<p>It takes at least a few cm of extrusion to purge the old color before switching to a new one due to mixing in the melt zone, and possibly much more depending on the particular pigments. If the old color is something bright like red and the new one is white or something close, it can even take many tens of cm before you get a clean new color.</p>
<p>Multi-color extrusion setups either use separate hotends per color or fancy retraction setups where each color can be retracted separately, along with purge towers. You cannot get a clean color switch in the print just by having one in the input filament, and this is probably why all the mixed color filament that's sold is blended - so customers don't get disappointed when it doesn't work like you expect.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-14T17:34:28.363Z
2021-04-14T17:42:21.290Z
2021-04-14T17:42:21.290Z
R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE
<blockquote>
<p>Anyone know any filaments or methods to have an immediate color change</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There is a solution (or multiple) where you can have multi color filament without a gradual transition from one to the other color (seen from the filament side, not the extrusion/nozzle side), i.e. immediate color change. This requires an additional piece of equipment to do this automatically, or could be done even manually<sup>1)</sup>.</p>
<p>There are systems that calculate what color is needed for which part of the extrusion process and cut and pastes (welds) multiple colored strands of filament to a single strand of filament, see e.g.:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/5D9An.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Mosaic Palette 3 Pro"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/5D9An.jpg" alt="Mosaic Palette 3 Pro" title="Mosaic Palette 3 Pro" /></a></p>
<p>If you look closely, you see that the single filament strand is composed of various colored strands welded together (4 colors, fifth being welded).</p>
<p>Using multiple colors and single hotend wil require an extra extrusion of the new color to purge the hotend for a clean and crisp change. Slicers are already equipped to to this task for you, these are called purge towers, they print alongside the print and prevent too much blending of colors.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/gVwh8.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Printed part and purge tower"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/gVwh8.jpg" alt="Printed part and purge tower" title="Printed part and purge tower" /></a>
<em>Source <a href="https://peterleppik.com/articles/multimaterial-printing-palette-vs-mmu2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Peter Leppik</a></em></p>
<hr />
<p><sup>1)</sup><em>Note that an expensive device is not specifically necessary, with a little effort you can do it yourself. This requires slicing the part for multi colors (including a purge or printing purge tower to prevent mixing of colors) and parse the obtained G-code file to find all the respective lengths of the colors. These are easily found as a color change implies a tool changing script to be active in the G-code file, summing the individual lengths you could created your own filament by welding the individual colors together. Now remove the tool changes from the G-code file and you have created a &quot;manual&quot; multi-color print using a single hotend and extruder.</em></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-15T12:35:06.080Z
among the machines that can do this is the Palette system
Trish
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-15T13:17:49.080Z
@Trish I did not want to be too obviously hinting to an expensive solution ;-), but yes this is an option. There have been opensource and Kickstarter attempts.
0scar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-15T13:19:59.617Z
Prusa MMU2 does it without welding iirc.
Trish
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-15T13:31:43.170Z
Correct, and that works too! So does the [SMuFF](https://github.com/technik-gegg/SMuFF-1.1). Either way, you need to purge a certain amount to account for the mixing problems.
0scar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-15T07:54:47.080Z
2021-04-17T09:33:42.033Z
2021-04-17T09:33:42.033Z
0scar
<p>There is a way that you'd be able to do it but its not really conventional and could use up some filament:</p>
<p>Calculate out where you want it to stop. Then, when you want to change colors, you set your slicer to print a floating object in the air that isn't part of your print to purge out the old filament and prime the new one.</p>
<p>That way, when it goes back to the print, there won't be any of your old color. You will just have to pause the print when you get to the point where you want to change color, and make sure it's not over your print, then takeout the old filament, and put the new one in.</p>
<p>Then let it purge, and you can grab the string of filament before it goes to the print. Or just pluck it off when the print is done. This is the only way that I could see this working without multiple spools of filament and multiple extruders.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-15T23:38:26.257Z
Welcome to 3D Printing SE and thank you for your contribution. When you get a chance, please take the [tour] to understand how the site works and how it is different than others.
agarza
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-16T06:51:26.120Z
It might also be worth using a full purge tower or ooze shield to eliminate the need for mid print intervention or extra post processing. I might add a little more detail about how one accurately calculates the lengths for splice overs, too.
Rykara
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-15T21:03:45.767Z
2021-04-17T02:30:42.030Z
2021-04-17T02:30:42.030Z
alexjshepler
<p>When calling for a <strong>manual</strong> color change, Marlin is set up to allow to extrude extra filament. This is to ensure that the new filament is in the hotend, but it also allows to &quot;purge&quot; the old color from the hotend by extruding till no mixed color comes out anymore.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-15T12:38:24.613Z
2021-04-15T12:38:24.613Z
Trish
<p>Ive been experimenting will multiple color filament but the colors a more or less blended. Is there are filament that goes from one color directly to another without having transition color ex. red to green immediately.</p>
<p>I've been tinkering with <a href="https://www.filamenthub.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Filament Hub Filament</a> and it is very good (some of the best I've ever used)  however I've had to essentially melt strands of one filament to the next and this is unsustainable.</p>
<p>Anyone know any filaments or methods to have an immediate color change</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-14T17:31:56.030Z
Welcome to 3D Printing SE and thank you for your contribution. When you get a chance, please take the [tour] to understand how the site works and how it is different than others.
agarza
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-14T17:35:52.580Z
Really, the best way to control when a color changes is to have multiple heads (one color each), and code in tool changes where you want a color change.
Davo
<3d-models><filament><diy-3d-printer>
Manual Color Changing
Gavin Weitzel
# Manual Color Changing

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-04-14)

Ive been experimenting will multiple color filament but the colors a more or less blended. Is there are filament that goes from one color directly to another without having transition color ex. red to green immediately.

I've been tinkering with [Filament Hub Filament](https://www.filamenthub.com) and it is very good (some of the best I've ever used) however I've had to essentially melt strands of one filament to the next and this is unsustainable.

Anyone know any filaments or methods to have an immediate color change

**Tags:** 3d-models, filament, diy-3d-printer
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome to 3D Printing SE and thank you for your contribution. When you get a chance, please take the [tour] to understand how the site works and how it is different than others.  
> **username_2**: Really, the best way to control when a color changes is to have multiple heads (one color each), and code in tool changes where you want a color change.  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2021-04-14. Score: 3

It takes at least a few cm of extrusion to purge the old color before switching to a new one due to mixing in the melt zone, and possibly much more depending on the particular pigments. If the old color is something bright like red and the new one is white or something close, it can even take many tens of cm before you get a clean new color.

Multi-color extrusion setups either use separate hotends per color or fancy retraction setups where each color can be retracted separately, along with purge towers. You cannot get a clean color switch in the print just by having one in the input filament, and this is probably why all the mixed color filament that's sold is blended - so customers don't get disappointed when it doesn't work like you expect.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2021-04-15. Score: 1

> Anyone know any filaments or methods to have an immediate color change

There is a solution (or multiple) where you can have multi color filament without a gradual transition from one to the other color (seen from the filament side, not the extrusion/nozzle side), i.e. immediate color change. This requires an additional piece of equipment to do this automatically, or could be done even manually1).

There are systems that calculate what color is needed for which part of the extrusion process and cut and pastes (welds) multiple colored strands of filament to a single strand of filament, see e.g.:

[![Mosaic Palette 3 Pro](https://i.sstatic.net/5D9An.jpg "Mosaic Palette 3 Pro")](https://i.sstatic.net/5D9An.jpg "Mosaic Palette 3 Pro")

If you look closely, you see that the single filament strand is composed of various colored strands welded together (4 colors, fifth being welded).

Using multiple colors and single hotend wil require an extra extrusion of the new color to purge the hotend for a clean and crisp change. Slicers are already equipped to to this task for you, these are called purge towers, they print alongside the print and prevent too much blending of colors.

[![Printed part and purge tower](https://i.sstatic.net/gVwh8.jpg "Printed part and purge tower")](https://i.sstatic.net/gVwh8.jpg "Printed part and purge tower")
*Source [Peter Leppik](https://peterleppik.com/articles/multimaterial-printing-palette-vs-mmu2)*

---

1)*Note that an expensive device is not specifically necessary, with a little effort you can do it yourself. This requires slicing the part for multi colors (including a purge or printing purge tower to prevent mixing of colors) and parse the obtained G-code file to find all the respective lengths of the colors. These are easily found as a color change implies a tool changing script to be active in the G-code file, summing the individual lengths you could created your own filament by welding the individual colors together. Now remove the tool changes from the G-code file and you have created a "manual" multi-color print using a single hotend and extruder.*

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: among the machines that can do this is the Palette system  
> **username_4**: @Trish I did not want to be too obviously hinting to an expensive solution ;-), but yes this is an option. There have been opensource and Kickstarter attempts.  
> **username_5**: Prusa MMU2 does it without welding iirc.  
> **username_4**: Correct, and that works too! So does the [SMuFF](https://github.com/technik-gegg/SMuFF-1.1). Either way, you need to purge a certain amount to account for the mixing problems.  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2021-04-15. Score: 0

There is a way that you'd be able to do it but its not really conventional and could use up some filament:

Calculate out where you want it to stop. Then, when you want to change colors, you set your slicer to print a floating object in the air that isn't part of your print to purge out the old filament and prime the new one.

That way, when it goes back to the print, there won't be any of your old color. You will just have to pause the print when you get to the point where you want to change color, and make sure it's not over your print, then takeout the old filament, and put the new one in.

Then let it purge, and you can grab the string of filament before it goes to the print. Or just pluck it off when the print is done. This is the only way that I could see this working without multiple spools of filament and multiple extruders.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome to 3D Printing SE and thank you for your contribution. When you get a chance, please take the [tour] to understand how the site works and how it is different than others.  
> **username_7**: It might also be worth using a full purge tower or ooze shield to eliminate the need for mid print intervention or extra post processing. I might add a little more detail about how one accurately calculates the lengths for splice overs, too.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2021-04-15. Score: 0

When calling for a **manual** color change, Marlin is set up to allow to extrude extra filament. This is to ensure that the new filament is in the hotend, but it also allows to "purge" the old color from the hotend by extruding till no mixed color comes out anymore.


---

