# Printing Multi-material parts with a single extruder

**URL:** <https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/printing-multi-material-parts-with-a-single-extruder/3135>\
**Category:** LulzBot TAZ\
**Created:** [March 16, 2016, 4:11am UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/printing-multi-material-parts-with-a-single-extruder/3135 "2016-03-16T04:11:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![peter347](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc348/32.png) [@peter347](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/peter347)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 4:11am UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/printing-multi-material-parts-with-a-single-extruder/3135/1 "2016-03-16T04:11:27Z")

</div>

Hi. Just wondering if it’s possible to print one whole object using different materials with just one extruder. What I mean is, I know I will have to manually swap the materials, but I would like to know if there is a way to command the machine to pause whenever it completes building a part with a material, and to resume after a second material is loaded.

I am using Lulzbot TAZ3 with version 4 firmware, single extruder.  
Slic3r version: 1.2.9  
I am also using Pronterface.

Thanks in advance

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ttabbal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/db5fbb/32.png) [@ttabbal](https://forum.lulzbot.com/u/ttabbal)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/printing-multi-material-parts-with-a-single-extruder/3135/2 "2016-03-16T15:57:32Z")

</div>

I think they added a way to do it in Cura, but it’s layer based. The example was to change colors rather than materials. It would get old real quick to have to swap materials out on every layer anyway. 😕