I’m a 3D printing noob. I’ve owned an X2D with the AMS 2 Pro for four months.
What is the writing on the wall for the future of filament changers such as the AMS?
From some reading and watching some videos, it seems that a tool changer architecture incurs less waste, and is faster than, a filament changer architecture. For probably a higher cost. I’ve no idea about potential patent conflicts.
Are there rumors about the direction that BL is taking for future printers?
I think the AMS (or a version of it) will be around for quite some time. Tool changers are great and all but there still is a limitation of how many filaments (and types) you can have loaded in your printer at one time.
Tool changers take up room and thus the number are limited by space accessible by the print head. If you want to print in more than say 4/8 colours you need a way to change the filament in the tool heads automatically.
Another issue that is that a tool changer loaded with a low temperature filament such as PLA inside a printer heated print chamber will cause issues. You need a way to remove/reinsert filament depending on what chamber temperature your printer is at.
In the future I suspect that many companies will move to a hybrid approach of a tool changer printer feed by an AMS(s). We are also seeing the AMS move into functioning as a filament “conditioner”.
I see where that’s of value for some, but it can’t do much for filaments to be used soon. As a conditioner, filament needs to be in there for a while for it to be effective which blocks AMS slots. That’s ok too as long as people have sufficient slots to hold filament that isn’t dry enough to be used as well as “in use” printing filaments.
I’m really hoping the dehumidifying cabinets come on strong since that doesn’t use up AMS slots. Only thing is those don’t heat. But for well-dried filament ready to print when people are, I think it’s hard to bead a good filament dryer, a dry cabinet, and an AMS. Works great with old and new AMS units.
Why can’t they co-exist? One delivers material, the other changes tools. There’s no particular reason a head on a multi-head printer needs to be limited to one material (with purging ofc). Then there’s just the convenience of having multiple materials already loaded and ready to go (partially why I like the Vortek, purely convenience). I’d love a 32-spool AMS (with dry storage)… 
-Max
The future for my 2 AMS2 Pro’s is I plan to work them to death, then worry about it.
As far as my printer’s poop can goes, I got another abstract lesson in not watching it yesterday. It got full, the monitoring system didn’t stop it like it did the last time it backed up and I had a near disaster with a rather large blob-o on my print head.(due to a constipated poop chute.)
Fortunately, I tend to keep an eye on it and caught it on the verge of disaster. Cleared everything and continued on. But the poop factor does have to help sell a ton more filament.
I’m almost at the point of Henry Ford and his model T. Yes, you can get it in any color. So long as it’s Black. (No color changes)
Or to take Cincinnati Designs advice and have a 5-gallon bucket for a poop can. I might run out of filament before it overflows on my feet. 