My take on the E3D Titan Aero!

E3D have upgraded their extrusion lineup once more - but is it an improvement this time?

The products displayed in this video were provided free of charge, but the opinions expressed are 100% my own.

[GoatZilla]

So.... you didn't test this with flexible filaments?

Because that to me is the primary selling point.

You kind of mentioned it, but in kind of a conjecture sort of way (and no data or print samples).

[KungFuClimber]

Tom that was a great review. Great in that not only did you provide lots of details about the product but you also gave an honest and thoughtful opinion on it. I use the Titan/Volcano combo and when this came out once I realized there wasn't any weight being saved I came to the same conclusion as you. This kind of honest review is what keeps me coming back to watch all your new (and often the older ones too) videos.

[LogicalWaste]

It's a good sign for e3d, that the biggest complaint about their product is that the previous version is too good.

[critter]

The one issue I had is that all the configuration options on the sales page was confusing - would have been nice to have an explanation of the options (or at least a picture of the difference). For instance, I kind of understood what was meant by the mirror options, but I wasn't able to visualize it in my head - a picture of them side by side would have been nice.

[dprintingmeathead]

I also noticed the classic titan's price dropped by a good $10 in the states with the release of the aero, so win win.

[LindaMaricas]

I'm actually happy with my "old" titan and v6 - with those at least I can easily change it to a Bowden if I ever feel so inclined. I also don't think the Aero looks as snazzy :) Happy to know I didn't make a mistake buying them 1-2 months before the Aero came out.

[rexsolomon]

Tom, you missed something important. The original clear plastic Titan cover did not provide enough support for the stepper motor shaft, so there was sufficient force to misalign the shaft. I posted a workaround on the E3D forum extending the clear plastic with copper to stop the constant misalignment. I am hoping that this new aluminium replacement of the original clear plastic piece has incorporated my suggestion to E3D. If so, I will buy one.

[rimbittv]

I contacted E3D to make sure I get the right extruder for my Anet A8... I let them know that you twisted my arm with the great video, that pushed me to upgrade.
I enjoy the information you give as I am super new to 3D printing and have at least a running start in this Hobby
Good work and congrats on 100k :)

[josepht]

I switched out the stock extruder and v6 on my robo3d last week. I think the biggest improvement is the shorter path, increased printing Z height, and substantial amount of rigidity added to the nozzle. These are major improvements I think. Also by removing the stock extruder and using a pancake stepper, it reduced the carriage weight nearly in half. So I look at this as an incremental improvement. That's probably why they continued to use the titan name

[GavinSeim]

It would be cool to see a video on the variations hotend styles. This is a good review, but how would it differ for example with the E3Dv6 on my Prusa.

[Ybalrid]

"Transparent aluminum" I see what you did there ;-)

[JamieBainbridge]

I LOVE that wobbling hotend animation, it's so hilarious :D

[iwannaratrod]

Thanks for this. I was interested in the Aero to get rid of a bowden I'm not really happy with.

[johnpickens]

I've been using Titans with direct drive on my Delta printers, and I do see significant flex occurring. The groove mount top of the E3D hotend slides into the injection molded plastic Titan body and is held in place by the clamshell halves of the Titan. There is no way to further tighten or secure this interface, and it can flex when the hotend runs across previously laid down layers of a print. Looking forward to a much more rigid assembly with the Aero, which I just purchased.

[rexsolomon]

It is very rare for Tom to overlook an important technical difference between the Aero and the Titan. The Aero has a new extended center flange (pause at 0:10 or 2:34 to see it clearly) that enables proper support for the motor shaft to the four bolts of the now aluminium heat sink cover. The old Titan's plastic cover was not long enough to connect to the motor shaft. The Aero thus solves the skipping, clicking noises and backlash that several people (including myself) experienced with the Titan. I improvised a solution for the Titan's problems, using a copper crimp sleeve connector, and documented it on the E3D forum.

[resotek]

Tom, I noticed the Lulzbot Mini was shown a few times during this video. Please do a video featuring what you did to make the Aero work on the Mini. I want to upgrade my mini with an Aero and your experience would be most valuable. Thanks!

[ChristianRiesenCom]

Thanks for the input Tom. I was on the fence if I should use the Aero for a new project. Now this sold me.

[mkrete]

I finished installing the Aero on my Prusa i3 Mk2 this weekend. Seems to work well, but honestly I can't tell the difference between the change (I was running a Titan extruder previously). The extra height is lost because the carriage is a bit longer causing me to lose some bed space at the top.

Perhaps i'll have some more to report when I try some flexible filaments - for now i'm on the fence on whether it is actually worth it for someone to go from the prusa extruder to an aero. You might just be better off with a titan only upgrade.

[Bugcatcherd]

Nice review but did notice you weighed the 2 different units with different stepper motors which might be up to 50gr different. Using the pancake stepper motor was one of the good features of the Titan.

[marcinose]

"what E3D offered before - works really well already" - that is true except for rubber filaments. Isn't the Titan Aero supposed to work much better with rubber filaments due to the shorter length?