Elegoo Files Patents for Multi-Nozzle FFF 3D Printer

Elegoo appears to be building a multi-nozzle FFF 3D printer. Two Chinese patent applications published in July 2026 describe a rotating nozzle carrier and a quick-change system for multiple extruders, suggesting the company is moving beyond resin into the competitive multi-color FDM market.

The first patent, CN122077926A, covers nozzles mounted on a rotating disk with precise positioning and locking. The second, CN122425890A, describes a rotating and liftable nozzle carrier that brings the selected module into the filament path while the others wait in a circular array. Both designs aim to reduce the mass carried by the print carriage during color or material changes.

This matters because current multi-extruder printers either mount all hotends on one moving carriage, which adds weight and limits speed, or use a single nozzle fed by multiple spools, which requires purge towers and wastes material. Elegoo's approach keeps unused nozzles stationary and rotates only the one needed into position, theoretically cutting changeover time and reducing ooze.

Elegoo is not the only Chinese manufacturer exploring this path. FlashForge filed a similar patent, CN122425892A, for a print-head rack system where the carriage picks up only the head it needs and leaves the others parked. Both patents target the same problem: how to print in many colors or materials without slowing the machine down or adding so much mass that print quality suffers.

An Elegoo spokesperson has not confirmed a commercial product. Patents do not guarantee a launch, and the documents could be defensive filings rather than evidence of a near-term release. But a report from 3Dzyk, a Chinese 3D printing community site, suggests a launch could come as early as October 2026, with DJI's recent investment in Elegoo reportedly bringing technological know-how and supply-chain support to the project.

If Elegoo does release a multi-nozzle FFF printer, it will enter a segment already crowded with machines from Bambu Lab, Prusa, QIDI, and Sovol. The company's advantage is its existing global distribution network and price sensitivity, honed through years of selling budget resin printers. A well-priced, easy-to-use multi-color FDM machine could accelerate adoption beyond the maker community into small businesses and education.