Project Dashboard Accessories and Upgrades LulzBot TAZ Dual Extruder Tool Head v2 Installation LulzBot TAZ 5 Workflow

1 Congratulations!

You just upgraded your LulzBot® desktop 3D printer with the LulzBot TAZ Dual Extruder Tool Head v2. After following this Quick Start Guide, your LulzBot TAZ 3D printer will be more capable than ever.

Let's get started!

LulzBot TAZ Dual Extruder v2 Tool Head
LulzBot TAZ Dual Extruder v2 Tool Head

2 Included materials

Included Materials

  • LulzBot TAZ Dual Extruder Tool Head v2 with v2c connector
  • ABS filament samples (2)
  • Secondary filament guide tube
  • Secondary extruder harness
  • 3D printed secondary filament spool arm
  • M5 screw, 10 mm (1) and drop-in T-nut (1) for secondary filament spool arm
  • M5 button head screw, 8 mm (1) to replace one control box mounting screw
  • Aluminum bed holster plates (4)
  • M3 low-profile flat head screws (4)
  • Zip ties (7)
  • 3D printed T-nut jig
Included materials

3 Items required

You will also need

  • Metric hex drivers: 4mm, 3mm, 2.5mm, included in your LulzBot TAZ toolkit
  • Scissors or wire cutters for cutting zip ties
  • LulzBot TAZ 5 desktop 3D printer
  • USB cable
  • GNU Linux/Windows/Mac-based computer
  • You may also require an additional tool head adapter if your TAZ 5 was upgraded from an earlier version. Check our Tool Head Adapter Guide for more information.
Additional items needed

4 Position the Z axis

Let's get started!

4A
Power on your LulzBot TAZ 3D printer.

4B
Home your 3D printer by using the Graphical LCD controller to home the printer.

4C
Raise the Z axis through the Graphical LCD controller.

Navigate to:
Prepare > Move Axis > 1.0 > Z axis > Change the value to at least 200.

4D
After the Z axis stops moving, push the X axis carriage over by hand to the middle of the X axis.

Raise Z axis, position X axis

5 Power off your LulzBot 3D printer

Completely power off your LulzBot 3D printer and unplug the power supply before proceeding.

Power off yout TAZ 3D printer, disconnect the USB cable

6 Replace control box screw

Your new tool head has a different hot end length than the standard tool head on your LulzBot TAZ. A screw used to attach the control box to the LulzBot TAZ 3D printer frame will need to be replaced.

6A
The screw is located on the rear, left-hand side vertical extrusion.

6B
Hold the upper T-nut in place with the T-nut jig. Insert the jig into the aluminum extrusion channel prior to removing the screw. If it does fall lift it back up.

6C
Remove the top rear 10mm M5 bolt and replace it with the lower profile 8mm M5 screw.

6D
Remove the jig once the screw has been replaced.

Insert T-nut jig
Remove and replace screw

7 Replace bed clips

Additional clearance is necessary for the extrusion fan ducts on your new dual extruder.

7A
Remove the four original 3D printed bed corner fingers using a 2.5mm hex driver.

7B
Using a 2mm hex driver and the included 3mm flat head screws replace the bed corner fingers with the new lower profile aluminum bed holster plates.

Remove original bed corner screws
Install low profile holster plates and screws

8 Install secondary spool arm

8A
Loosen the existing spool arm and slide it down about 2 inches (50mm), and tighten it.

8B
Insert the new T-nut included with your Dual Extruder Tool Head v2 on the same z-axis vertical frame (the front right extrusion), in the same channel.

8C
Use the M5 screw to install the 3D printed secondary filament spool arm.

8D
Place two spools of filament on the spool arms to ensure they are mounted with sufficient space to rotate during printing.

8E
Attach the secondary filament guide tube included with your new dual extruder, matching the existing feed tube orientation.

Insert T-nut
Spool arm spacing
Spool arm spacing
Attach secondary filament guide tube

9 Connect secondary extruder harness

9A
Unscrew the cap on the second port on top of the electronics box on your LulzBot TAZ 3D printer, then plug in the secondary extruder harness into the uncapped port.

9B
Route the new harness next to existing one on your printer, using zip ties to secure it in the same spots.

9C
Use a zip tie to secure the new secondary extruder harness into the empty harness holder on the top left side of the x-carriage.

Connect secondary extruder harness
Recommended zip-tie locations

10 Remove existing tool head

10A
Unplug the connectors for your current tool head.

10B
With one hand support the tool head and unscrew the single M3 screw securing it to the X axis carriage.

10C
Remove the tool head from the 3D printer by lifting the tool head up.

Remove original tool head
Support tool head

11 Record your new tool head E steps

Your new tool head has 2 different Extruder Steps Per Unit (E steps) values. These two important new values can be found on a sticker on the back of the extruder.

11A
Record the first extruder (T0) E steps.

11B
Record the second extruder (T1) E steps.

Record your new E steps

12 Mount the new tool head

Install the Dual Extruder Tool Head v2 by seating it on the X axis carriage and secure it with the M3 screw that you removed in the previous steps.

Mount tool head

13 Plug in tool head

13A
Connect the two 16 pin connectors, making sure to match them based on the pins in the connectors. Note: You may have one or two spare fan connectors that will not be used.

13B
Use zip ties to secure the second extruder harness to the 3D printer frame, following the existing wire harness.

Verify the connectors are appropriately connected before proceeding

Connect harnesses

14 Install Cura LulzBot Edition

14A
Install the latest version of Cura LulzBot Edition. It is important to have the LulzBot Edition of Cura, as it has preset machine configuration profiles built into it.

14B
Cura LulzBot Edition is available from http://LulzBot.com/Cura.

14C
Plug in your LulzBot TAZ 3D printer to the power supply and power on your 3D printer.

14D
Once powered on connect your 3D printer to your computer using the USB cable.

14E
Open Cura LulzBot Edition.

Cura LulzBot Edition

15 Setup new tool head in Cura

15A
Select Machine > LulzBot TAZ 5

15B
Select Machine > Machine Settings

In the Machine settings window:

15C
Select Change Tool Head

Select LulzBot TAZ 5
Select Machine settings
Press Change Tool Head button

16 Choose your tool head

16A
Select v2 (Hexagon).

16B
Select Dual Extruder v2.

16C
Select Next to continue.

Select v2 (Hexagon)
Select Dual Extruder v2

17 Update firmware

17A
Make sure your 3D printer is plugged into your computer through USB and that your 3D printer is powered on.

17B
Press the Flash the firmware button.

17C
Press the Finish button once the firmware update process has completed to exit the wizard.

Update the firmware
Press Finish and exit the wizard

18 Monitor the Z axis during the first homing movement

To prevent damage to your 3D printer, power it off immediately if the tool head looks like it is on a course to lower into the print surface before triggering the Z end stop.

If the tool head looks like it will prematurely trigger the Z end stop too high above the print bed, adjust the thumb screw lower and restart this process.

The spring and washer can be removed if needed to achieve the proper Z height.

Remove washer and spring if needed

19 Load models into Cura

Load the calibration models in the following order:

Calibration models loaded

20 Open Printer Interface window

Press the Control button to open the Printer Interface window.

Calibration models

21 Home the Z axis

21A
Once the Printer Interface window opens, home the printer by pressing Home Z.

21B
Adjust the homing height by repeatedly homing the Z axis and turning the Z axis end stop trigger until a sheet of paper folded in half just barely slides under the rear nozzle.

21C
To adjust the level of the T1 (front) extruder push the bed away to have access to the leveling screw. The leveling screw is found on the front dual extruder mount.

21D
Adjust it with the 4mm driver until the two nozzles are the same height above the bed. Turning the screw counter-clockwise raises the front nozzle. Turning the screw clockwise lowers the front nozzle.

Adjust the front and rear nozzle leveling
Check leveling

22 Verify homing height

22A
Home the printer again and check the level of each nozzle with the folded sheet of paper to make sure that the tension felt when moving the paper underneath each nozzle feels the same.

Adjust homing height

23 Calibrate your Dual Extruder Offsets

In order to get the best performance from your Dual Extruder Tool Head v2 you will want to calibrate the following items:

  • Hot end X axis positioning offsets
  • Hot end Y axis positioning offsets.

Recommended Tools:

  • Digital Calipers (A ruler was included with your TAZ 3D printer and can be used)
Cura

24 Adjust extruder E steps

24A
Use the Graphical LCD controller to clear the EEPROM settings from the previous firmware.

24B
Navigate to: Configuration and select Restore Failsafe.

24C
Scroll up and select Advanced settings > Esteps/mm to update the extruder steps per unit (E-steps or esteps) to get the best performance from your Dual Extruder Tool Head.

24D
Use the control knob on the Graphical LCD controller to adjust the value.

24E
Adjust the E2stps/mm value.

24F
Once set, back out of the menu entries until you can select Store Memory.

24G
Select Store Memory to save the adjusted Extruder Esteps/mm.

Use the Graphical LCD to update the E steps

25 Set printer temperatures

Use the terminal entry box in the lower right hand side of the control window to manually enter the GCODE commands.

25A
Set Extruder 0 (rear) as the active extruder:

T0

Press Enter on your keyboard to send the command.

25B
Set Extruder 0 (rear) hot end extrusion temperature to 240°C and the print surface to 110°C by using the Set buttons.

25C
Set extruder 1 (front) hot end as the active extruder:

T1

Press Enter on your keyboard to send the command.

25D
Set Extruder 1 (front) hot end extrusion temperature to 240°C by using the Set button.

Manual GCODE terminal
Set temperatures
Send the T1 command to switch to the second extruder
Send the T0 command to switch back to the first extruder

26 Define second extruder offset

To determine the X and Y axis positioning adjustments needed, we will print the inner and outer square in the next step.

26A
Make sure that both hot ends are at the proper extrusion temperature and that the print surface is at its ideal temperature as well.

26B
Remove the filament used during the factory calibration process.

26C
Load the ABS samples into both extruders: LulzBot Green into the rear extruder and black into the front extruder.

26D
Purge the calibration filament by rotating each large gear by hand until the extruder transitions to the sample filament.

26E
Close the printer interface window.

Factory calibration filament
Remove calibration filament
Load ABS sample filament
Purge sample filament

27 Load models and switch to full settings

27A
Left click on the smaller, inner square.

27B Right click on the larger, outer square and select dual extrusion merge.

27C
Select your material (ABS & ABS), and the Standard print profile.

27D
Switch to Full settings mode by selecting Expert > Switch to full settings.

27E
Copy existing settings

27F
Under the Basic tab turn off:

  • Wipe&prime tower
  • Ooze shield
Select the large square and merge the models
Switch to Full settings mode
Copy existing settings
Turn off Wipe & prime, and ooze shield

28 Print and measure the four gaps

28A
Press the Control button to open the printer interface window.

28B
Set both hot ends to 240°C, and the bed to 100°C. Remember, to switch to the second extruder send the T1 command. To switch back to the first extruder send the T0 command.

28C
Press Print to print the merged Calibration Squares model.

28D
As your 3D printer moves to print each portion it will switch between active extruders automatically. Monitor the print progress for it should only take a few minutes. Once the printed objects are complete, leave them on the print surface.

28E
Use your digital calipers or ruler to measure the gap between each model from the top & bottom, and the gap between each side.

28F
Record your current values.

Press Print
Calibration squares
Measure the gap using calipers...
... or measure the gap using a ruler

29 Calculate the offsets

29A
Enter these numbers into our offset calculator found here: https://www.lulzbot.com/dual-extruder-calibration-calculator

29B
This will produce new offsets, that will need to be updated in the Machine Settings menu. Note the new values.

29C
Close the printer interface window.

Offset Calculator

30 Update new offsets

30A
Open the Machine settings window by selecting:

30B
Machine > Machine Settings

30C
Update your__X__ and Y offsets and save the changes by pressing OK.

Update offsets, your values will be different

31 Print calibration squares

Reprint the inner and outer calibration squares using the previous steps to fine tune the offsets until you are satisfied with the results:

  • Measure the gap
  • Close the printer interface window
  • Update offsets
  • Open printer interface window
  • Set print temperatures
  • Print
  • Measure the gap
Print the calibration squares
Verify spacing

32 Your first dual extruder print

Remember:

  • The rear extruder is Extruder 0. The front extruder is Extruder 1.

  • The command T0 switches to the rear Extruder 0.

  • The command T1 switches to the front Extruder 1.

  • The order that you import STL files into Cura LulzBot Edition matters. For dual color parts, import the part that you want printed with Extruder 0 (rear) first, then the part for Extruder 1 (front) second.

2 color LulzBot key chain

33 Getting started

We will be printing a two colored keychain!

33A
Download the following 2 models:

Keychain text and body

34 Load the two models

34A
In Cura LulzBot Edition, press Load Model and select keychain-body.stl. The model should now be displayed on the virtual print surface.

34B
Press Load Model again and select keychain-text.stl. The model should now be displayed on the virtual print surface next to the other model.

Keychain body
Keychain text
Both models loaded

35 Merge the models

35A
Left click on the keychain-body model to be printed with the T0 (rear) extruder.

35B
Right click on the keychain text model to be printed with the T1 (front) extruder and select Dual Extrusion Merge.

The models should merge together.

35C
Your virtual print surface should look similar to the final image.

Left click on keychain body
Right click, select Dual Extrusion Merge
Merged models

36 Select your material and quickprint profile

36A
Switch back to quickprint mode by selecting: Expert > Switch to quickprint.

36B
Under Material select ABS & ABS.

36C
Choose the Standard quickprint profile.

Switch to quickprint mode
Select Standard slicing profile

37 Printing with the Dual Extruder Tool Head v2

37A
Press the Control button to open the Printer Interface window.

The top of the Printer Interface window will display the current printer status.

It will display: Opening, followed by: Connecting, and finally: Operational.

37B
Make sure the print surface is clean, or if required, prep the bed with the recommended print surface treatment.

More information can be found at LulzBot TAZ Cura Profiles, or on the filament product pages at LulzBot.com

Printer Interface

38 Set printer temperatures

38A
Bring your 3D printer up to the recommended temperatures for your material. This guide uses the temperature for printing with ABS in both extruders.

38B
Use your recommended temperature settings from the LulzBot TAZ Cura Profiles page, or on the filament product pages at LulzBot.com.

38C
Set the first hot end and the heated bed to the recommended temperature setting, by typing the desired temperatures into each temperature box.

38D
Press each Set button to turn on the first hot end and bed.

Set temperatures

39 Change active tool head

39A
Switch to the second extruder by typing T1 in the manual GCODE terminal text box.

Make sure to capitalize the command, as it is required.

39B
When the command is correctly entered, you'll see confirmation in the gcode command output window:

T1

echo: Active Extruder: 1

Remember:

The first extruder, T0 is to the rear, T1 is in the front.

39C
Set the second extruder to the recommended print temperature by pressing the Set button.

39D
Switch back to the main, rear extruder by sending the command T0.

Manual GCODE terminal

40 Print!

If you notice filament collecting under the hot end nozzles use tweezers to remove the plastic. Be careful as it will be hot.

40A
Once the printer has come up to the proper printing temperature for your filament, press Print!

Your LulzBot TAZ 3D printer will start printing the skirt around your printed object. As the print progresses the extruder will automatically switch between tool heads throughout the printing process.

Between each tool change the printer will print the ooze shield for cleaner prints, and a priming tower to ensure crisp color transitions.

40B
Remove your printed object once the printer cools to the recommended part removal temperature found on the LulzBot TAZ Cura Profiles page.

Have questions, or ideas? Share them with your fellow LulzBot 3D printer users by joining our user forum at Forum.LulzBot.com

Printed key chain ready to be removed
LulzBot key chain
Done! Take me home