Kraken

What is The Kraken?

Kraken is our cutting edge 4-Nozzle multiple extrusion hotend product. This means that you have 4 complete hotends in one. Each nozzle is individually temperature controllable, and individually bowden fed. Kraken remains a compact and lightweight package despite its capabilities by using hyper-efficient water cooling, and innovative integrated bowden couplers that are contained within the body of the Kraken. To tackle the all-too-common issues of nozzle levelling Kraken has the ability to individually adjust the height of each nozzle and can in fact almost level itself using the bed as a reference.

What can you do with it?

Kraken lets you push the boundaries of what is possible to 3D print by allowing you to use 4 distinct colours in a single print, 4 separate engineering plastics in a single part, or explore complex geometry by using soluble or breakaway support materials.

Using multiple colours in a single print gives you the ability to convey more visual information in your prototypes, and express more creativity in the visual design of your prints.

Multiple material printing opens up huge possibilities of what is functionally possible from a single print. Instead of being stuck with one set of material properties for each print you can use the best possible material for the job in each part of your object.

Having a separate support material hugely increases the possibilities of what geometries are possible to print. Release your designs from the shackles of limited overhangs and bridges and open up whole new possibilities in freeform printing.

Requirements and Expectations

Although Kraken is now a mature and well tested hardware product with hundreds in the wild and a great deal of excellent community feedback it is worth keeping in mind that the Kraken requires a certain level of work and learning to get running. A working knowledge of firmware configuration, slicer settings and electronics is essential.

Kraken requires an electronics setup that is capable of driving 4 distinct extruders, so far we have had great results and feedback with both the Azteeg X3 Pro and the RepRapPro Duet with DueX4 expansion.

We are currently selling the Kraken as a fully loaded kit, which contains all the machined hotend parts, thermistors, heater cartridges, bowden tubing and couplings, and a water cooling pump with tubing. To complete the setup you will need 4 Bowden extruders of your choice, and a reservoir for the water pump to sit in.