It is 2018. This Prusa MK3 3D printer is worth the extra cost.

Czech inventor, Josef Prusa, takes great pains to preface the name of each model with the word "Original" (e.g. this is an "Original i3 MK3S"). Dozens of Chinese companies have copied his i3 machines and sell them for 1/3 to 1/2 the price. But buyers often deal with poor or no customer support, disconnects between absurdly poor instruction manuals and parts, poor quality parts, parts that do not fit or work, no wonder that a large percentage are never able to complete the assembly. This printer, by contrast, has a LEGO-quality instruction manual and lots of online support. It also has auto bed levelling (this is a huge factor), much better cable routing, automatic filament insert, removable flexible bed, has its own slicing software, it prints faster, is quieter, does not break down all the time and print quality is much better (note the closeup: less than 1mm thickness, yet highly precise). You can even pull the plug out of the wall during a print and it will continue after reconnect! And its updates its drivers through the slicer software.

Related Pictures

The Prusa Slicer generates G-Code for 3D-printing

This slicer ships with, and is recommended for, the Prusa line of 3D printers (when you click to print something in your 3D design software (e.g. Fusion 360) it sends the 3D geometry to your chosen slicer software, that software drives the actual printer). Simplicity and the exact visual reproduction of the printed bed make this a good choice for slicing (slicing is the mathematical process of cutting a 3D object into layers that can be printed successively). Another advantage is that online help for this printer will generally assume the use of this slicer. There are a myriad of settlings and parameters that printing software must respect to adapt to each type of 3D printer and the pairing of the Prusa printers with this slicer will be the best.

The Prusa MK4 3D printer is worth the upgrade from MK3

It is 2024 and I just got this. This time I paid extra and bought it fully assembled. It arrived in Canada quickly and was packed very well. I have already made hundreds of things on it, it is the reason for current projects (I use this to make molds for ceramics).

This upgrade was really worth it. The biggest benefit of the MK4 is improved bed levelling and prints stick much better. The second biggest benefit is precision. It can print molds too large for the bed in two parts and they mate perfectly. 1/10 mm difference in size is the difference between parts fitting precisely for being too lose or too tight. The MK4 is also capable of printing quite a bit faster. And it has a much better controller board and control panel. Filament loading is easier and the controller is smarter about fault conditions. Like the MK3 this arrived with fantastic documentation, I was up and running in no time.

I don't know how I would live without this amazing machine now! This is an example of a recent print. This was printed in two halves (the top half was done upside down), and they fit together incredibly well. The walls are only 0.8mm thick. Using 3D printed side rails I will be able to fill this with plaster to make a block mold (having embeds into which 3D printed natches will mount).

Links

URLs	https://www.prusa3d.com/ Prusa 3D Printers made in the Czech Republic
Glossary	3D Printer Standard 3D printers (not clay 3D printers) are incredibly useful in ceramic production and design, bringing difficult processes within reach of potters and hobbyists.

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