Prusa introduces improved MK3S-3d printer-3
Czech printer manufacturer Prusa has released a new 3D printer in its popular i3 line. The MK3S has been secretly supplied instead of the MK3 model for some time now. In addition, the company has renewed its MMU print head and the development of the resin printer is progressing.
The Prusa i3 is one of the most copied designs for 3d printers and the company founder, Jozef Průša, has officially announced the latest iteration of his printer. The Prusa i3 MK3S succeeds the MK3 and contains improvements on quite a few points. However, customers who bought a new printer have received the new model since February 8, and those who received a printer since January 28 will receive a voucher for a free upgrade.
The price of the i3 MK3S is still 769 euros for the kit version. Owners of the MK3 printer can buy an upgrade kit for their printer for twenty euros. This mainly improves the extruder, or the print head. The biggest upgrade from the MK3 to the MK3S is the extruder, which is equipped with an improved filament sensor, which should prevent the printer from continuing to print if the filament supply fails. The new version combines an optical and a mechanical sensor. In addition, the print head is easier to maintain, with the nozzle and filament guide tube to be replaced without disassembling the entire print head. There are several minor tweaks to improve print quality and printer maintenance, many of which were already available as an incremental update to the MK3 printer.
The MMU2 module has also been improved and will be replaced by the MMU2.0S. MMU is Prusa’s name for a filament supply system with which different filaments can be printed, so that objects with different colors or from different materials can be made. With the latest version, this Multi Material Upgrade should prevent filaments from getting confused. The necessary hardware for an upgrade from MMU2 to MMU2.5S will be sent to owners free of charge, unless customers want to receive the printed parts from Prusa; that costs twenty euros.
In addition, Prusa has made various software improvements, such as to the firmware of the printers and to the slicer software Slic3r PE, which prepares print jobs. A print bed upgrade is also still being worked on and the production capacity of Prusa’s own filament line Prusament is being expanded to meet demand.
Finally, the company indicates that the second round of internal testing of the Prusa SL1 has been completed. Unlike the FDM printers that Prusa has so far, the SL1 is a 3D printer that works with resin and a light source to selectively cure that resin. After the internal tests, an external test with fifty beta testers should follow at the end of this month. The actual delivery to customers should follow at the end of March. The discounted price for new orders of 1299 euros will remain in effect at least until then.