Sovol M1D Pairs IDEX Printing With a Six-Toolhead Swapper

Sovol is trying to solve a problem that has plagued multi-color 3D printing since the beginning: waste. Most single-nozzle color changers spend half the print purging old filament through the nozzle. Sovol's M1D takes a different route. It keeps two extruders running permanently and lets you swap in extra toolheads when you need them.

How the DualX system works

The M1D uses one fixed extruder and one swappable toolhead. That gives you two active nozzles at all times, plus a dock for six more. The toolheads swap in about five seconds using a metal auto-grip mechanism. Each toolhead heats independently, so the spare is ready the moment you need it.

That setup supports four printing modes. Single extruder prints normally. Mirror mode prints symmetrical parts simultaneously. Copy mode doubles output by printing two identical parts at once. Multi mode is where the tool changer shines: you can mix up to seven colors or seven different materials in a single job without the long purge cycles that slow down traditional single-nozzle setups.

Specs and pricing

The M1D has a 300 by 300 by 350mm build volume. The Advanced model adds a full enclosure that reaches 60°C. Both versions run Klipper and use a five-inch touchscreen.

During the Kickstarter campaign, the open-frame Essential model started at $1,299, while the enclosed Advanced model started at $1,599. Both prices drop by $100 with a refundable deposit. As of late July, the campaign had pulled in more than $3 million from close to 2,000 backers, which suggests real demand for a practical, open-source IDEX design with a tool changer.

The reality of early hardware

Crowdfunding always carries risk. Delivery is expected to begin in November 2026, but hardware campaigns slip. The open-source nature of the M1D is a genuine strength: the community can develop fixes, mods, and third-party toolheads once units ship. For buyers who want a production-ready machine today, this is not it. For makers willing to wait, the M1D looks like the most capable consumer IDEX tool-changer announced this year.

Bottom line

The M1D is not subtle. It is a large, capable machine aimed at users who want real multi-material capability without buying an industrial system. If the campaign delivers on time and the community embraces the open hardware, Sovol may have built the reference platform for desktop multi-color printing.