Multicolour 3D Printing Explained: Toolchanger vs AMS vs MMU (2026)
Short answer: Multicolour 3D printing is printing one object in several filament colours or materials on a single FDM printer. There are three main ways to do it in 2026: a toolchanger such as the Snapmaker U1, which gives each filament its own toolhead; a filament changer such as Bambu Lab's AMS, Creality's CFS or Prusa's MMU3, which feeds several spools into one nozzle; and an IDEX or dual-nozzle printer such as the Bambu Lab H2D. Toolchangers waste the least filament. Single-nozzle filament changers are cheaper per colour but purge filament at every colour change.
Updated 29 October 2026. Disclosure: some links below are Amazon affiliate links (tag tinkeratlas0c-20). If you buy through them I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Multicolour methods compared
| Method | How it works | Example printers | Purge waste | Mixed materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toolchanger | Swaps complete toolheads; each filament stays in its own heated nozzle | Snapmaker U1 (4 toolheads), Prusa CORE One+ with INDX (up to 8) | Very low | Yes, e.g. PLA + TPU or PLA + PVA |
| Single-nozzle filament changer | Cuts, retracts and reloads filament through one nozzle, then purges the old colour | Bambu Lab AMS / AMS 2 Pro (4 spools each), Creality CFS (4 spools, up to 16 with 4 units), Prusa MMU3 | High on models with many colour changes | Limited; materials must share one nozzle temperature |
| Dual nozzle / IDEX | Two nozzles, each with its own filament path | Bambu Lab H2D | Low between the two nozzles | Yes, two materials (more colours with an AMS) |
| Manual filament swap | Printer pauses at a set layer and you change the spool | Any printer with a pause-at-layer command | Almost none | Colour per layer only |
How does a toolchanger work?
A toolchanger is a printer with several complete print heads parked at the side of the machine. When the slicer asks for a different colour, the motion system parks the active head and locks the next one onto the carriage. The Snapmaker U1 does this with steel-ball kinematic couplings and a mechanical lock, and Snapmaker lists a swap time of about 5 seconds. Because every head is preheated and loaded with its own filament, the old colour never has to be flushed out. The printer still prints a small wipe or prime tower, but it skips the large purge blobs of a single-nozzle system. That is also why a toolchanger can combine materials that need different nozzle temperatures, such as rigid PETG and flexible TPU in the same part.
How does an AMS or other filament changer work?
A filament changer such as Bambu Lab's AMS is a box of spools connected to the printer's single hotend. At a colour change the printer cuts the filament above the nozzle, pulls it back into the AMS, pushes the next filament down and extrudes until the old colour is gone. Bambu Lab's AMS units hold four spools, and the AMS 2 Pro supplied with the P2S Combo also dries filament while printing. Creality's CFS works the same way, with four spools per unit and up to four units on the K2 Plus. The advantage is cost: adding colours means adding spool slots, not toolheads. The disadvantage is waste and time, which grow with every colour change.
How much filament does multicolour printing waste?
Purge waste depends on how many colour changes a model has, so there is no single figure. Data from Snapmaker's lab tests, published on its U1 product page, gives an idea of the scale: a four-colour dragon figure produced 309.75 g of total waste on a shared-nozzle printer against 80.68 g on the U1, and a hexagon vase produced 1,452.26 g against 241.96 g. These are manufacturer figures and include supports and prime towers. You can cut waste on any system by grouping colours by layer height, purging into infill or supports in the slicer, and printing several copies per plate so one colour change serves many parts.
Which multicolour printer should you buy?
- Best affordable toolchanger and mid-range multicolour pick: the Snapmaker U1, $749 on Snapmaker's US store on 29 October 2026. Check the Snapmaker U1 price on Amazon.
- Cheapest way to start: the Bambu Lab A1 Combo with the four-spool AMS lite ($359 on Bambu Lab's US store), covered in my best beginner 3D printers guide.
- Single colour, enclosed: if you only need one colour, the Bambu Lab P2S without AMS is my pick. See the Bambu Lab printer comparison.
- Large format: the Creality K2 Plus Combo with CFS, in my recommended 3D printers list.
Designing models for multicolour printing
A multicolour model has to be split into separate bodies or painted regions, one per filament. Slicers such as OrcaSlicer and Bambu Studio let you paint colours onto a single mesh, but clean results come from modelling each colour as its own part and exporting a 3MF project. My free, open-source SindriCAD exports multi-colour 3MF files mapped to the U1's four toolheads; download it at tinkeratlas.com/sindricad. For filament choices per part, see the 3D printing filament guide.
FAQ
What is the best way to 3D print in multiple colours?
A toolchanger such as the Snapmaker U1 is the best way, because each colour has its own nozzle and almost no filament is purged. A single-nozzle filament changer such as an AMS is cheaper per colour but wastes filament at every change.
Is a toolchanger better than an AMS?
For prints with many colour changes or mixed materials, yes: it is faster and wastes less filament. An AMS is better if you need more than four colours on a budget or already use a Bambu Lab printer.
Can any 3D printer print in multiple colours?
Yes, with manual filament swaps. Most slicers can insert a pause at a chosen layer so you can change the spool, which gives colour bands by layer but not colours side by side in the same layer.
Does multicolour 3D printing take longer?
Yes on single-nozzle systems, because each colour change adds cutting, reloading and purging. Toolchangers add only the toolhead swap, about 5 seconds on the Snapmaker U1 according to Snapmaker.