Trianglelab Matrix Extruder - Hemera Clone or further development?

As mentioned in my post about the e3d Hemera, there is an extruder from Trianglelabs that is at least so similar to the Herema that I called it a clone in the other post. After I had owned the Matrix Extruder myself for a few weeks now and would like to share my opinion of this extruder with you here shortly.

In advance my summary. G-R-E-A-T! Except for the weight, Trianglelab has improved a few things about the Hemera and at a much lower price.

One of my biggest criticisms of the Hemera was the steel heatbrake, which is no longer available on the Matrix. A titanium heatbrake is installed in the Matrix as standard. Of course, the criticism remains that you will have a problem for significantly higher filament throughput at very high speeds or large nozzle diameters. Whereas I tested the Matrix with up to 140mm/s at 5000mm/s² acceleration and had no problems at all, at least with the tested PLA. With other filament or comparable speeds with a 0.6 Nozzel, it would certainly look different.

The advantage of the titanium heatbrake, the better interruption of the heat transfer from heatblock to coldend, still remains. In addition, the Matrix is equipped with a Nickelplated-Copper-Heatblock instead of the simple aluminum heat block as well as a Plated-Copper-Nozzle contribution. This alone contributes to a more consistent heat output due to the higher heat storage capacity. Is therefore an upgrade what I also for users of a standard V6 Hotends highly recommend.

The type of mounting that I criticized and praised on the Hemera also remains on the Matrix. On the one hand, it is nice that you are quite universal with the help of the motor mounts as far as the attachment to the printer and e.g. a cooler to the hotend is concerned, on the other hand, the attachment points are still quite delicate so that you have to be careful with the screw length not to destroy the mounts on the motor. Whereas I have the feeling that the fasteners on the matrix are somewhat more stable.

From my point of view, the mounting of the lateral 4010 fan has been optimized. This is attached to the Matrix with standard M3 screws instead of chipboard screws as in the Hemera. The probability of destroying the fasteners is much lower. What e3d thought of the screws is still a mystery to me.

Otherwise, I have to say that the things I wrote about the Hemera, such as the rather high weight, still apply to the Matrix. Because one thing has to be admitted. Except for minor improvements, the Matrix is more than just inspired by the Hemera.

Would I recommend the Matrix? Yes. Because some of the things I criticized about the Hemera, like the heatbrake, have been improved on the Matrix. In addition, the price is significantly lower. So if you've been toying with the Hemera and are aware of the advantages and disadvantages of this type of extruder, you can't go wrong with the Matrix.

Starting March 29, 2021, AliExpress is having another anniversary sale and you can get the Matrix for just under 67€ (don't forget the coupon) at Trianglelabs

PS: To attach the Matrix to your BLV MGN, Ben Levi already has an adapter for the metal kit. I have adapted this once again to also a BL-Touch (3D-Touchto be able to attach. You can find the link to the download here: CLICK

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