23 ms·

Original Prusa MK4

305 points by oztamir 4y ago

latchkey 4y ago
It'll be interesting to watch the Aurora Tech review when it comes out. Curious to see how she likes it.
- rcarmo 4y ago
  Yep. We enjoy her reviews a lot.
- jwr 4y ago
  The only reviewer worth watching IMO.
rcarmo 4y ago
I have a Prusa MK2 clone that I recently revived with Klipper firmware, a cheapo Kingroon MK3S Pro that I bought to tweak a bit, and have been looking at getting a Bambu Labs or building a Voron - and either of those seems like a better investment than the MK4 if you can build and tweak the printer yourself. But the key thing is that the Bambu (and other upcoming Core XY printers) are aimed at the non-modding market and seem to be a much better deal overall, so I'm not sure what Prusa is going for here other than leveraging brand traction...
- bittercynic 4y ago
  I think they appeal to a different crowd. I built a Prusa kit, and enjoyed building it, and enjoy printing with it. I consider it a bit of a hobby product, and wouldn't recommend it to someone who isn't interested in learning anything about 3d printing. It works great, but you have to take an interest in it. For the person who just wants a consumer product, I suspect the Bambu might be the best option.
- polishdude20 4y ago
  How is the Bambu a better deal? All I'm seeing is a $1500 printer. Is there some other model?
  - Chilko 4y ago
    Yes: https://store.bambulab.com/collections/3d-printer https://store.bambulab.com/collections/3d-printer
  - rcarmo 4y ago
    Even the more expensive models are (arguably) better than the prusa due to being core xy
- JofArnold 4y ago
  Better deal by some measures, but definitely not part quality. Far from it. My equally-priced VzBot kit has much better quality components in every area right down to the screws. That said, if I put a price on my time I think the X1C would be 1/10th the cost :D
j-pb 4y ago
Really nice to see steady incremental improvements to an already solid platform! It's small stuff like no longer having to manually Z-Adjust, and having the print-head connected via easy to undo/replace connectors, that seem like small things but are huge time- and nerve-savers when it comes to actually running these things in production. Crazy to see how far Prusa has come with his stuff, I still remember sitting and laughing in a hacker-space with him a couple years ago. He is one of the few people that actually stuck to the open-source rep-rap philosophy even after success (fun fact: he has a tattoo of the open hardware logos to remember his roots).
- mzi 4y ago
  They also just published a blog post[0] discussing the hardware equivalent of SSPL if I get it correctly. 0: https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-printing-in-2023_76659/ https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-prin...
  - RobotToaster 4y ago
    Several of those suggestions would violate the OSHW definition, a definition that was endorsed by Prusa himself: https://freedomdefined.org/OSHW https://freedomdefined.org/OSHW
    - 2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
      Thinking about it a bit more, I think Prusa is simply struggling to maintain a foot hold in the industry and remain open source. All the complaints are about the printers. But Prusa does more than just printers. Prusa forked Slic3r into PrusaSlicer and continuously deliver great improvements and still keep it open source. If you go to the PrusaSlicer page, their github link is right there. And they support Windows, Linux and MacOS. They also attribute Alessandro on the website and the launch screen. The Prusa github also seems to have all their projects and software. Bambu Labs forks PrusaSlicer and the github link is no where on their site and they only support Windows and MacOS On a piece of software that already had Linux support and the only acknowledge it's a fork on the github. Fortunately the github is still the 2nd link in google. But they aren't really committed to releasing their work if they won't even link to it. And their github has like 2 projects. Prusa created printables.com to clean up the mess that is thingiverse. Creality created Creality Cloud and then just steals your models even after Naomi Wu advised them not to do that. Prusa runs competitions, has prizes. Prusa seems to want to keep things open source, try and create a community. But like most open hardware, it's expensive relative to the competition. As an Apple user, I completely understand the need to not mess about. But I also like to use opensource where possible. Especially for things I want to tinker with. So it's really surprising to me that what seems to be the majority of the hobbyist 3D printer community, a community that tinkers by definition, wants more closed, less repairable hardware. And more propriety software. They just want the cheapest appliance they can get for the money. I think this is what broke my brain. We started open, and could remain that way. But we'd rather not. It's hard to fight against the might of cheap Chinese manufacturing. I hope Prusa works out a good strategy to survive before we end up in a situation where all the 3D printers requires Windows or MacOS and a login to some cloud service that I don't want.
xnx 4y ago
Would someone explain what is notable about this? I'm not familiar enough with the 3D printer space to know what new features and capabilities are developing.
- synack 4y ago
  New electronics (AVR upgraded to STM32) Lighter, stronger, faster extruder Easier to swap/maintain hotend Faster and more automated bed leveling Better stepper motors
- wellthisisgreat 4y ago
  It’s the one FDM 3D printer worth buying that is being cloned and copied with so-so results by Chinese companies. Unlike Ender etc., Prusa is the true “just works” FDM printer
  - sokoloff 4y ago
    I do recommend Prusa to new 3D printing hobbyists because there are a lot of quality of initial experience features on them. That acknowledged, my (lightly modded) Ender3s, a Flashforge Creator clone, and an SKTank kit-built printer all also “just work” and, other than capability differences, use the same machine settings in slicer/same gcode thanks to Klipper macros (to the point that I’ll often start a print on them in the basement without ever going down there and checking that the first layer looks okay). I’d say I’m well above 97% for prints work without any fuss.
- zokier 4y ago
  Its more just a brand thing, Prusa was one of the early big names in (hobbyist) 3d printing scene. I don't think this printer coming from any other brand would have reached the front page
  - precompute 4y ago
    This is the truth. Prusa used to be in front of the line a couple of years ago, but since then they've dropped the ball and other manufacturers have caught up. And with much better open-source alternatives like Voron printers, very few people are ready to shell out money for Prusa printers. Plus, there's a big fanboy community around this brand, a lot of which might just be genuine shills (maybe not here on HN, but they do exist on reddit).
sho_hn 4y ago
So I would really like to get into 3D printing, but I struggle with discomfort over the health implications. I live in a small rented apartment and can't easily work out space or, much more importantly, external venilation. Yes, I've looked into PLA vs. ABS, I've looked into enclosures with carbon/HEPA filters, etc., but I still don't want to have it in my living space without a vent to the outdoors. Here's the best I can come up with: A well-insulated enclosure with a filter ... on the balcony, with internal heating and PID temp control. Maybe some thing for humidity control as well. Thoughts? Any good off-the-shelf enclosure products that would fit an Ender S1 Pro or a Prusa MK3/4?
- latchkey 4y ago
  Box around the printer with a vent/fan blowing outside. It'll be negative pressure in the box, so everything should just vent out. Even if you can just crack a window and get the airflow going out the window... you can push a flexible tube far out onto your balcony...
  - levpopov 4y ago
    This is the best way. Inline duct fan and a flex hose running out of your window (you can print an adapter/connector to fit perfectly). It works very well even if your enclosure is not airtight (and it shouldn't be when printing PLA since you want a constant stream of air getting inside for cooling) - just let negative pressure do its thing.
    - sho_hn 4y ago
      It may seem super silly or I'm just somehow dumb, but the "run a hose to your balcony" is the difficult part for me. That means having a door open for 10+ hours at a time, which is a climate control challenge for the room. That's why I figured: Why not put the entire enclosure on the balcony, and then heat-humidity control the inside of it? Sure, more complex system and higher power draw, ... but maybe there's whole kits for this? Like, for keeping a 3D printer in a windy shed?
bilsbie 4y ago
Has anyone figured out remote slicing? I’d love to just click print on a thingiverse page and have my printer start going.
- metal_am 4y ago
  You can get kinda close to that with OctoPrint running on a RaspberryPi. You'll still have to slice it manually, but you can upload the gcode and start the print from another browser tab.
  - fanatic2pope 4y ago
    If you have OctoPrint, you can make it even easier by setting up remote printing directly from PrusaSlicer, so you can upload and print with a single click. This is how I have my mini setup and it works well. https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/prusaslicer/guide-config-prusaslicer-to-send-print-to-octoprint-on-button-press-including-proper-limited-api-permissions-and-key/ https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/prusaslicer/guide-config-pru...
- Kirby64 4y ago
  Options have existed for awhile, but unless you have the specific slicing profile in mind (which is NOT the same for every file; some might need supports... some you might not care about quality, etc), it's not going to be one-size-fits-all. As others have mentioned, the closet is using something like PrusaSlicer and using 'Upload and start print'. You do the slicing manually, then you just press a button and it uploads the gcode and starts printing.
- dotnet00 4y ago
  There are so many variables which one might want to tweak depending on their specific use case that it seems a bit difficult to boil it down to one-click. Especially with slicers still introducing all sorts of improvements which might need tuning of their own to adapt to older designs.
- infthi 4y ago
  3dprinteros has an online slicer. So, assuming you are happy with the default profile and the printer is online, you can go "Upload stl" -> "next" -> "next" -> "next" -> "print".
rhinoceraptor 4y ago
These look like very solid improvements over the MK3S+ (I personally have two MK3S+, and use them a lot), and I love their commitment to open hardware and for making upgrade kits available, but it's a bit disappointing to see still how far Prusa is behind truly next-gen printers like the Bambu Lab X1-Carbon.
- treesciencebot 4y ago
  Indeed. I always thought they deferred the launch of any new model after X1C in order to take the true "just works" crown back (with the hopes of it would be something like Intel/AMD feuds where the monopoly had finally came to an end and customers can finally see some real competition). But apparently it is just a classic Prusa printer with better parts but still a very very high price to usability ratio (compared to Bambu Lab P1P or X1).
  - f38zf5vdt 4y ago
    It's a proprietary versus open source argument. You can build a mk4 clone for much less than the price of a Prusa-branded one, as everything is open source. The higher price tag is like a donation to open source. Prusa also makes the open source XL if you want an CoreXY model, or you could go with a Voron which is also open source.
    - treesciencebot 4y ago
      > It's a proprietary versus open source argument. You can build a mk4 clone for much less than the price of a Prusa-branded one, as everything is open source. The higher price tag is like a donation to open source. I would say the higher price tag is more like "Prusa" using its name as a quality assurance system where if you want to get something working without much hassle (since nearly every other mk4/mk3s clone that has been out there really really sucks except the ones from Prusa) you have to pay the premium. This is not to say they are necesarrily doing a bad job on open sourcing or abusing, but just a mark that "open source hardware" doesn't necessarily benefit the customer as much as "real world features".
gjsman-1000 4y ago
Nice - but it's been over a year and a half since preorders for the Prusa XL began and it still has not shipped!!! It is clear now that people who preordered the Prusa XL had availability sacrificed for the MK4. It just sucks if you've been waiting more than 18 months for that, only for the MK4 to get day-one availability before your long-awaited preorder.
- throwawayprusa 4y ago
  They are drowning in cash but only hiring cheap, mediocre engineers. When they manage to hire enthusiasts, they either burn them out or leave them to their own devices without unifying vision or structure - as long as the owners like them. The culture is pure nepotism. Also, people who manufacture the printers are paid peanuts and are managed super strictly. Also, XL was announced because they were "feeling like they were not releasing for too long". Not because they felt inspired. Then they literally slept on it for a year. Don't expect anything special from them. Source: know people inside and from the relevant social circle.
  - lardo 4y ago
    Do you have any insight into why Josef Prusa's name and face is plastered over every square inch of everything they produce?
- microtherion 4y ago
  I don't think that's quite correct, according to Prusa, the XL has started shipping to customers two weeks ago, though presumably still in low numbers: https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-printing-in-2023_76659/ https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-prin... I'm not super happy about the wait myself, but the XL is a considerably more complex beast, and I'd rather see them getting it right than sacrificing quality to meeting some self imposed deadline.
latenightcoding 4y ago
Prusa printers were great many years ago. in 2023 I'd recommend buying any cheap Chinese brand. I bought an i3 MK3S+ and it almost made me lose my love for 3d printing, the machine is clearly stuck in the past, you don't even have remote printing out of the box, you face as many issues as you would with a cheap 3d printer, but you have to pay over $1k USD and wait months to get one.
- mcast 4y ago
  Isn't Prusa one of the few open-source companies/printers? I thought they were expensive because they used high-quality parts.
- yokoprime 4y ago
  Is this satire? I have a Prusa mini, and for a 3D printer it’s as close to “it just works” as you can get. My friend got an Ender3 and has spent countless hours modding it, replacing parts etc and he still can’t print PETG reliably while I print in any of the “normal” materials without worry at all. The stories I hear about cheap Chinese printers are like my friend with his Ender, just dialed up to 11.
  - abracadaniel 4y ago
    I agree with this. Unless you love tinkering and modding, and don't mind spending more in the long run, a Prusa is pretty much the gold standard for reliability/consistency. I bought cheap, with the understanding that I'd be spending the money over time and maybe have a better machine in the end, but it hasn't really worked out that way. The cheap printers get costly pretty quickly. I've learned a lot, but it's all been by necessity while troubleshooting various issues that I wouldn't have had with a better printer. If you want to print, get a good printer. If you want to tinker with stepper motors firmware, extruders, hot ends, bed leveling sensors, etc, then something cheap might be a better intro. Going cheap got me started, but it was a much steeper learning curve, included a lot of frustration along the way, and was ultimately more costly.
    - deleted 4y ago
zokier 4y ago
From outsider perspective (fdm) 3d printers plateaued relatively quickly; while the speed improvement is undoubtedly nice for heavy users, even at 3x speed I don't know if it is really transformative. Meanwhile the print quality hasn't changed really that much afaik? Of course being more reliable and less fiddly are certainly good improvements but I don't see them being transformative or making 3d printing conquer new areas.
- ferminaut 4y ago
  If you are designing something, being able to rapidly iterate is great. The difference is 4-5 prints a working day vs 1-2 prints a day.
- Filligree 4y ago
  One of the things you can do with higher speeds is use a smaller nozzle, which translates directly to higher visual quality. There’s also constant improvements to the algorithms; what can be printed in the first place. To name one, it used to be that anything above a 25 degree overhang would cause problems… These days 60 degrees isn’t too bad, and there are experimental algorithms that can handle 90. Support algorithms have also improved dramatically lately, so we’re pretty close to the point where any and all geometries will just work.
- mitthrowaway2 4y ago
  The main FDM 3D printer patents expired at around the time the first iphone came out. I've been involved with them since those early days. If you ask me, the pace of improvement in usability, quality, reliability, and functionality of 3D printers has been as good if not better than smartphones. And it continues today. These upgrades in first-layer sensing and nozzle exchanges are a bigger relative improvement than the incremental increase in smartphone camera resolution. And the ecosystem of filament suppliers, G-code slicers, and 3D models available for download for people who don't want to do their own CAD has also grown. Reliability is a huge, huge deal. Back in 2009 we were dealing with constant nozzle jams, delamination from the print bed, print errors, drifting, ooze, extruder slip, and all sorts of other problems. You had to keep a constant eye on the printer, and manually tweak the G-code generation parameters to get good results. It's come a long way and still going.
StephenSmith 4y ago
Having messed with 3D printers since before the iPhone came out, I can confidently say My MK3 is the best printer I've owned in terms of value. I can only imagine that they've improved upon this story with the MK4.
- tagh 4y ago
  I'm relatively new compared with you, but I've also found my MK3S+ to be super solid and output high quality stuff. I previously had a da Vinci Pro, and my best metaphor is that using the MK3S+ is like writing with a new pencil vs. one full of broken lead.
phkahler 4y ago
Can anyone compare FLSUN V400 to this one? I'm looking, and that seems to be awesome.
polishdude20 4y ago
The 70% print time reduction seems like a game changer. Any way to do this with the MK3S?
- newaccount74 4y ago
  It says high speed printing will come in a firmware update... Have they released remote printing support for the Prusa mini yet?
  - Karliss 4y ago
    The update with wifi support for Prusa mini was released ~3-4 months ago. Or are you referring to something else?
    - newaccount74 4y ago
      The Prusa mini has an ethernet port, so people assumed that you could hook it up to your LAN and print over the network. As far as I can tell, that doesn't work yet, and the Prusa website [1] says: > Full control of your printer will be added in future releases Edit: It looks like remote printing was released in a Firmware update in Nov 2022 [2] and the documentation website wasn't updated yet. [1]: https://help.prusa3d.com/article/prusa-connect-local-mini_133279 https://help.prusa3d.com/article/prusa-connect-local-mini_13... [2]: https://github.com/prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy/releases https://github.com/prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy/releases
bmitc 4y ago
I'll have to take a look at this. I have been wanting to get my first printer and am willing to spend more to get one that I don't ever have to fuss around with, as I just want to use the printer and not work on it. I was heavily considering the MK3S+, but I had talked myself into going with a Bambu Lab printer, either the P1P or X1 Carbon: https://bambulab.com/en https://bambulab.com/en. So this new offering from Prusa deserves a look, but I think I am still leaning towards the Bambu Lab products. They have a lot of features.
- bufferout 4y ago
  X1 owner here. Previously owned the mk3s+. Bambu is your best choice today and really a quantum leap in terms of performance. you will still need to occasionally fuss with things, mostly in terms of optimal slicer settings, but I still get the odd physical failure that requires intervention e.g. filament snapping in the guide tube, object seperating from the sheet misprint, etc. The AMS has been wonderful for me: no longer manually swapping out filaments, and cool tricks like automatically laying down a layer of easily-removed support filament between model and support structure.
gattilorenz 4y ago
Not quite on topic, but I wanted to start 3D printing for a long time, but it feels there’s a huge gap from where I am (0 knowledge of 3D modeling and obviously 0 experience with printing) and where I want to get (design some custom parts that would make my life easier, e.g. a custom support for my Magic Trackpad that integrates with my keyboard). Does anyone have a good recommendation to go “from zero to hero”?
- jhartwig 4y ago
  Zero to hero... no not really. The printing part isn't that hard to pick up. The designing complex models with complex tools is a real mother. Youtube is a good place to start with tools like Fusion 360.
- codercotton 4y ago
  I hope it's not against any rules... it's not as far as I know of, so I plugged your comment into ChatGPT: Sure, I'd be happy to help you get started with 3D printing! I'll break it down into a few steps, from learning the basics of 3D modeling to printing your first custom part. Learn the basics of 3D modeling: To start, it's important to get familiar with 3D modeling software. Two popular free options are Tinkercad and Blender. Tinkercad (Beginner-friendly): Tinkercad is a browser-based, user-friendly CAD software that helps you create 3D models easily. It's perfect for beginners. Tinkercad tutorial: https://www.tinkercad.com/learn/designs https://www.tinkercad.com/learn/designs Blender (Advanced): Blender is an open-source 3D modeling software with a steeper learning curve but offers more advanced features. Blender tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa1F2ddGya_-UvuAqHAksYnB0qL9yWDO6 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa1F2ddGya_-UvuAqHAks... Understand 3D printing basics: Learn about 3D printing technologies, materials, and the process. This will help you make better decisions when designing your parts. 3D Printing basics: https://www.3dhubs.com/guides/3d-printing/ https://www.3dhubs.com/guides/3d-printing/ Choose a 3D printer: When you're ready to buy a 3D printer, consider factors like build volume, material compatibility, and price. A few popular entry-level 3D printers include: Creality Ender 3: https://www.creality.com/goods-detail/ender-3-3d-printer https://www.creality.com/goods-detail/ender-3-3d-printer Prusa i3 MK3S: https://www.prusa3d.com/original-prusa-i3-mk3s https://www.prusa3d.com/original-prusa-i3-mk3s Learn to prepare models for printing: Once you've designed your 3D model, you'll need to prepare it for printing using slicer software. This software converts your model into instructions for the 3D printer. Popular slicer software includes: Ultimaker Cura: https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura PrusaSlicer: https://www.prusa3d.com/prusaslicer/ https://www.prusa3d.com/prusaslicer/ Print your first project: Start with something simple to familiarize yourself with the 3D printing process. Then, move on to more complex projects like your custom Magic Trackpad support. Join online communities: Participate in online forums and communities to get advice, feedback, and inspiration. A few popular 3D printing communities include: r/3Dprinting subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/ https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/ Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/ https://www.thingiverse.com/ Follow these steps, practice regularly, and you'll be well on your way to becoming a 3D printing hero. Good luck!
sacnoradhq 4y ago
Original Prusa MK4 kit Out-of-stock :( I have a MK3S+ with MMU2S, bear clone upgrade, a head upgrade, Octoprint with 2 cameras, a temperature regulation chamber, and filament dryers.
- Symbiote 4y ago
  The kit is not yet in stock, the longer blog post said it would be available in about two weeks.
lvl102 4y ago
These are nice and I have MK3 as well. However, I am doing most of my prints on HP MJF these days. It’s so much better and the cost is very reasonable. FDMs are good toys that require love. A lot of it (which can be good and bad).
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- Symbiote 4y ago
  Are you referring to a $250,000 HP MJF printer, or is there something else?
- TaylorAlexander 4y ago
  I too would rather print on a hundred thousand dollar plus printer than a one thousand dollar one. I still use Prusas for my robotics work because I can print multiple parts in a work day and iterate quickly. Either you are ordering parts and have to wait days for them to arrive, or your budget is very different from mine. I did work at Google X and have a few MJF parts still from their in house machine. They are nice, but they are in a totally different league. My MJF benchy sits next to my Prusa MK3s at home.
- jdietrich 4y ago
  >FDMs are good toys that require love. A lot of it (which can be good and bad). Eh, that's not really the case any more. If you spend a sensible amount of money on a properly built machine, it's pretty close to fire-and-forget. Features like automatic bed levelling, PEI build plates, runout sensors, reliable direct-drive extruders and spaghetti detection have removed most of the annoyances in FDM printing. I was a long-time FDM sceptic, but the technology has reached a level of maturity where it fills a useful niche. FDM machines are an increasingly common sight in machine shops, tool rooms and MRO facilities; in an environment that's staffed by people who are familiar with CAD/CAM, they can produce a useful subset of parts with an almost trivial level of cost and effort. Unless your employer is extremely generous, you probably don't have an MJF or SLS machine that's just sitting idle in case you need a widget in a hurry. FDM thrives in the niche traditionally occupied by hand tools and that sloppy old Bridgeport - workholding one-offs, kludgy parts to keep a machine running until the field tech arrives, parts you only need in order to make other parts. An FDM printer is the mechanical embodiment of the phrase "close enough for government work".
causality0 4y ago
The MK4 will consistently deliver a perfect smooth first layer I've lost count of the number of times I've been promised this.
- post_break 4y ago
  My cheap ender 3 v2 with a glass bed makes perfectly smooth first layers.
syntaxing 4y ago
I've been always a huge fan of Prusa and always wanted one (just haven't for various reasons, not so much financial related). But this feels too little too late. Bambulabs is absolutely eating the market and I would be sweating if I were Prusa Research. It sucks since Bambulabs is using their slicer and a lot of Prusa's technology as a foundation. But most of the people I know have decided to skip waiting for the XL or MK4 and jumped for the X1C instead. No joke, the past purchases in the past 4 months or so from my circle of friends and peers have all been the P1P or X1C. Edit: Also, its 799 for the kit you can't buy now compared to 699 for the P1P that you can buy today and literally prints out of the box.
- operatingthetan 4y ago
  >It sucks since Bambulabs is using their slicer and a lot of Prusa's technology as a foundation. Prusa's slicer is just a fork of Slic3r so I'd say that's fair play. Prusa just aggressively brands opensource stuff.
  - reaperman 4y ago
    > Prusa just aggressively brands opensource stuff. I mean, they fork it, develop it further, and give it back to the community. That's entirely within the spirit of open source! "Aggressively branding open-source stuff" would be like Chinese Alibaba sellers ripping off open hardware or Amazon redistributing PostgreSQL as an AWS SaaS offering.
    - operatingthetan 4y ago
      I figured someone would take issue with that, I guess my problem is they don't do a great job of attribution.
      - kryptn 4y ago
        It's the first point under Features. > Free and open-source > PrusaSlicer is based on Slic3r by Alessandro Ranellucci. Thanks to the strong community and a team of developers in Prusa Research we can continually add new features. Follow the development on our GitHub.
725686 4y ago
I have one of the first Prusas... and it sucks. It sucked from the very fist day. Faulty components. Material would not stick to the table. Warping. Miserable experience. It has been collecting dust ever since.
- qiller 4y ago
  Times have changed. Never had an issue with MK3, compared to Ender impressions.
- kryptn 4y ago
  > I have one of the first Prusas I've had two Prusa mk3s for a few years now and they've been excellent. No problems at all, and now Prusa is my default recommendation. I'd run batch jobs on them for days for "customers" without concern.
- TaylorAlexander 4y ago
  Yeah, old printers suck. I got my first printer in 2011. It sucked. New Prusas are fantastic printers and have been for a while.
- johnwalkr 4y ago
  At my work we have a Prusa mk3 as well as a $20k Markforged Mark2 printer, which can add carbon fibres for stiffness and strength. The Prusa is about as good when we don't need those features, similar speed and the slicer is actually better.
Francis2023 4y ago
Replaced all 25 MKS3+ machines with 15 Bambu P1Ps and 5 Bambu X1C's about 2 months ago. Sold the last Mks3+ yesterday. They Print 3 Times faster than the MKS3+ with same or better quality in some prints. 24/7 printing almost with zero issues in my print farm. BVery easy to send jobs to it from the Bambu slicer based on the Prusa slicer which is open source and enhanced to make complicated print jobs spread across multiple virtual print beds a beautiful thing! At this point i see ZERO reason to consider a MK4. Bambu hit this out of the ball park and into the neighbouring city as far as I am concerned.
- gjsman-1000 4y ago
  Prusa mentions in their articles about how China slowly appropriated solar panel designs, beat domestic companies on cost, and now all solar panels are made in China. And that, they hope, they can avoid this for 3D Printers in particular because Chinese companies do not have a good track record for following open-source licenses promptly. However, I see all this and think, man... Prusa, you were 2 years too late on the XL and the MK4. And it's going to hurt the Prusa marketshare immensely.
- postalrat 4y ago
  You created an account just to say you aren't going to buy something?
  - capableweb 4y ago
    On top of that, they are throwing shade at a machine that's not even on the guest list, totally swerving into the wild world of off-topic shenanigans!
- JofArnold 4y ago
  > At this point i see ZERO reason to consider a MK4 Prusas are user serviceable with lots of spare parts available. Bambus are far from that and if there's a problem with the design (e.g. ghosting) you're out of luck for as long as it takes them to fix it. I don't have a Prusa (I have a VzBot). Just saying there's far from zero reasons.
franky47 4y ago
I've owned an MK3 since 2018, since then some defects have started to appear (the LCD has a contrast blob at the center, and I cracked the X-axis stepper bracket), but nothing that prevents the printer doing its occasional job. I print mostly functional parts (home repairs & improvement, prototypes), and while I could have printed a fix for the broken part, the prospect of taking the whole thing apart (as well as for an upgrade to an S+) doesn't appeal to me.
- Symbiote 4y ago
  It would be wise to print a new part while you can, just in case the cracked part fails completely at some point.
tlonny 4y ago
God damn it - I just bought a MK3...
- Symbiote 4y ago
  The announcement article says people who bought a Mk3S within the last month will receive a voucher for $150 or $200 which could be put towards the upgrade kit (or, I assume, filament etc). https://blog.prusa3d.com/announcing-original-prusa-mk4_76585/ https://blog.prusa3d.com/announcing-original-prusa-mk4_76585...
  - tlonny 4y ago
    Thanks for the heads up!
sciencesama 4y ago
why is this better than ender 3 ?
sciencesama 4y ago
why cant you just use ender 3 ?
belval 4y ago
Could someone explain to me what you get from paying more for a 3D printer like this one instead of a "basic" model? I have a Ender 3 V2 with self-leveling bed (without self-leveling it's not that great) and I use it a lot, enough to justify buying a better $1k+ printer but it's not clear what I get from spending that much money on it. Is it printing speed, better materials, or something else entirely?
- eropple 4y ago
  In 2023: not a ton. Maybe some better repeatability. You're likely to have fewer out-of-the-box problems; they spend a lot on quality control. If you're just interested in the hobby, the Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro is, for my money, a fantastic entrypoint that you can get for under $250. (I own the larger version, the Plus, which has a bigger bed and turns the fans off when not printing; it's sub-$350.) There's also the Sovol SV06 (and its larger Plus variant) in the same ballpark, though they're having some significant QC problems these days. It's also in the $200-$250 range. I have one of these too and it's pretty nice, but I have a first-run one before the QC problems started to rear up. The Prusa stuff is absolutely better made than the Sovol stuff--though the Elegoo stuff is remarkably high-quality, especially for the price--but frankly it is emphatically not four times better. The delta shrinks further if (and in this crowd, maybe when) you install the Klipper firmware to replace the stock Marlin stuff; Prusa's custom Marlin builds are better than the competition, but Klipper beats it all hollow, and the performance benefits of Klipper on the SV06 and the Neptune 3 Pro/Plus are huge when it comes to faster acceleration and thus faster printing.
  - letshin 3y ago
    What QC issues have there been so far? The YouTune reviews have been positive so curious to find out more before I decide to buy or not.
- njovin 4y ago
  I'm not an expert but I do own an MK3S+, from what I can tell: - OOTB ready-to-print is a big one. There's a bit of a learning curve to calibrating everything on the MK3S+. It took me a few days to get mine dialed in and I'm not one of those people that's looking for perfect prints, I just needed it to mostly work. - Touch-screen + wifi + remote printing saves on setup: no SD card needed. I added an OctoPi to mine to achieve similar but that takes some tinkering and the OctoPi performance is spotty. - They're claiming a 70% decrease in print times
2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
There’s also various upgrade kits from the 3 to 3.5, 3.9 and 4. Here is the full kit https://www.prusa3d.com/product/original-prusa-i3-mk3-s-to-mk4-upgrade-kit/ https://www.prusa3d.com/product/original-prusa-i3-mk3-s-to-m...
- HeavenFox 4y ago
  Sadly at $579 that is almost the price of a full printer at $799. May as well buy the full printer and sell the old one :(
  - mistercow 4y ago
    The 3.5 upgrade looks compelling at 250 for the input shaping and pressure advance. Native Wi-Fi is a mild bonus if you already have an octopi setup. For the others, I agree. That’s a good chunk of the way to the price of a brand new P1P, which comes assembled.
nathan_f77 4y ago
I've been thinking about getting a Prusa 3D printer for a long time, but now I'm leaning towards a Bambu Lab X1-Carbon Combo 3D printer. It looks really cool and seems like a more professional tool. Has anyone tried both? What would you recommend? EDIT: I read some of the other comments in this thread and did some more research. Found some Reddit posts as well. I think I'll definitely go with the Bambu Lab printer.
- iLoveOncall 4y ago
  I don't own either (I have an Anycubic Vyper) but the two are not at all in the same category. The Bambu totally outclasses the Prusa printers, but the price is also a lot higher.
  - mzi 4y ago
    It's actually not. The MK4 competes with Bambu P1P which is cheaper, and the X1 Carbon Combo should be compared to a MK4 with an enclosure and a MMU3 and then Bambu comes out on top again.
- carterschonwald 4y ago
  Core xy motion system is hands down a faster setup. Also has a smaller footprint for the same printable area. And enclosed means you can do asa and Abs and nylons as a normal think. No matter what, make sure it’s in a room with an air filter and active ventilation. Safety matters. There’s a lot of really cool open source printer designs too, and having an abs/asa capable machine really makes a lot more cool prjects possible. I got the x1cc and I’ve been really happy so far. My biggest problem was accidentally printing pla as asa and I still managed to make ok but weird prints
Mizza 4y ago
I've been thinking about making a DIY record lathe. If anybody here is big into DIY 3D printer hacking, do you see any big blockers with using a 1-D Prusa system to host a record cutting head?
acyou 4y ago
Words come to mind when I think of using Prusas I have used: Reliable, Plug and Play, Workhorse, Industrial, Application Every other 3D printer I have used: Calibration, Settings, Filament, Buggy, Spaghetti, Error. Doubt this will be much of an improvement, there is little to improve upon with the MK3S+.
antoniuschan99 4y ago
I wonder what their design decision was to continue with the bed sling design. CoreXY has hit the inflection point as the standard of next gen fdm printers. Still going to upgrade to mk4 instead of getting the xl though
dhlavaty 4y ago
https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-printing-in-2023_76659/ https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-prin... highly recommend to read this first
r0l1 4y ago
For that price tag I would add a couple of hundred dollars and go with the SnapMaker 2. The nice thing is, that it is capable to do also laser engravings and simple CNC milling. Only made good experience so far. https://eu.snapmaker.com/de https://eu.snapmaker.com/de
- hellweaver666 4y ago
  Everything I've read about the snapmaker suggests it's a "jack of all trades" and not really great at anything.
  - r0l1 4y ago
    Never really read anything about it online. However we are using it at our company and are quite happy with it. The thing is running 24/7 and the printing results are really good after a first calibration. Just sharing my experience...

Original Prusa MK4

305 points by oztamir 4y ago

latchkey 4y ago

It'll be interesting to watch the Aurora Tech review when it comes out. Curious to see how she likes it.

rcarmo 4y ago
Yep. We enjoy her reviews a lot.
jwr 4y ago
The only reviewer worth watching IMO.

rcarmo 4y ago

I have a Prusa MK2 clone that I recently revived with Klipper firmware, a cheapo Kingroon MK3S Pro that I bought to tweak a bit, and have been looking at getting a Bambu Labs or building a Voron - and either of those seems like a better investment than the MK4 if you can build and tweak the printer yourself. But the key thing is that the Bambu (and other upcoming Core XY printers) are aimed at the non-modding market and seem to be a much better deal overall, so I'm not sure what Prusa is going for here other than leveraging brand traction...

bittercynic 4y ago
I think they appeal to a different crowd. I built a Prusa kit, and enjoyed building it, and enjoy printing with it. I consider it a bit of a hobby product, and wouldn't recommend it to someone who isn't interested in learning anything about 3d printing. It works great, but you have to take an interest in it. For the person who just wants a consumer product, I suspect the Bambu might be the best option.
polishdude20 4y ago
How is the Bambu a better deal? All I'm seeing is a $1500 printer. Is there some other model?
- Chilko 4y ago
  Yes: https://store.bambulab.com/collections/3d-printer https://store.bambulab.com/collections/3d-printer
- rcarmo 4y ago
  Even the more expensive models are (arguably) better than the prusa due to being core xy
JofArnold 4y ago
Better deal by some measures, but definitely not part quality. Far from it. My equally-priced VzBot kit has much better quality components in every area right down to the screws. That said, if I put a price on my time I think the X1C would be 1/10th the cost :D

j-pb 4y ago

Really nice to see steady incremental improvements to an already solid platform! It's small stuff like no longer having to manually Z-Adjust, and having the print-head connected via easy to undo/replace connectors, that seem like small things but are huge time- and nerve-savers when it comes to actually running these things in production. Crazy to see how far Prusa has come with his stuff, I still remember sitting and laughing in a hacker-space with him a couple years ago. He is one of the few people that actually stuck to the open-source rep-rap philosophy even after success (fun fact: he has a tattoo of the open hardware logos to remember his roots).

mzi 4y ago
They also just published a blog post[0] discussing the hardware equivalent of SSPL if I get it correctly. 0: https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-printing-in-2023_76659/ https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-prin...
- RobotToaster 4y ago
  Several of those suggestions would violate the OSHW definition, a definition that was endorsed by Prusa himself: https://freedomdefined.org/OSHW https://freedomdefined.org/OSHW
  - 2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
    Thinking about it a bit more, I think Prusa is simply struggling to maintain a foot hold in the industry and remain open source. All the complaints are about the printers. But Prusa does more than just printers. Prusa forked Slic3r into PrusaSlicer and continuously deliver great improvements and still keep it open source. If you go to the PrusaSlicer page, their github link is right there. And they support Windows, Linux and MacOS. They also attribute Alessandro on the website and the launch screen. The Prusa github also seems to have all their projects and software. Bambu Labs forks PrusaSlicer and the github link is no where on their site and they only support Windows and MacOS On a piece of software that already had Linux support and the only acknowledge it's a fork on the github. Fortunately the github is still the 2nd link in google. But they aren't really committed to releasing their work if they won't even link to it. And their github has like 2 projects. Prusa created printables.com to clean up the mess that is thingiverse. Creality created Creality Cloud and then just steals your models even after Naomi Wu advised them not to do that. Prusa runs competitions, has prizes. Prusa seems to want to keep things open source, try and create a community. But like most open hardware, it's expensive relative to the competition. As an Apple user, I completely understand the need to not mess about. But I also like to use opensource where possible. Especially for things I want to tinker with. So it's really surprising to me that what seems to be the majority of the hobbyist 3D printer community, a community that tinkers by definition, wants more closed, less repairable hardware. And more propriety software. They just want the cheapest appliance they can get for the money. I think this is what broke my brain. We started open, and could remain that way. But we'd rather not. It's hard to fight against the might of cheap Chinese manufacturing. I hope Prusa works out a good strategy to survive before we end up in a situation where all the 3D printers requires Windows or MacOS and a login to some cloud service that I don't want.

xnx 4y ago

Would someone explain what is notable about this? I'm not familiar enough with the 3D printer space to know what new features and capabilities are developing.

synack 4y ago
New electronics (AVR upgraded to STM32) Lighter, stronger, faster extruder Easier to swap/maintain hotend Faster and more automated bed leveling Better stepper motors
wellthisisgreat 4y ago
It’s the one FDM 3D printer worth buying that is being cloned and copied with so-so results by Chinese companies. Unlike Ender etc., Prusa is the true “just works” FDM printer
- sokoloff 4y ago
  I do recommend Prusa to new 3D printing hobbyists because there are a lot of quality of initial experience features on them. That acknowledged, my (lightly modded) Ender3s, a Flashforge Creator clone, and an SKTank kit-built printer all also “just work” and, other than capability differences, use the same machine settings in slicer/same gcode thanks to Klipper macros (to the point that I’ll often start a print on them in the basement without ever going down there and checking that the first layer looks okay). I’d say I’m well above 97% for prints work without any fuss.
zokier 4y ago
Its more just a brand thing, Prusa was one of the early big names in (hobbyist) 3d printing scene. I don't think this printer coming from any other brand would have reached the front page
- precompute 4y ago
  This is the truth. Prusa used to be in front of the line a couple of years ago, but since then they've dropped the ball and other manufacturers have caught up. And with much better open-source alternatives like Voron printers, very few people are ready to shell out money for Prusa printers. Plus, there's a big fanboy community around this brand, a lot of which might just be genuine shills (maybe not here on HN, but they do exist on reddit).

sho_hn 4y ago

So I would really like to get into 3D printing, but I struggle with discomfort over the health implications. I live in a small rented apartment and can't easily work out space or, much more importantly, external venilation. Yes, I've looked into PLA vs. ABS, I've looked into enclosures with carbon/HEPA filters, etc., but I still don't want to have it in my living space without a vent to the outdoors. Here's the best I can come up with: A well-insulated enclosure with a filter ... on the balcony, with internal heating and PID temp control. Maybe some thing for humidity control as well. Thoughts? Any good off-the-shelf enclosure products that would fit an Ender S1 Pro or a Prusa MK3/4?

latchkey 4y ago
Box around the printer with a vent/fan blowing outside. It'll be negative pressure in the box, so everything should just vent out. Even if you can just crack a window and get the airflow going out the window... you can push a flexible tube far out onto your balcony...
- levpopov 4y ago
  This is the best way. Inline duct fan and a flex hose running out of your window (you can print an adapter/connector to fit perfectly). It works very well even if your enclosure is not airtight (and it shouldn't be when printing PLA since you want a constant stream of air getting inside for cooling) - just let negative pressure do its thing.
  - sho_hn 4y ago
    It may seem super silly or I'm just somehow dumb, but the "run a hose to your balcony" is the difficult part for me. That means having a door open for 10+ hours at a time, which is a climate control challenge for the room. That's why I figured: Why not put the entire enclosure on the balcony, and then heat-humidity control the inside of it? Sure, more complex system and higher power draw, ... but maybe there's whole kits for this? Like, for keeping a 3D printer in a windy shed?

bilsbie 4y ago

Has anyone figured out remote slicing? I’d love to just click print on a thingiverse page and have my printer start going.

metal_am 4y ago
You can get kinda close to that with OctoPrint running on a RaspberryPi. You'll still have to slice it manually, but you can upload the gcode and start the print from another browser tab.
- fanatic2pope 4y ago
  If you have OctoPrint, you can make it even easier by setting up remote printing directly from PrusaSlicer, so you can upload and print with a single click. This is how I have my mini setup and it works well. https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/prusaslicer/guide-config-prusaslicer-to-send-print-to-octoprint-on-button-press-including-proper-limited-api-permissions-and-key/ https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/prusaslicer/guide-config-pru...
Kirby64 4y ago
Options have existed for awhile, but unless you have the specific slicing profile in mind (which is NOT the same for every file; some might need supports... some you might not care about quality, etc), it's not going to be one-size-fits-all. As others have mentioned, the closet is using something like PrusaSlicer and using 'Upload and start print'. You do the slicing manually, then you just press a button and it uploads the gcode and starts printing.
dotnet00 4y ago
There are so many variables which one might want to tweak depending on their specific use case that it seems a bit difficult to boil it down to one-click. Especially with slicers still introducing all sorts of improvements which might need tuning of their own to adapt to older designs.
infthi 4y ago
3dprinteros has an online slicer. So, assuming you are happy with the default profile and the printer is online, you can go "Upload stl" -> "next" -> "next" -> "next" -> "print".

rhinoceraptor 4y ago

These look like very solid improvements over the MK3S+ (I personally have two MK3S+, and use them a lot), and I love their commitment to open hardware and for making upgrade kits available, but it's a bit disappointing to see still how far Prusa is behind truly next-gen printers like the Bambu Lab X1-Carbon.

treesciencebot 4y ago
Indeed. I always thought they deferred the launch of any new model after X1C in order to take the true "just works" crown back (with the hopes of it would be something like Intel/AMD feuds where the monopoly had finally came to an end and customers can finally see some real competition). But apparently it is just a classic Prusa printer with better parts but still a very very high price to usability ratio (compared to Bambu Lab P1P or X1).
- f38zf5vdt 4y ago
  It's a proprietary versus open source argument. You can build a mk4 clone for much less than the price of a Prusa-branded one, as everything is open source. The higher price tag is like a donation to open source. Prusa also makes the open source XL if you want an CoreXY model, or you could go with a Voron which is also open source.
  - treesciencebot 4y ago
    > It's a proprietary versus open source argument. You can build a mk4 clone for much less than the price of a Prusa-branded one, as everything is open source. The higher price tag is like a donation to open source. I would say the higher price tag is more like "Prusa" using its name as a quality assurance system where if you want to get something working without much hassle (since nearly every other mk4/mk3s clone that has been out there really really sucks except the ones from Prusa) you have to pay the premium. This is not to say they are necesarrily doing a bad job on open sourcing or abusing, but just a mark that "open source hardware" doesn't necessarily benefit the customer as much as "real world features".

gjsman-1000 4y ago

Nice - but it's been over a year and a half since preorders for the Prusa XL began and it still has not shipped!!! It is clear now that people who preordered the Prusa XL had availability sacrificed for the MK4. It just sucks if you've been waiting more than 18 months for that, only for the MK4 to get day-one availability before your long-awaited preorder.

throwawayprusa 4y ago
They are drowning in cash but only hiring cheap, mediocre engineers. When they manage to hire enthusiasts, they either burn them out or leave them to their own devices without unifying vision or structure - as long as the owners like them. The culture is pure nepotism. Also, people who manufacture the printers are paid peanuts and are managed super strictly. Also, XL was announced because they were "feeling like they were not releasing for too long". Not because they felt inspired. Then they literally slept on it for a year. Don't expect anything special from them. Source: know people inside and from the relevant social circle.
- lardo 4y ago
  Do you have any insight into why Josef Prusa's name and face is plastered over every square inch of everything they produce?
microtherion 4y ago
I don't think that's quite correct, according to Prusa, the XL has started shipping to customers two weeks ago, though presumably still in low numbers: https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-printing-in-2023_76659/ https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-prin... I'm not super happy about the wait myself, but the XL is a considerably more complex beast, and I'd rather see them getting it right than sacrificing quality to meeting some self imposed deadline.

latenightcoding 4y ago

Prusa printers were great many years ago. in 2023 I'd recommend buying any cheap Chinese brand. I bought an i3 MK3S+ and it almost made me lose my love for 3d printing, the machine is clearly stuck in the past, you don't even have remote printing out of the box, you face as many issues as you would with a cheap 3d printer, but you have to pay over $1k USD and wait months to get one.

mcast 4y ago
Isn't Prusa one of the few open-source companies/printers? I thought they were expensive because they used high-quality parts.
yokoprime 4y ago
Is this satire? I have a Prusa mini, and for a 3D printer it’s as close to “it just works” as you can get. My friend got an Ender3 and has spent countless hours modding it, replacing parts etc and he still can’t print PETG reliably while I print in any of the “normal” materials without worry at all. The stories I hear about cheap Chinese printers are like my friend with his Ender, just dialed up to 11.
- abracadaniel 4y ago
  I agree with this. Unless you love tinkering and modding, and don't mind spending more in the long run, a Prusa is pretty much the gold standard for reliability/consistency. I bought cheap, with the understanding that I'd be spending the money over time and maybe have a better machine in the end, but it hasn't really worked out that way. The cheap printers get costly pretty quickly. I've learned a lot, but it's all been by necessity while troubleshooting various issues that I wouldn't have had with a better printer. If you want to print, get a good printer. If you want to tinker with stepper motors firmware, extruders, hot ends, bed leveling sensors, etc, then something cheap might be a better intro. Going cheap got me started, but it was a much steeper learning curve, included a lot of frustration along the way, and was ultimately more costly.
  - deleted 4y ago

zokier 4y ago

From outsider perspective (fdm) 3d printers plateaued relatively quickly; while the speed improvement is undoubtedly nice for heavy users, even at 3x speed I don't know if it is really transformative. Meanwhile the print quality hasn't changed really that much afaik? Of course being more reliable and less fiddly are certainly good improvements but I don't see them being transformative or making 3d printing conquer new areas.

ferminaut 4y ago
If you are designing something, being able to rapidly iterate is great. The difference is 4-5 prints a working day vs 1-2 prints a day.
Filligree 4y ago
One of the things you can do with higher speeds is use a smaller nozzle, which translates directly to higher visual quality. There’s also constant improvements to the algorithms; what can be printed in the first place. To name one, it used to be that anything above a 25 degree overhang would cause problems… These days 60 degrees isn’t too bad, and there are experimental algorithms that can handle 90. Support algorithms have also improved dramatically lately, so we’re pretty close to the point where any and all geometries will just work.
mitthrowaway2 4y ago
The main FDM 3D printer patents expired at around the time the first iphone came out. I've been involved with them since those early days. If you ask me, the pace of improvement in usability, quality, reliability, and functionality of 3D printers has been as good if not better than smartphones. And it continues today. These upgrades in first-layer sensing and nozzle exchanges are a bigger relative improvement than the incremental increase in smartphone camera resolution. And the ecosystem of filament suppliers, G-code slicers, and 3D models available for download for people who don't want to do their own CAD has also grown. Reliability is a huge, huge deal. Back in 2009 we were dealing with constant nozzle jams, delamination from the print bed, print errors, drifting, ooze, extruder slip, and all sorts of other problems. You had to keep a constant eye on the printer, and manually tweak the G-code generation parameters to get good results. It's come a long way and still going.

StephenSmith 4y ago

Having messed with 3D printers since before the iPhone came out, I can confidently say My MK3 is the best printer I've owned in terms of value. I can only imagine that they've improved upon this story with the MK4.

tagh 4y ago
I'm relatively new compared with you, but I've also found my MK3S+ to be super solid and output high quality stuff. I previously had a da Vinci Pro, and my best metaphor is that using the MK3S+ is like writing with a new pencil vs. one full of broken lead.

phkahler 4y ago

Can anyone compare FLSUN V400 to this one? I'm looking, and that seems to be awesome.

polishdude20 4y ago

The 70% print time reduction seems like a game changer. Any way to do this with the MK3S?

newaccount74 4y ago
It says high speed printing will come in a firmware update... Have they released remote printing support for the Prusa mini yet?
- Karliss 4y ago
  The update with wifi support for Prusa mini was released ~3-4 months ago. Or are you referring to something else?
  - newaccount74 4y ago
    The Prusa mini has an ethernet port, so people assumed that you could hook it up to your LAN and print over the network. As far as I can tell, that doesn't work yet, and the Prusa website [1] says: > Full control of your printer will be added in future releases Edit: It looks like remote printing was released in a Firmware update in Nov 2022 [2] and the documentation website wasn't updated yet. [1]: https://help.prusa3d.com/article/prusa-connect-local-mini_133279 https://help.prusa3d.com/article/prusa-connect-local-mini_13... [2]: https://github.com/prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy/releases https://github.com/prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy/releases

bmitc 4y ago

I'll have to take a look at this. I have been wanting to get my first printer and am willing to spend more to get one that I don't ever have to fuss around with, as I just want to use the printer and not work on it. I was heavily considering the MK3S+, but I had talked myself into going with a Bambu Lab printer, either the P1P or X1 Carbon: https://bambulab.com/en https://bambulab.com/en. So this new offering from Prusa deserves a look, but I think I am still leaning towards the Bambu Lab products. They have a lot of features.

bufferout 4y ago
X1 owner here. Previously owned the mk3s+. Bambu is your best choice today and really a quantum leap in terms of performance. you will still need to occasionally fuss with things, mostly in terms of optimal slicer settings, but I still get the odd physical failure that requires intervention e.g. filament snapping in the guide tube, object seperating from the sheet misprint, etc. The AMS has been wonderful for me: no longer manually swapping out filaments, and cool tricks like automatically laying down a layer of easily-removed support filament between model and support structure.

gattilorenz 4y ago

Not quite on topic, but I wanted to start 3D printing for a long time, but it feels there’s a huge gap from where I am (0 knowledge of 3D modeling and obviously 0 experience with printing) and where I want to get (design some custom parts that would make my life easier, e.g. a custom support for my Magic Trackpad that integrates with my keyboard). Does anyone have a good recommendation to go “from zero to hero”?

jhartwig 4y ago
Zero to hero... no not really. The printing part isn't that hard to pick up. The designing complex models with complex tools is a real mother. Youtube is a good place to start with tools like Fusion 360.
codercotton 4y ago
I hope it's not against any rules... it's not as far as I know of, so I plugged your comment into ChatGPT: Sure, I'd be happy to help you get started with 3D printing! I'll break it down into a few steps, from learning the basics of 3D modeling to printing your first custom part. Learn the basics of 3D modeling: To start, it's important to get familiar with 3D modeling software. Two popular free options are Tinkercad and Blender. Tinkercad (Beginner-friendly): Tinkercad is a browser-based, user-friendly CAD software that helps you create 3D models easily. It's perfect for beginners. Tinkercad tutorial: https://www.tinkercad.com/learn/designs https://www.tinkercad.com/learn/designs Blender (Advanced): Blender is an open-source 3D modeling software with a steeper learning curve but offers more advanced features. Blender tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa1F2ddGya_-UvuAqHAksYnB0qL9yWDO6 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa1F2ddGya_-UvuAqHAks... Understand 3D printing basics: Learn about 3D printing technologies, materials, and the process. This will help you make better decisions when designing your parts. 3D Printing basics: https://www.3dhubs.com/guides/3d-printing/ https://www.3dhubs.com/guides/3d-printing/ Choose a 3D printer: When you're ready to buy a 3D printer, consider factors like build volume, material compatibility, and price. A few popular entry-level 3D printers include: Creality Ender 3: https://www.creality.com/goods-detail/ender-3-3d-printer https://www.creality.com/goods-detail/ender-3-3d-printer Prusa i3 MK3S: https://www.prusa3d.com/original-prusa-i3-mk3s https://www.prusa3d.com/original-prusa-i3-mk3s Learn to prepare models for printing: Once you've designed your 3D model, you'll need to prepare it for printing using slicer software. This software converts your model into instructions for the 3D printer. Popular slicer software includes: Ultimaker Cura: https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura PrusaSlicer: https://www.prusa3d.com/prusaslicer/ https://www.prusa3d.com/prusaslicer/ Print your first project: Start with something simple to familiarize yourself with the 3D printing process. Then, move on to more complex projects like your custom Magic Trackpad support. Join online communities: Participate in online forums and communities to get advice, feedback, and inspiration. A few popular 3D printing communities include: r/3Dprinting subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/ https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/ Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/ https://www.thingiverse.com/ Follow these steps, practice regularly, and you'll be well on your way to becoming a 3D printing hero. Good luck!

sacnoradhq 4y ago

Original Prusa MK4 kit Out-of-stock :( I have a MK3S+ with MMU2S, bear clone upgrade, a head upgrade, Octoprint with 2 cameras, a temperature regulation chamber, and filament dryers.

Symbiote 4y ago
The kit is not yet in stock, the longer blog post said it would be available in about two weeks.

lvl102 4y ago

These are nice and I have MK3 as well. However, I am doing most of my prints on HP MJF these days. It’s so much better and the cost is very reasonable. FDMs are good toys that require love. A lot of it (which can be good and bad).

deleted 4y ago
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Symbiote 4y ago
Are you referring to a $250,000 HP MJF printer, or is there something else?
TaylorAlexander 4y ago
I too would rather print on a hundred thousand dollar plus printer than a one thousand dollar one. I still use Prusas for my robotics work because I can print multiple parts in a work day and iterate quickly. Either you are ordering parts and have to wait days for them to arrive, or your budget is very different from mine. I did work at Google X and have a few MJF parts still from their in house machine. They are nice, but they are in a totally different league. My MJF benchy sits next to my Prusa MK3s at home.
jdietrich 4y ago
>FDMs are good toys that require love. A lot of it (which can be good and bad). Eh, that's not really the case any more. If you spend a sensible amount of money on a properly built machine, it's pretty close to fire-and-forget. Features like automatic bed levelling, PEI build plates, runout sensors, reliable direct-drive extruders and spaghetti detection have removed most of the annoyances in FDM printing. I was a long-time FDM sceptic, but the technology has reached a level of maturity where it fills a useful niche. FDM machines are an increasingly common sight in machine shops, tool rooms and MRO facilities; in an environment that's staffed by people who are familiar with CAD/CAM, they can produce a useful subset of parts with an almost trivial level of cost and effort. Unless your employer is extremely generous, you probably don't have an MJF or SLS machine that's just sitting idle in case you need a widget in a hurry. FDM thrives in the niche traditionally occupied by hand tools and that sloppy old Bridgeport - workholding one-offs, kludgy parts to keep a machine running until the field tech arrives, parts you only need in order to make other parts. An FDM printer is the mechanical embodiment of the phrase "close enough for government work".

causality0 4y ago

The MK4 will consistently deliver a perfect smooth first layer I've lost count of the number of times I've been promised this.

post_break 4y ago
My cheap ender 3 v2 with a glass bed makes perfectly smooth first layers.

syntaxing 4y ago

I've been always a huge fan of Prusa and always wanted one (just haven't for various reasons, not so much financial related). But this feels too little too late. Bambulabs is absolutely eating the market and I would be sweating if I were Prusa Research. It sucks since Bambulabs is using their slicer and a lot of Prusa's technology as a foundation. But most of the people I know have decided to skip waiting for the XL or MK4 and jumped for the X1C instead. No joke, the past purchases in the past 4 months or so from my circle of friends and peers have all been the P1P or X1C. Edit: Also, its 799 for the kit you can't buy now compared to 699 for the P1P that you can buy today and literally prints out of the box.

operatingthetan 4y ago
>It sucks since Bambulabs is using their slicer and a lot of Prusa's technology as a foundation. Prusa's slicer is just a fork of Slic3r so I'd say that's fair play. Prusa just aggressively brands opensource stuff.
- reaperman 4y ago
  > Prusa just aggressively brands opensource stuff. I mean, they fork it, develop it further, and give it back to the community. That's entirely within the spirit of open source! "Aggressively branding open-source stuff" would be like Chinese Alibaba sellers ripping off open hardware or Amazon redistributing PostgreSQL as an AWS SaaS offering.
  - operatingthetan 4y ago
    I figured someone would take issue with that, I guess my problem is they don't do a great job of attribution.
    - kryptn 4y ago
      It's the first point under Features. > Free and open-source > PrusaSlicer is based on Slic3r by Alessandro Ranellucci. Thanks to the strong community and a team of developers in Prusa Research we can continually add new features. Follow the development on our GitHub.

725686 4y ago

I have one of the first Prusas... and it sucks. It sucked from the very fist day. Faulty components. Material would not stick to the table. Warping. Miserable experience. It has been collecting dust ever since.

qiller 4y ago
Times have changed. Never had an issue with MK3, compared to Ender impressions.
kryptn 4y ago
> I have one of the first Prusas I've had two Prusa mk3s for a few years now and they've been excellent. No problems at all, and now Prusa is my default recommendation. I'd run batch jobs on them for days for "customers" without concern.
TaylorAlexander 4y ago
Yeah, old printers suck. I got my first printer in 2011. It sucked. New Prusas are fantastic printers and have been for a while.
johnwalkr 4y ago
At my work we have a Prusa mk3 as well as a $20k Markforged Mark2 printer, which can add carbon fibres for stiffness and strength. The Prusa is about as good when we don't need those features, similar speed and the slicer is actually better.

Francis2023 4y ago

Replaced all 25 MKS3+ machines with 15 Bambu P1Ps and 5 Bambu X1C's about 2 months ago. Sold the last Mks3+ yesterday. They Print 3 Times faster than the MKS3+ with same or better quality in some prints. 24/7 printing almost with zero issues in my print farm. BVery easy to send jobs to it from the Bambu slicer based on the Prusa slicer which is open source and enhanced to make complicated print jobs spread across multiple virtual print beds a beautiful thing! At this point i see ZERO reason to consider a MK4. Bambu hit this out of the ball park and into the neighbouring city as far as I am concerned.

gjsman-1000 4y ago
Prusa mentions in their articles about how China slowly appropriated solar panel designs, beat domestic companies on cost, and now all solar panels are made in China. And that, they hope, they can avoid this for 3D Printers in particular because Chinese companies do not have a good track record for following open-source licenses promptly. However, I see all this and think, man... Prusa, you were 2 years too late on the XL and the MK4. And it's going to hurt the Prusa marketshare immensely.
postalrat 4y ago
You created an account just to say you aren't going to buy something?
- capableweb 4y ago
  On top of that, they are throwing shade at a machine that's not even on the guest list, totally swerving into the wild world of off-topic shenanigans!
JofArnold 4y ago
> At this point i see ZERO reason to consider a MK4 Prusas are user serviceable with lots of spare parts available. Bambus are far from that and if there's a problem with the design (e.g. ghosting) you're out of luck for as long as it takes them to fix it. I don't have a Prusa (I have a VzBot). Just saying there's far from zero reasons.

franky47 4y ago

I've owned an MK3 since 2018, since then some defects have started to appear (the LCD has a contrast blob at the center, and I cracked the X-axis stepper bracket), but nothing that prevents the printer doing its occasional job. I print mostly functional parts (home repairs & improvement, prototypes), and while I could have printed a fix for the broken part, the prospect of taking the whole thing apart (as well as for an upgrade to an S+) doesn't appeal to me.

Symbiote 4y ago
It would be wise to print a new part while you can, just in case the cracked part fails completely at some point.

tlonny 4y ago

God damn it - I just bought a MK3...

Symbiote 4y ago
The announcement article says people who bought a Mk3S within the last month will receive a voucher for $150 or $200 which could be put towards the upgrade kit (or, I assume, filament etc). https://blog.prusa3d.com/announcing-original-prusa-mk4_76585/ https://blog.prusa3d.com/announcing-original-prusa-mk4_76585...
- tlonny 4y ago
  Thanks for the heads up!

sciencesama 4y ago

why is this better than ender 3 ?

sciencesama 4y ago

why cant you just use ender 3 ?

belval 4y ago

Could someone explain to me what you get from paying more for a 3D printer like this one instead of a "basic" model? I have a Ender 3 V2 with self-leveling bed (without self-leveling it's not that great) and I use it a lot, enough to justify buying a better $1k+ printer but it's not clear what I get from spending that much money on it. Is it printing speed, better materials, or something else entirely?

eropple 4y ago
In 2023: not a ton. Maybe some better repeatability. You're likely to have fewer out-of-the-box problems; they spend a lot on quality control. If you're just interested in the hobby, the Elegoo Neptune 3 Pro is, for my money, a fantastic entrypoint that you can get for under $250. (I own the larger version, the Plus, which has a bigger bed and turns the fans off when not printing; it's sub-$350.) There's also the Sovol SV06 (and its larger Plus variant) in the same ballpark, though they're having some significant QC problems these days. It's also in the $200-$250 range. I have one of these too and it's pretty nice, but I have a first-run one before the QC problems started to rear up. The Prusa stuff is absolutely better made than the Sovol stuff--though the Elegoo stuff is remarkably high-quality, especially for the price--but frankly it is emphatically not four times better. The delta shrinks further if (and in this crowd, maybe when) you install the Klipper firmware to replace the stock Marlin stuff; Prusa's custom Marlin builds are better than the competition, but Klipper beats it all hollow, and the performance benefits of Klipper on the SV06 and the Neptune 3 Pro/Plus are huge when it comes to faster acceleration and thus faster printing.
- letshin 3y ago
  What QC issues have there been so far? The YouTune reviews have been positive so curious to find out more before I decide to buy or not.
njovin 4y ago
I'm not an expert but I do own an MK3S+, from what I can tell: - OOTB ready-to-print is a big one. There's a bit of a learning curve to calibrating everything on the MK3S+. It took me a few days to get mine dialed in and I'm not one of those people that's looking for perfect prints, I just needed it to mostly work. - Touch-screen + wifi + remote printing saves on setup: no SD card needed. I added an OctoPi to mine to achieve similar but that takes some tinkering and the OctoPi performance is spotty. - They're claiming a 70% decrease in print times

2muchcoffeeman 4y ago

There’s also various upgrade kits from the 3 to 3.5, 3.9 and 4. Here is the full kit https://www.prusa3d.com/product/original-prusa-i3-mk3-s-to-mk4-upgrade-kit/ https://www.prusa3d.com/product/original-prusa-i3-mk3-s-to-m...

HeavenFox 4y ago
Sadly at $579 that is almost the price of a full printer at $799. May as well buy the full printer and sell the old one :(
- mistercow 4y ago
  The 3.5 upgrade looks compelling at 250 for the input shaping and pressure advance. Native Wi-Fi is a mild bonus if you already have an octopi setup. For the others, I agree. That’s a good chunk of the way to the price of a brand new P1P, which comes assembled.

nathan_f77 4y ago

I've been thinking about getting a Prusa 3D printer for a long time, but now I'm leaning towards a Bambu Lab X1-Carbon Combo 3D printer. It looks really cool and seems like a more professional tool. Has anyone tried both? What would you recommend? EDIT: I read some of the other comments in this thread and did some more research. Found some Reddit posts as well. I think I'll definitely go with the Bambu Lab printer.

iLoveOncall 4y ago
I don't own either (I have an Anycubic Vyper) but the two are not at all in the same category. The Bambu totally outclasses the Prusa printers, but the price is also a lot higher.
- mzi 4y ago
  It's actually not. The MK4 competes with Bambu P1P which is cheaper, and the X1 Carbon Combo should be compared to a MK4 with an enclosure and a MMU3 and then Bambu comes out on top again.
carterschonwald 4y ago
Core xy motion system is hands down a faster setup. Also has a smaller footprint for the same printable area. And enclosed means you can do asa and Abs and nylons as a normal think. No matter what, make sure it’s in a room with an air filter and active ventilation. Safety matters. There’s a lot of really cool open source printer designs too, and having an abs/asa capable machine really makes a lot more cool prjects possible. I got the x1cc and I’ve been really happy so far. My biggest problem was accidentally printing pla as asa and I still managed to make ok but weird prints

Mizza 4y ago

I've been thinking about making a DIY record lathe. If anybody here is big into DIY 3D printer hacking, do you see any big blockers with using a 1-D Prusa system to host a record cutting head?

acyou 4y ago

Words come to mind when I think of using Prusas I have used: Reliable, Plug and Play, Workhorse, Industrial, Application Every other 3D printer I have used: Calibration, Settings, Filament, Buggy, Spaghetti, Error. Doubt this will be much of an improvement, there is little to improve upon with the MK3S+.

antoniuschan99 4y ago

I wonder what their design decision was to continue with the bed sling design. CoreXY has hit the inflection point as the standard of next gen fdm printers. Still going to upgrade to mk4 instead of getting the xl though

dhlavaty 4y ago

https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-printing-in-2023_76659/ https://blog.prusa3d.com/the-state-of-open-source-in-3d-prin... highly recommend to read this first

r0l1 4y ago

For that price tag I would add a couple of hundred dollars and go with the SnapMaker 2. The nice thing is, that it is capable to do also laser engravings and simple CNC milling. Only made good experience so far. https://eu.snapmaker.com/de https://eu.snapmaker.com/de

hellweaver666 4y ago
Everything I've read about the snapmaker suggests it's a "jack of all trades" and not really great at anything.
- r0l1 4y ago
  Never really read anything about it online. However we are using it at our company and are quite happy with it. The thing is running 24/7 and the printing results are really good after a first calibration. Just sharing my experience...