AnkerMake has once again delayed the release of its multi-material system, the V6 Color Engine, marking the third delay to the device previously planned to ship in December 2023.
Users are now looking at an estimated March-April 2024 ship date for the six-material, heated chamber device, AnkerMake says in a Kickstarter backer update. The trouble concerns leveling – and therefore precision – of the V6’s six-nozzle design, which is also the engine’s “core selling point”, according to the update.
Before leveling, each nozzle must be heated, the update says. Heating, however, causes slight deformation, and because each of the V6’s six nozzles are in slightly different positions, this affects overall print precision.
The update goes into more depth regarding the ongoing development of the V6 – as well as the steps taken to rectify the issue. For those who didn’t receive the update, screenshots have been pinned in AnkerMake’s Discord channel. There, you can also ask questions in the channel’s dedicated “AMA” section.
Delays of in-development products aren’t uncommon, but the V6 Color Engine is in an odd position as a Kickstarter add-on that will now be in development well over a year after the campaign’s primary product shipped. With each delay user confidence wanes and, in spite of the explanation and updated production timeframe, some have begun to question the V6’s existence. While it remains to be seen if there’s vapor in the air, all we can do at this point is wait. And wait. And wait some more.
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License: The text of "AnkerMake Delays V6 Color Engine for the Third Time" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.