Prospective buyer looking for dual extrusion

[jrolfson]

I was looking at the makergear M2 to purchase as my first 3d printer. I have seen videos of people using dual extruders on this machine but have not been able to find where I would go about purchasing this. Is it something you have to print and make yourself? How difficult is this to do? Also, how do you update the machine to recognize and utilize the dual extruders? Sorry for my ignorance, I am new to this field. Thanks!!!

[insta]

Step 1 is learn with the base machine. There's plenty to do there before you move to dual extrusion. It's not hard to add, takes an afternoon. It's a few hundred dollars for the upgrade, all of which comes from MakerGear. They provide good instructions, firmware updates, and a sucker to eat while doing the upgrade.

Come back with specific questions once you get there

[Tim]

Also, how do you update the machine to recognize and utilize the dual extruders?

I agree with insta. But, for the record, it's worth mentioning that the controller board used by the M2 is dual-extruder-ready. That is, it has all the inputs and outputs necessary to connect in a 2nd extruder. You "just" need to change the firmware on the board. Of course, the rest of the hardware for the dual extruder doesn't come cheap, but not having to change out the controller board helps keep the cost down.