Printer comparison
FlashForge AD5X vs Rat Rig V-Core 4.1
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore FlashForge AD5X comparisonsMore Rat Rig V-Core 4.1 comparisons
| Property | FlashForge AD5XCOREXY | Rat Rig V-Core 4.1COREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | FlashForge | Rat Rig |
| Class | COREXY | COREXY |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Flashforge AD5X, sold as "AD5X - Multicolor 3D Printer for High-Speed, Full-Color Printing"[1][2] | Rat Rig V-Core 4.1, described by Rat Rig as a large-format open CoreXY 3D printer kit[3] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $399.00 sale against a $549.00 compare-at price on flashforge.com, in stock, with a further $50 off at checkout, checked Aug 2026. A refurbished AD5X is listed at $315.00[1][2] | Not documented |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Shares the 220 mm Adventurer chassis with the 5M and 5M Pro but differs on the points that matter: 300 °C nozzle (vs 280 °C), 4-colour IFS unit, NO air filtration, NO auto shutdown, and a 300 mm/s print speed against a 600 mm/s travel speed. 3DJake and eolasprints both describe it as open-frame[1][4][5][6] | Three sizes, all at the same base-kit price. Acceleration is the size-dependent figure and the one most often mis-quoted: 15,000 mm/s2 at 300 mm, 12,000 at 400 mm, 8,000 at 500 mm. IDEX is a configuration option and changes the usable area per toolhead (copy mode 150x150x300 at the 300 size, mirror mode 95x95x300). Base kit excludes electronics. Rat Rig prices the base kit only in EUR (EUR 873.90 on sale from EUR 971.00, Aug 2026); no USD list price is published, so no USD street price is recorded here[3] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Not documented | Current revision, replacing the V-Core 4; Rat Rig sells a 4.1 upgrade kit for existing V-Core 4 machines[3] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 220 x 220 x 220 mm advertised[1][4] | 300 x 300 x 300, 400 x 400 x 400 or 500 x 500 x 500 mm. Sortable value is the 300 mm kit[3] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | Not documented | 623.2 x 583 x 785 mm (300); 723.2 x 683 x 885 mm (400); 823.2 x 783 x 985 mm (500). Sortable value is the 300 mm kit[3] |
| Net weight (kg) | Not documented | Kit weight 35 kg (300), 45 kg (400), 55 kg (500)[3] |
| Frame construction & material | Not documented | 30-series aluminium extrusion; the 4.1 adds a steel X-axis gantry for rigidity[3] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Open frame, no enclosure and no air filtration — FlashForge's own table records "Air Filtration: No". Chamber lighting and remote monitoring are listed as expandable options rather than fitted[1][5] | Open frame in the base kit[3] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY[5] | CoreXY; Hybrid CoreXY and IDEX are configuration options[3] |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | FlashForge publishes two separate figures: max travel speed 600 mm/s and max print speed 300 mm/s. The 300 mm/s print figure is the one that describes printing[1][4] | Not documented |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 20,000 mm/s2 maximum (manufacturer claim)[1][4] | Size-dependent: 15,000 mm/s2 at 300 mm, 12,000 at 400 mm, 8,000 at 500 mm (manufacturer claims)[3] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Direct drive, one extruder, fed by the 4-colour Intelligent Filament System (IFS)[1] | Full-metal skeleton toolhead, new in the 4.1[3] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 300 °C claimed[1][4] | 350 °C maximum nozzle temperature (manufacturer claim)[3] |
| Stock nozzle size & sizes included in box | 0.4 mm default; 0.25, 0.6 and 0.8 mm optional[1][4] | 0.4 mm hardened steel and 0.6 mm included[3] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 110 °C claimed[1][4] | 120 °C maximum heatbed temperature (manufacturer claim). The 400 and 500 sizes get 8 mm thick beds in the 4.1[3] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | PEI flexible spring-steel sheet[1][4] | Not documented |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Automatic levelling; probe technology not named[1][4] | Not documented |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament detection fitted; type and location not published[1][4] | Not documented |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | Four-colour printing via the integrated Intelligent Filament System (IFS), which handles filament switching[1] | Not documented |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | Not documented | Improved part cooling, listed by Rat Rig as one of the 4.1 changes[3] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Not named by FlashForge; the supported slicers are Orca-Flashforge and OrcaSlicer[1] | RatOS 2.1 (Rat Rig's Klipper distribution)[3] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi[1][4] | Not documented |
| Calibration Routines & QoL | ||
| Assembly level & time from unbox to first print | Not documented | Self-assembly kit; the 4.1 ships pre-made cables that need no crimping, with rewritten step-by-step build documentation[3] |
| Power-Loss & Interruption Recovery | ||
| Power-loss recovery: mechanism (how is state saved? capacitor / eeprom / file on shutdown?) | Power-outage recovery supported; mechanism not published[1][4] | Not documented |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | PETG, PLA, TPU95A, TPU64D-75D, PLA-CF, PETG-CF[1][4] | PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PET, PA, PC, PVA, PLA-CF, PETG-CF, ABS-GF, ASA-CF, PA6-CF, PA6-GF, PAHT-CF, PPA-CF, PET-CF[3] |
Manufacturer claims, independent measurements, packages and test conditions retain their source wording. FDM linear speed and resin vertical speed use different units and are not directly comparable. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.
Sources for this comparison
- Flashforge AD5X multicolour 3D printer product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge store product feed (live prices and stock) flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Rat Rig V-Core 4.1 product page ratrig.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- FlashForge AD5X technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Flashforge printer buyer's guide, 5M to Creator 5 eolasprints.com · 2026-08 · review
- Flashforge Adventurer 5M Pro product page flashforge.com · 2026-08 · vendor