Multi-material and multi-color 3D printing has mostly meant one of two things over the last couple of years: an AMS-style filament-swapping unit bolted onto a single nozzle, or a full independent dual extruder (IDEX) setup that can run two materials but tops out at two. Sovol's newly teased M1D is trying to do something different — and if the early specs hold up, it's one of the more interesting hardware announcements of the year.
What Is the Sovol M1D?
The M1D is Sovol's first printer to combine an independent dual extruder (IDEX) setup with a tool-changing system — something we've mostly seen on much more expensive machines like the Prusa XL or E3D's Motion System. Sovol calls the combination "DualX": one extruder handles continuous, primary printing, while a second carriage can swap between up to six additional toolheads using a patented metal gripper mechanism.
In practice, that means a single print job could pull from up to seven different filaments — without the purge waste, ooze, and long pauses that come with AMS-style filament swapping at the nozzle. Sovol is positioning this as a machine for makers who want real multi-color and multi-material capability without buying a Prusa XL or building a Voron with a tool changer from scratch.
The teasers started appearing back in April 2026, with Sovol gradually revealing the build volume, then the tool-changing mechanism, before confirming the full spec sheet and pricing in early June.
Full Specs at a Glance
The DualX System: IDEX Meets Tool Changer
What makes the M1D's approach different from a standard AMS or multi-material unit is where the swapping happens. With AMS-style systems, all filaments feed into a single hotend, so every color change involves purging the previous material — which wastes filament and adds print time. With a tool changer, each toolhead can be pre-loaded with its own nozzle, temperature profile, and material, and the printer physically swaps the entire toolhead in around five seconds using Sovol's metal gripper mechanism.
The "IDEX" half of DualX means one of those toolheads is a fixed, independent extruder that can run continuously — useful for support material, a primary color, or simply to keep printing while the tool-changer carriage swaps heads for detail work. Combine the two, and you get up to seven materials or colors available in a single print, with far less waste than filament-swap systems.
Sovol has also bundled in quality-of-life features that are normally reserved for premium machines: a six-channel automatic filament loader so you're not manually feeding six spools, a camera with AI-assisted spaghetti and foreign-object detection, and eddy current sensing for bed leveling and probing accuracy.
Pricing, Kickstarter, and Availability
Sovol is launching the M1D through Kickstarter, following the same crowdfunding playbook it's used for previous releases. Based on the current information from Sovol's VIP reservation page and early coverage:
- VIP price: $1,399 for early reservation holders who put down a $20 deposit
- Kickstarter super early bird: $1,499
- Standard list price (post-campaign): $1,799
An exact Kickstarter launch date hadn't been locked in at the time of writing, though Sovol has been actively building its VIP waitlist. As with most crowdfunded printers, expect the very first pricing tiers to sell out quickly, and expect shipping timelines for backers to run several months after the campaign closes — this is a "reserve now, print later" situation, not a same-week purchase.
If you'd rather buy something you can use this week, Sovol's existing lineup — the SV08, SV08 Max, Zero, and SV06 ACE — remains available through Sovol's EU store, with current sales bringing several models well under €300.
How It Stacks Up Against the Competition
| Printer | Approach | Build Volume | Max Speed | Approx. Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sovol M1D | IDEX + 6-slot tool changer | 300×300×350mm | 600mm/s | $1,499 (early bird) |
| Bambu Lab A2L (w/ AMS) | Single nozzle + AMS filament swap | 330×320×325mm | 500mm/s | €379–489 |
| Prusa XL (5-toolhead) | 5-toolhead changer | 360×360×360mm | ~300mm/s | ~€2,700+ |
| Snapmaker U1 | 4-color rapid swap | 270×270×300mm | ~500mm/s | ~€900 |
The headline takeaway is price-to-toolhead ratio. The Sovol M1D's early-bird pricing puts a seven-toolhead system within roughly the same budget as a single-nozzle AMS setup like the A2L, and well below half the price of Prusa's tool-changing XL. Whether real-world reliability matches that promise is the open question — Sovol's track record on the SV06 and SV08 series has been generally well-received for the price, but a tool changer is mechanically far more complex than anything in their current lineup.
Who Should Actually Wait for This
Angl3d Take
On paper, the Sovol M1D is one of the most ambitious budget printer announcements we've seen in a while — a genuine tool-changer at a price point that's previously only bought you AMS-style filament swapping. The DualX combination of IDEX plus a 6-slot changer is a smart way to deliver real multi-material printing without the purge waste that's been the biggest complaint about AMS systems.
That said, this is still a crowdfunded announcement, not a shipping product. We'd treat the M1D the way we'd treat any Kickstarter printer: exciting, worth reserving a spot for if the price holds, but not a replacement for a printer you actually need today. We'll update this article once Sovol confirms a Kickstarter date and early backers start receiving units.
This article reflects publicly available information as of June 12, 2026, based on Sovol's official teasers, VIP reservation page, and early hardware press coverage. Specs and pricing may change before the Kickstarter campaign launches. We welcome corrections — contact us here.