vice President of Marketing for Aleph Objects, Inc. Harris Kenny said of the new product, “LulzBot 3D printers feature proven extruders with industry-leading robustness and millions of hours of testing and us. By upgrading the LulzBot tool head line, our community has better ways than ever to reliably prototype and bring ideas to life.”
Available for purchase at LulzBot.com, the FlexyDually Tool Head v2 heats up to 300 degrees Celsius, making it capable of a wide variety of 3 mm filaments. Unfortunately, it is only compatible with the TAZ, so Mini users will need to go big or go home. Mini users, however, can still rely on the single Flexystruder Tool Head v2, if they’re looking to 3D print flexible materials. The new FlexyDually is supported by the latest version of Cura LulzBot Edition, which now features quickprint profiles for such materials as NinjaFlex® and SemiFlex™.
To get a sense for what you can 3D print with such a device, check out this amazing alien suit made from flexible and rigid materials. Keep in mind that this was 3D printed with version one of the FlexyDually, which did not have an all-metal hotend. The newer version can print a much wider variety of filaments and has an aluminum carriage for more reliable printing.
