Prusa Research has refreshed its XL and CORE One 3D printers with a long list of hardware changes
The changes are intended to improve print quality and also remove some everyday annoyances for 3D printer operators.
The new machines are the Prusa XL+, CORE One L+ and CORE One+ (Gen 2), announced this week as replacements for their predecessors. All three are available at the same prices as the models they replace, and existing unshipped orders will automatically receive the updated versions.
Most desktop 3D printer manufacturers introduce another machine, give it a new name and encourage customers to move on. Prusa is instead continuing its long standing strategy of making the new hardware available to existing owners through upgrade kits and individual replacement components.
Small Changes Across The Entire Platform
There isn’t one spectacular new feature here. Instead, Prusa has dealt with a collection of smaller issues that operators encounter repeatedly, particularly those that were frequently mentioned online.
All three refreshed machines receive GT1.5 motion belts and an integrated nozzle wiper. The new belts are intended to reduce subtle repeating surface artifacts, while the wiper cleans residual filament from the nozzle before printing begins.
Prusa deliberately selected a standard, replaceable wiper rather than a proprietary consumable, which should make replacements relatively easy to obtain.
The XL+ gets the largest technical upgrade. Its toolheads now receive 360 degree part cooling inherited from Prusa’s newer machines, improving airflow around the nozzle for bridges, overhangs and smaller features.
There’s also a new permanently mounted eddy current Tool Offset Sensor that aligns the XL’s multiple toolheads. Prusa says this process is about 20 times faster than the previous calibration method involving a removable pin.
High flow nozzles are now standard, and the XL+ has been prepared for chamber temperatures up to 60C. A revised enclosure can reach around 50C using heat generated by the printer, while an upcoming active heater will push that to 60C.
There is no shipping date yet for that heater.
Prusa Starts Working On The Workflow
The CORE One+ (Gen 2) receives a redesigned heatbed mounting system that eliminates the previous “Absorbing heat” waiting step for PLA, PETG and other materials using bed temperatures of 85C or lower.
That might sound like a pretty minor improvement, but repeated delays become annoying when a machine is being used over and over during a work day. This faster startup is going to be most useful in print farms and workshops where operator time accumulates across many jobs.
The smaller CORE One also receives the removable snap on top panel introduced with the larger CORE One L, along with an improved automatic vent mechanism.
There’s more coming. Prusa is developing automatic Pressure Advance calibration using the printer’s existing load cell, with measurements performed before printing. The company is also working on extrusion aware acceleration limits, PrusaSlicer 3.0, a high temperature hot end and Prusa Connect Local, a replacement for PrusaLink that can operate without a cloud connection.
INDX automatic tool changing for the CORE One+ is also nearing shipment. That should be welcome news, as the INDX feature has been highly desired by the community and it has taken quite a bit of time since the original announcement.
Taken together, the announcement looks less like a conventional product launch and more like Prusa simply tightening up its entire product line.
That may be exactly what the company needs. Competition among desktop FFF machines has become extremely aggressive, and printing specifications alone no longer separate machines very effectively. Reliability, startup behavior, maintenance, software and small workflow improvements increasingly determine which printer people actually want to operate every day. A fast 3D printer doesn’t matter if it takes a long time to get it started.
Upgrade kits for the CORE One+, CORE One L and XL are scheduled to appear progressively over the coming weeks, so current owners won’t immediately have every option available.
Prusa’s strategy depends heavily on that upgrade promise working well. If older generation machines keep acquiring the useful features of the new ones, buying a Prusa becomes a different proposition from buying disposable hardware put out by their competition.
Via Prusa Research
