Marlin 2 has some great new thermal features and systems:

• Improved thermal control: This more exact system uses heat compensation to help prevent your printer from overheating.
• Temperature measurement calibration: This feature supports thermal control.
• Custom thermistor formula option: Though it’s still in the beta phase, it looks like it’ll really help with increasing thermal control.

These features will significantly impact 3D printing with Marlin 2 because thermal control is so critical. Without it, over- or underheating can occur, which will definitely mess up a 3D print.

Mechanical features are very important for firmware and Marlin 2 has aced this with the following:

• Unified bed leveling system: Improved usage of proximity sensors makes bed leveling more accurate with a more precise offset that measures the distance from the sensor and the bed. Marlin 2’s new unified bed leveling system will definitely help many with the strenuous task of bed leveling.
• Homing back-off system: This is great for printing on a precise point on the build surface.
• Z auto-align system for dual Z-axis: This system has the potential for more accurate and more unified printing for dual Z-axis printers.

Marlin 2 has some key improved safety features:

• Power-loss recovery system for SD card 3D prints: Now you can rest assured that your print won’t fail if the power goes off.
• Automatic power supply control: This prevents the power supply from making any unnoticed errors that could lead to problems.
• Improved thermal runaway system: This beloved feature in Marlin 1 is now even better. It’ll protect your printer from overheating and causing any harm to itself or surrounding objects.

With many significant electrical upgrades, we’ll give you the highlights:

• External closed-loop controller support: This prevents any outside errors from breaking the external control.
• EEPROM auto unit: It’ll help keep your settings safe and saved.
• Option to reprint the last file from the memory device: This small feature is very helpful when you’re printing an object multiple times, making the print selection process easier and faster.
• SD card sharing with host PC: You can now view what’s in your SD card or other memory devices from a host PC. (This is similar to OctoPrint‘s sidebar, where you can view what you last printed and what’s in your printer’s memory device.)
• Optimized SD binary file transfer option: This’ll give you quicker and better transfers.

Any Downsides?

Memory is the one area where Marlin 2 can be criticized. Since Marlin 2.0 (and up) uses a lot of memory for a standard 8-bit board with 128 KB of memory, you might get frustrated if you’re running many programs at once. Popular machines, such as the Ender 3, are included in this category. Marlin 2 will work on an 8-bit board, but only if you aren’t using a memory device to print.

If you need more memory, one option is to disable features like auto-bed leveling. According to Marlin 2 users, only some people experience this issue, so it’s up to you. Another solution to this problem, though more costly, is to upgrade your mainboard to a 32-bit board with 256 KB of memory to effectively handle all features with ease.

As we’ve seen, Marlin 2 certainly has a lot of great new features that’ll improve your 3D prints.

If you still aren’t convinced, since Marlin 2 is relatively new, you can wait until it’s even more stable or a version is released that uses less memory. Alternatively, you can hop on the train now and see just how much Marlin 2 can improve your 3D printing experience.

Whatever you decide to do, you should know that Marlin 2 will only get better. The community is already shifting towards Marlin 2, and although you don’t need to switch now, in the future, it might make even more sense to do so if Marlin 1 loses active community support.