TAZ 6 ??

Is there a TAZ 6 in devolvement? I have a mini now and love the self cleaning and leveling features. Wondering if the 6 will have those and other bells and whistles and if I should wait for it.

You can see what they are working on here: http://devel.lulzbot.com/TAZ/Kauri/

Looks like a dual print head model. Hmm, don’t need that but I love my Mini and saving my coins for the larger model. The design and layout of the TAZ fits in with my industrial electrical and machine background.

Reading the Change List, I didn’t see anything about dual extruders, but it did mention dual extruder fans. This is something I had been thinking about when I had some distortion due to heat buildup on the left side of my HIPS prints.
It also looks like they are developing automatic leveling, stiffening the X axis, changing the filament tensioning setup and making the printer quieter. It also looks like they are looking into the possibility of making some of the parts using injection molding and making the packaging more retail friendly.


Scott

I guess I did not spend enough time looking, but one picture shows two rolls of filament.

I think the images are a little misleading. They do show two spools, However the hotend and printhead looks like the regular Hexagon with two (3 counting the blower) fans. At the bottom of the Change List, it does mention a dual extruder head, but it looks like that option was rejected.

Hopefully they’ll bundle a retrofit/upgrade kit :slight_smile:

The changes look pretty extensive. More like a new model than an upgraded Taz 5. Some of the changes would be nice to have as an upgrade, such as the dual fan printhead. But other changes would be hard to retrofit onto a 5 such as the new (presumably) injection molded sides that eliminate the vertical extrusions.

I am expecting the sides to be sheet metal like the Mini.

Ah, makes more sense.

You know what would be delicious? sideplates made out of cheese slices!

I like the 2020 extrusion… Looks nice and makes the machine seem more upgradable. But it looks easy enough to lose the plastic/metal sheeting and go back to aluminum extrusions if upgrading z-axis.

Would be nice if the dual extruder were side by side, direct drive… Do away with the cantilever y-adjustment to get nozzle heights even.

Any word on when this may be released?
If they need a tester I would like too volunteer myself.

You can find the schedule estimate here: http://devel.lulzbot.com/TAZ/Lancewood/production_docs/

And, yeah, I have two Taz units and a Mini that run daily… I could give a test unit a workout if need be. BUAHAHAHAH :smiley:

I’m in the same boat as the OP. I’m extremely torn between cashing in on the significant savings for the Black Friday sale (11% savings? Yes please! :smiley: ), and waiting for the TAZ 6, which seems to address many of the (short list of) issues the TAZ 5 has. This will be my first 3D printer purchase, but I have a preference to jump in feet first instead of investing in several lesser machines that don’t do everything I want. My primary criteria for choosing a 3D printer are build volume and dual material capability, something the TAZ handles nicely while also having the advantage of being a very sturdy reliable machine. My budget is limited to that $2500 range.

So, ye gurus of Lulzbot, would waiting for February be the best choice, or is getting a TAZ and implementing a batch of mods to correct existing issues the way to go?

Looks like TAZ6 will be released very soon. 3050 units worth of parts have been ordered and in box documentation for what they are calling Olive are out for quote. Shouldn’t be long now!

T

I believe I saw elsewhere there’s a vague expectancy of August being the release date.

That’s what they told me on the phone yesterday. “Hopefully August”

Officially:
Release is in Q2 (nothing more specific than that though), $2500
As stated earlier, pictures are here http://devel.lulzbot.com/TAZ/Olive/photos/

Unofficially… ^%$*&%)…
.
.

:wink:

You can ask Matt from 3D Hubs what he thinks of the TAZ 6 now https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10209204935743267&set=a.2993342555392.153444.1317025654&type=3&theater