E3D Kraken vs dual V6?

[atoff]

I just saw a couple of pics of the new E3D V6 hotend (won't post them, as I don't believe they were made public just yet).

I've been waiting on the v6 to release, and was going to pick a couple of them up to set up dual extruders, but considering it would cost about the same, maybe slightly more to go with the Kraken, I was wondering what you guys though. The Kraken seems like one of those very experimental things that would have a whole slew of problems, meant for people to test out, while the v5 is solid, with outstanding reviews.

The v6 should be releasing very soon, which is why I'm bringing this up now. Don't want to miss out, in the chance that it sells out.

[Eaglezsoar]

I just saw a couple of pics of the new E3D V6 hotend (won't post them, as I don't believe they were made public just yet).

I've been waiting on the v6 to release, and was going to pick a couple of them up to set up dual extruders, but considering it would cost about the same, maybe slightly more to go with the Kraken, I was wondering what you guys though. The Kraken seems like one of those very experimental things that would have a whole slew of problems, meant for people to test out, while the v5 is solid, with outstanding reviews.

The v6 should be releasing very soon, which is why I'm bringing this up now. Don't want to miss out, in the chance that it sells out.

The odds of it selling out would be very slim. The Kraken has already been field tested but is overkill if you don't need the quad extruders plus the card
that can handle that many the X3 Pro is also expensive when you fully populate it to run quad extruders. The V6 will handle most people's needs for a
long time. I would like to know what the bore length of it.

[atoff]

I don't need the quad extruders, but if the difference in price isn't much, and it shouldn't be, even with the x3 Pro, it would be nice to be able to print in multiple materials... say 2 filament colors, and a dissolvable support material. I think I'm more interested in the ability to print a support material, but you know, would be cool to be able to print multiple colors as well. But you think just stick with 2 V6's? I don't think I'd have buyers remorse with either, I'm just unsure if the Kraken would introduce too many problems.

Not sure about the bore length, only that it will fit existing 16mm mounts, and will be easier to assemble. Looks like the thermistor will be held in place by a bolt.

[Tinyhead]

Saw the pics and it looks that way. Simple yet effective. It would sure be nice to have that assurance as I've seen my end before and the thermistor was barely hanging on by the RTV. Last thing I want it to cook up the hot end, or worse, start a fire.

[Eaglezsoar]

I don't need the quad extruders, but if the difference in price isn't much, and it shouldn't be, even with the x3 Pro, it would be nice to be able to print in multiple materials... say 2 filament colors, and a dissolvable support material. I think I'm more interested in the ability to print a support material, but you know, would be cool to be able to print multiple colors as well. But you think just stick with 2 V6's? I don't think I'd have buyers remorse with either, I'm just unsure if the Kraken would introduce too many problems.

Not sure about the bore length, only that it will fit existing 16mm mounts, and will be easier to assemble. Looks like the thermistor will be held in place by a bolt.

Mhackney has a good writeup on the Kraken you should read before deciding but I warn you in advance, he loves them.

[atoff]

Saw the pics and it looks that way. Simple yet effective. It would sure be nice to have that assurance as I've seen my end before and the thermistor was barely hanging on by the RTV. Last thing I want it to cook up the hot end, or worse, start a fire.

Luckily, I haven't had a problem with my thermistor, but I had gone through the trouble of drilling / tapping a hole and installing a screw in thermistor. Seems to be the best option really.

Mhackney has a good writeup on the Kraken you should read before deciding but I warn you in advance, he loves them.

Yeah, I've gone through most of that thread, I'll have to revisit it though. Looked like he had gotten it working pretty well. I'll also have to think about whether I can make it work for the V2, since he's installed it on a V1 I believe. I'm not yet confident enough to design my own mounting plate.

[Eaglezsoar]

I am reasonably certain that his mounting plate will fit the V2 as well as the V1.

[Polygonhell]

The big advantage of the kraken is that it has a working mechanism to get all the heads level, I'm running mine with 2 head at the moment, I just don't have any use for more than that.
The downside is I really can't see how you keep the wiring tidy.

[mhackney]

I more than got it working pretty well, it totally rocks. Best hot end I have by a big margin. The wiring is not that bad. Every hot end has a bowden, you just run the wiring for that hot end along the Bowden. I ran the silicone water tunes along one of them too. It all buttons up nicely. The head leveling in the Kraken is really well done. I would like to see them offer 2, 3 and 4 head configurations.

cheers,
Michael

[atoff]

I more than got it working pretty well, it totally rocks. Best hot end I have by a big margin. The wiring is not that bad. Every hot end has a bowden, you just run the wiring for that hot end along the Bowden. I ran the silicone water tunes along one of them too. It all buttons up nicely. The head leveling in the Kraken is really well done. I would like to see them offer 2, 3 and 4 head configurations.

cheers,
Michael

Ah, and I was just about the reply saying that I had re-read your thread. Wiring and hoses look like they'd be really stiff though, does it not cause any problems with it hindering movement at all? Also, on the software side of things, any simple solutions there to make use of the 3 or 4 heads? Thinking about it more, having 4 extruders means I'd be able to put a larger nozzle on a couple, so I could do supports and infill with say 0.6-07mm, and have 0.35 for detail.

Have to see what the V6 brings to the table!

[mhackney]

No problem what so ever. It is surprisingly not stiff. No simple solutions for multiple extruders yet.

[atoff]

Well that's good to hear at least, thought it would be crazy stiff considering those 2 hoses. Not sure it would be right for me without the software though, that would be the difficult part, but I guess I'll have to do some more reading, see what it's going to take to get it working.

[atoff]

Well, I went ahead and placed an order for 2 v6's. They're now available for purchase, and with a 10% discount it was too good of a deal to pass on. $156 shipped from Filastruder for the 2, after shipping and discount.

Now I just need to figure out how I'm supposed to mount these. I will need much help, I apologize in advance!

[atoff]

So, I need to get myself another extruder (cold end), is it better for me to go with another EZStruder, or should I put together Greg's Wade Reloaded? I'm not really sure how the two compare. I'm not terribly impressed by the EZStruder... my first impression was of a warped cover and misaligned parts... it works, but this often happens:

http://youtu.be/PVQdUdhjVik

At the same time, I was looking at bubbasnow's post (http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php ... 9&start=20) for ideas on how to mount the dual E3D's, and his looks nice.

[Polygonhell]

You're ezstruder is being overpowered by the pressure required to extrude the filament, when it reaches enough torque, you drop steps until the required torque drops.
It can be a number of things, the current could be set too high or low, you could be over extruding, if it's the first layer, your Zero position could be too close to the bed, or it could be a mechanical issue making the filament harder to push. I'd start by pushing the filament by hand when to happens, first from just above the Hotend then through the Bowden tube, if that is reasonable, I'd start looking for mechanical issues on the EZ Struder, then fiddle with the current.

I like my EZ struder, the issue with Greg's/wades is they are very dependent on the quality of the hobbed bolt and they don't like very fast retracts, I actually have 4 EZ Struders, but only 2 currently assembled.

[atoff]

I see, thanks... I did think it was a jam at the hotend, and did test by manually feeding it, all smooth... so I'll have to look into whether it's an issue with the current.
The shipping kills it for me with the EZStruder. $75 shipped for the EZStruder with motor ($15 for shipping)... I know it doesn't seem like much, but it's adding up quickly. $75 seems like a lot for just the EZStruder.