Multicolor printing has spent years catching up to real toolchanging, and this week three different companies pushed it forward at once. Prusa shipped an 8 material tool changer for the CORE One, Snapmaker's four head U1 landed on Amazon, and Bambu Lab's own patent filings hint at where the X series is headed next. If you print more than one color a week, this is the trend worth watching right now.
Prusa's Bondtech INDX Brings 8 Material Printing to the CORE One
Prusa and Bondtech just opened orders on INDX, a true tool changer kit for the CORE One that swaps between up to eight induction heated toolheads in seconds. That is a real mechanical swap, not a filament shuffle through a single nozzle, which is what has kept multi material prints slow and wasteful on most consumer printers. It comes in two tiers, a four tool kit and an eight tool kit, and it ships now if you already own a CORE One. My honest take is that this is exciting engineering, but it is a serious add on cost stacked on top of a printer you already bought. It makes the most sense if you are already deep into multi material work and want the cleanest version of it, not as a first toolchanger purchase.
Bambu Lab's Patents Suggest a True Toolchanger Is Coming
Patent filings from Bambu Lab describe a mechanism for automatic printhead exchange, which points toward a real toolchanger somewhere down the road rather than another AMS style filament swap. It follows the X2D's dual nozzle approach that is already on shelves and popular with makers who print a lot of multicolor props and terrain. I run Bambu gear daily and the ecosystem is the reason I keep coming back to it, so I am curious whether they can beat Prusa and Snapmaker to a clean, reliable implementation instead of just matching what is already out there. Nothing is confirmed or shipping yet, so treat this as a trend to watch rather than a reason to wait on a purchase today.
Snapmaker U1: The Toolchanger You Can Actually Buy Right Now
While Prusa and Bambu are busy with kits and patents, Snapmaker already has a toolchanger on the market. The U1 uses four independent, preloaded toolheads that swap in about five seconds, which Snapmaker says cuts multicolor print time dramatically and slashes purge waste compared to a single nozzle setup. Build volume lands at 270 by 270 by 270 millimeters, which is plenty for most props and terrain pieces. Snapmaker's own store currently lists it at 849 dollars, down from 999. My take is that this is the toolchanger to grab if you want the speed and waste benefits without spending Prusa CORE One plus INDX kit money, and it is genuinely available today instead of a future promise.
For the Painters: Army Painter's Speedpaint Markers Are a Genuine Time Saver
Not everything this week is about printers. Army Painter's Speedpaint Markers put their one coat contrast style paint into a felt tip marker, which makes it fast to lay down basecoats and shading on a whole squad of minis without loading a brush. The starter set comes with ten markers plus replacement tips and is priced around 64 dollars on Army Painter's own site. My honest take as someone who paints between prints is that these will not replace a full pot of Speedpaint for a large centerpiece model, but for batch painting an army or knocking out quick touch ups between commissions, the speed is real. This week's quick tip: keep a felt tip marker like this next to your workbench for exactly that, fast basecoats when you do not want to dirty a brush.
That's Maker Monday
That's the maker world for this week. If any of this got you thinking about a custom print, paint, or engraving, come see what we make on the commission page. See you next Monday.
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