Elegoo announced the Centauri Carbon 2 — on their China site.
The rumoured Centauri Carbon 2 3D printer seems to be real, as this previously unannounced model suddenly appeared on Elegoo’s domestic China website. Images had been circulating, and they indeed match the machine shown on the Elegoo site.
I took a look at the company page, which shows considerable detail about the new device. However, it’s written in Chinese and I had to rely on translation services, which wasn’t optimal. For example:
“Intelligent guard to automatically identify the risk of overturning by detecting worry-free fried noodles, lack of ingredients and blockage.”
Which I take to mean that the Centauri Carbon 2 has some type of optical AI spaghetti detection, along with a filament run-out sensor. Just to be clear, the Centauri Carbon 2 is not a kitchen device.
The main feature, of course, is the multicolor capability, something that was omitted from the original Centauri Carbon 3D printer.
Unlike most of their competitors that opted for a separate filament swapping accessory, Elegoo chose to simply mount four spools on the sides of the machine and feed them in through a buffer in the back. This is the same approach used by Flashforge with their AD5X machine. Elegoo calls this the “CANVAS” system.
Elegoo also goes to great lengths to describe the machine’s noise levels, which have been reduced. They say it operates at only 45dB, which is indeed near silent. Apparently they upgraded to silent drivers to achieve this, although we didn’t think the original Centauri Carbon was particularly noisy when we reviewed it. Hopefully the fans are similarly quiet.
There is a dual air filtration system, made from a combination of HEPA 12 and activated carbon filters.
A new venting system automatically opens when the build chamber temperature exceeds the requirements for a print job. This means that when printing low temperature materials like PLA you won’t have to leave the door open. Otherwise, PLA prints might sag if the build chamber temperature gets too high.
The hot end can reach a very high 350C, which is higher than many other desktop FFF devices. Also, the print plate can be heated up to 110C. These should enable printing of many engineering materials. Elegoo lists them as:
- PLA
- PETG
- TPU
- PLA-CF
- ABS
- ASA
- PC
- PA
- PET
- PETG-CF
- ABS-CF
- ASA-CF
- PET-CF
- PPA-CF
- PPS
- PPS-CF/GF
They seem to have developed a new cooling system that includes “five heat dissipation modules” that “enhance the overall cooling effect.” This should increase print quality.
The print plate can be heated much more quickly as it has been upgraded to soak up as much as 1000W! Waiting for the plate to heat is one of the longest parts of starting a print job, and it looks like Elegoo may have solved that issue.
The toolhead’s cover is magnetically attached for easy removal. This should somewhat simplify maintenance, but it remains to be seen how easy it is to manage the extrusion system.
There is also mention of some form of “intelligence” that performs real time monitoring of the print process to correct deviations. They say this dramatically increases print quality.
Amazingly, the machine seems to come with a poop box! This is the only machine we’ve seen that provides this feature, which is mandatory for any multicolor machine that purges filament. You won’t have to repurpose an empty filament spool box to collect poop with the Centauri Carbon 2.
Interestingly, they say the entire machine is made from flame retardant materials. This is a feature I have not seen on any other 3D printer.
The rest of the machine seems to be similar to the original Centauri Carbon, with a 256 x 256 x 256 mm build chamber, 500mm/s print speeds, CoreXY motion system, TPU capability, etc. It’s able to produce a #3DBenchy in only 15m.
After such a long wait, it’s good to see a very healthy upgrade with many new features to go along with the main multicolor feature. I expect this machine to be quite popular. However, with tariff confusion continuing, it is unclear how, when and at what price it might hit the US market.
Those who previously purchased the original Centauri Carbon are still waiting for a multicolor feature/upgrade, as that was hinted at when the machine was launched. It’s totally unclear whether Elegoo will offer an upgrade to older machines, or require people to purchase the new version 2 machine. It’s also possible Elegoo could still be working on an external filament swapping system that might apply to the Centauri Carbon 2.
Finally, this machine is only visible on the company’s China site. The western site currently shows Black Friday sales. It may be that they are waiting for the sale to conclude so that they can clear out older models more effectively before launching the Centauri Carbon 2 in the West.
Via Elegoo China
