Out of all the different automatic build plate changer systems for the A1 now out there, which one, if any, stands out as head and shoulder better than the others? In short, which one is “the best”? What I mean by this is automated print production (one after another from a queue), but not relying on haphazard “knocking off” of prior prints. Instead, ejecting the build plate as soon as a print ends, automatically slapping in a new one, and then immediately print the next item in the print queue, pedal to the metal without delay. Most of them currently allow up to 11 or so build plates in a row to be printed in this way without human intervention, using an AMS or other to switch filament rolls when filament runs out so that there’s no need to halt just because the end of a roll was reached.
There are quite a few options now out there. Here are just a few:
They’re purely mechanical, by leveraging some custom g-code on the A1 to trigger the change-out and the loading of a new plate. From what I’ve read, they’re quite reliable. Some of them have designs that are free to download, print, and assemble. Others will sell you the parts. Some have sophisticated queue management, for a price.
Opinions?
I may buy an A1 specifically because–so far–it seems like the only printer on the market (other than the A1 mini) that supports the purely mechanical automatic build plate changers that seem to be more and more growing in popularity. So, before pulling the trigger on an A1 purchase, I’d like to see what the best plate changer is and whether or not it has any “issues” that would later make me regret triyng this. I don’t need another printer per se. I just need a printer that can do this, even if that means buying another printer so that I can leverage the work already done by others in bringing this dream into a reality. No sense in reinventing the wheel if others have already done it, with lots of wheels now available.
Let’s begin with: has anyone tried this on an A1, and are you happy with it?