Sovol M1D: seven color IDEX and tool changer printing with almost no purge waste

The waste problem with multicolor printing

Multicolor FDM has a dirty secret. Most single-nozzle systems push huge amounts of filament through purge towers just to switch colors, and most of that plastic ends up in the bin. Sovol says its new M1D attacks that waste directly.

The M1D is the company's new flagship, with a 300 x 300 x 350 mm build volume. At its core is what Sovol calls the DualX system, which it describes as a blend of IDEX (independent dual extruders) and a tool changer.

How the DualX system works

One side is a fixed IDEX extruder. The other is a tool-changing head that snaps between six stowed toolheads at the back of the chamber. Add the fixed head and you get up to seven colors or materials in a single job.

The swap is fast. Sovol claims toolhead changes in under five seconds, with a mechanical lock and no wasted motion. Each toolhead carries its own heating, cooling, and sealed filament path, and idle heads stay warm so they are ready the moment they are picked up. The company says that cuts material waste by over 90 percent and removes purge towers entirely.

Features that matter for real prints

Sovol built the M1D for print farms and small businesses, not just hobbyists. Duplication and Mirror modes let you print two identical or symmetrical objects at once, which can double throughput without a second machine.

Calibration is fully automatic. Sensors align the X, Y, and Z axes of each toolhead before a print starts, so multicolor seams line up without manual fiddling. Each head uses an all-metal extruder and a hardened steel nozzle, which matters if you run high-temperature materials.

Pricing and the open-source angle

Sovol opens pre-orders on July 28, 2026, with final pricing and specs at that point. Early coverage from Fabbaloo points to a super-early-bird price near $1,499 against a roughly $1,799 MSRP, with a Kickstarter-style launch expected later in the year. As with past Sovol gear, the company says it will open-source the Klipper-based firmware and ship documentation so makers can tweak and upgrade the system.

Where this fits

The M1D lands in a crowded field. Prusa, Bambu Lab, Snapmaker, and Creality are all pushing their own low-waste multicolor approaches. Sovol's bet is that pairing a true IDEX head with a warm, ready tool changer is the combination shops actually want. If the five-second swap holds up in testing, it is a serious entry.