I originally bought this for R&D, the full blown Combo with extra AMS. Now that I have put together a few items, I found that I just might wind up with a contract to print large quantities. I will need 4 more machines with the 320mm bed size in order to fulfill them. Question I have, would getting 4 more H2D be the trick, or is there something a bit on the lighter side with a large enough bed that can print up to 8 colors without my intervention like the H2D does.
I have to admit, being I have a large CO2 laser that required a LOT of my time to learn and get working correctly, I am AMAZED at how easy it was to plunk this on a bench, power it up and print a sea sick panda (got the white and green mixed up).
If you dont get a lemon, it should be fine. I run all my machine (H2D included) with plates full to the brim with a “i paid for the full bed, imma use the full bed” mindset".
given the layer time this leads to FAR less quality issues along the run, and ofcourse helps with mass production.
Question is more along the lines of what machines would I add to my shop that compares directly to the H2d, as is the H2D the best choice for full production or is there a lower priced machine with a 320mm bed and do 8 colors. The X1 and P1 beds only hold 15 of what I am printing while the H2D holds 25. Time wise the print jobs are the same, but doing 10 less means delays clearing the bed and starting the next batch since there will be more batches with the smaller machines. What I am wondering, which would be a better purchase, 4 of the K2 with an additional filament box, or 4 more H2d?
That is provided I can order 4 H2D, last I checked they were still one per customer.
Unless you need the size of bed, it’s always better to up your capacity by simply multiplying the number of printers you have. You can buy ~3 P1S combo’s for the price of an H2D combo which effectively gives you 45 parts vs 25 each time you start and clear the print beds.
Oh honestly I thought you were asking wether filling the bed is “trustworthy”. TBH I run ALL my machines like that, but for me, the big ones I run, 500x500 and 750x750, are open aired, so they are out of the picture for enclosed materials, i.e abs/asa. Given the heated chamber, size of the bed and quality (when it works) id go to H2D , Otherwise multiple p1p’s, enclose them with printed enclosure and voila, all done.
As you said 8 colors multi-print, that’s your answer right there.
And for serious production, running multiple of the same machine is just going to be less fiddling, unified maintenance that can potentially offset whatever upfront saving down the road.
On a more general level H2D is just the most suited for large batch manufacturing that I think most don’t even realize. For PLA/PETG, batch printing aka long layer time really appreciate a somewhat regulated chamber temperature over open doors/open frame, a bigger and better extruder system better maintains ideal flow going object to object in per-layer mode and is more capable at handling prolonged extruder load I’ve found. Those are more of a quality/warping aspect, which can be a rare thing to care for print farms…
From what I heard, with H2D being a thing K2plus is no longer worth going for the money as it’s not even cheap but don’t put me on blast for it lol.
The h2d is your best bet in this size, price, and with 8 colors without any building involved.
The K2 is a great printer, but not as polished as a Bambu machine. Its better in some ways but worse in more ways. The qidi plus 4 is also a great option that prints great but I havnt checked to see if they accept more than 4 colors. This was my favorite printer until the H2D came out and robbed most of my electricity lol. And with both if these options, youre going to spend more in wasted filament purge. The H2d will pay for itself in filament savings eventually. Especially if youre using it for production multi color or with expensive filaments
Do you have 4 circuits that are open? That would be my only concern.
I also agree with @JonRaymond, unless you really need the full 320mm and dont care about filament waste
Thanks guys. I was on the fence on the K2 as I could pick up a K2 combo with 2 CFS for $1600, but the filament waste is about triple per color change. Power is not an issue I have several 20 Amp circuits available to run on. I have been running the H2D and CO2 laser off the same circuit for a month now.
Pros and cons are very limited between them, even if I toss the XL with 5 head in the mix. I tossed the XL idea out for three reasons, not enclosed, even with their “enclosure”, filament is left out in the open which is a no go for me since my shop is currently in the basement with 60%+ humidity, keeping filament dry is a priority here, and cost.
K2 advantage is cost and speed, but not enough difference in speed to offset the filament losses.
The final thing that was hinted at above, parts. Replacement nozzles, and any other parts considered wearables, I would need to have two different piles.
At this point, besides cost is availability, if I NEED a couple machines in a hurry, I can get them from Amazon in 2 days. I don’t know the turn around time on the H2D yet. I will need 4 machines if my deal for this production run goes through, which I give it as a 95% change.
The xl would be the ultimate money saver in the long run and ultimate multimaterial printer but I didnt include it because the upfront cost, 5 material limit and also the slicer isnt as easy to learn for some. They have enclosed filament holders you can make for it or print straight from a 4 roll filament dryer.
Just so you dont think im talking out my butt, I own or have owned all the printers mentioned here.
I also looked at the printers “supported” by Bambu Studio, the K2 is not listed, nor is the XL, though their other models are, which was also a decision maker. If i land this deal we are working on, I need something I can jump right into and not have to learn another software portion to get things rolling since I have the templates already preset, and just have to load the jobs to run them, so looks like H2D is the way to go, especially since I have room for only 4 more machines.
Yeah, it seems bambu didnt add any big competitors to their slicer. It cant handle toolchangers either. Or even multiple nozzle sizes. Orcaslicer or prusaslicer is what I use for all non Bambu printers. Bambu studio is based on prusaslicer but they cut alot of stuff out. Orcaslicer is based on bambu studio and is very similar but has more stuff also. Like a full suite of calibrations. They made bambu studio as easy as possible for new users.
I’d be real nervous to use H2D as the core of your large scale production. When trying to use consumer products to replace pro ones, a good valuation strategy is to quantify…
You can get 20 Bambu A1’s or Elegoo Centauri Carbons and 5 years of parts for the price of a single used stratasys machine.
You can get 2-3ish H2D’s for the same price.
You better really need that big spacious bed and have very good vibes from the machines longevity. Value’s only there for hobby niche IMO
My biggest concern is time to manufacture. If I do only 15 at one time, now I have to make up time for 10 more. To do that I need to run 2 machines and gain only 5 more. For another project instead of doing 6 at a time, it will do 4, same thing, two machines, gain of 2. If I have 2 large bed producing 25 at a time, that 50 pieces instead of 30. More pieces produced, lowers the run costs of the machines as well. So in order to meet my fulfillment deadlines I would need at least 9-10 machines instead of 4. I only have room for 4 at the moment, will need to do some build out and electric modifications to run more than 4 total where I am now. This doesn’t even add in consideration for filament storage, and dryers.
Add in all the other paperwork, how does any actual work get done! LOL
Of course if I can’t land the contract it will be a moot point since I won’t have the need for more printers right away.
Really???
Do you have some top secret number you can share with us on the forum?
Please don’t try to generalize by saying “you might be surprised”, when you don’t have a clue let alone a truthful answer.
This is exactly how information on forums starts to get misconstrued. If you have factual knowledge of your claim please supply it to support your ludicrous claim!
Why wouldnt there be? Some of the Utubrs out there have direct comparisons between Bambu and others that they are indeed using for production. Just because one feels that they aren’t production ready, doesn’t mean that they aren’t.
It comes down to one question, what makes it production or non production? To answer, can it consistently put out the same product, can it run 24x7 continuously, and do the parts hold up or do they need frequent replacements.