Hint at a New Prusa Printer?  

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

I understand that prusa bought an optical 3d printing company. So we might see a second string to their bow soon.

Regards Joan

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

It would be great if they could supply the products they have already sold and taken money for before announcing more vapourware.

It's now nine months since I ordered a Mk 3 with a power coated spring steel sheet. Eight months since I ordered a Mk2.5 conversion with the same sheet. Still no delivery date on these.

Currently only at two months waiting for the MMU 2.0. Delivery is said to be between end of June and October.

I love my Prusa machines and support the company fully, but I have to say anticipation of another printer is no longer filling me with the enthusiasm it once would have.

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

Olef, PR have been quite open about their problems on the powder coated sheets and have offered to supply current orders with the standard PEI film coated sheets while they resolve the powder coating problem. Just go to the store and connect with chat to take advantage of that offer. You will still get the powdered sheets when they are finally available, at a discounted price.

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

That's true I just put an order for the MK# kit with smooth sides because in the shipping tables is displaying a 3 days turnaround but guessed what I got a quick message after I placed the order saying that is on backordered status. misleading to be the first experience

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

[...] I love my Prusa machines and support the company fully, but I have to say anticipation of another printer is no longer filling me with the enthusiasm it once would have.
It sucks, but it's not unique to Prusa. People who put a lot of money down on Teslas are also frustrated.

jose.a10

ordered my mk3 Monday. I will have it Friday. fast if you ask me

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

That's true I just put an order for the MK# kit with smooth sides because in the shipping tables is displaying a 3 days turnaround but guessed what I got a quick message after I placed the order saying that is on backordered status. misleading to be the first experience

I think their system always says “backordered.” A while ago I placed an order for a couple items that were listed “In Stock” and the the order still said “backordered.” At that point they were about a week behind on order processing and my order shipped within the expected timeframe.
In my head, backordered means the seller is out of stock on one or more items in the order. I think to them it just means more like backlogged; or in the queue. So don’t be concerned about that status just yet.

The English is so good across PR’s website that I personally forget they’re not all native speakers. They’re actually better than many native English speakers. So when I see a word use that’s slightly off it actually seems worse in my head than when reading something like an obvious Chinese to English from some websites; sort of like a linguistic “Uncanny Valley.”

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

I understand that prusa bought an optical 3d printing company. So we might see a second string to their bow soon.

That is a big red flag right there.

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

[...] That is a big red flag right there.
In what way? Prusa has a demonstrated history of supporting their products for years.

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

[...] That is a big red flag right there.
In what way? Prusa has a demonstrated history of supporting their products for years.

If they were killing it with the I3 they wouldn't need to move to SLA.

Branching out before clearing the issues with the I3 this indicates that they're not willing to do what's necessary to push the it all the way to the top. And I'm not even talking about the PEI sheet. Relatively speaking, that one's minor.

The Mk3 is still a pretty decent printer, but I've long suspected that it’s the end of the road. It’s not like FFF will last forever, but this is premature.

Same pattern as Printrbot.

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

[...] If they were killing it with the I3 they wouldn't need to move to SLA. [...] It’s not like FFF will last forever, but this is premature.
Sorry, but I find your statement self-contradictory. Prusa surely knows FFF will not last forever, so is positioning themselves for a possible SLA future. Meanwhile, they continue to support their older products for far longer than a lot of mainstream device manufacturers. I don't see how Prusa staying with a single model of a single technology and possibly going under is any better for customers in the long run. Their sales of Mk3s is still apparently strong enough to allow them to make this move, so there's not a better time for it. Meanwhile, we're seeing regular firmware updates and significant software enhancements for the FFF products.

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

The LevelOne Atom 3 is a delta printer that does both fdm and sla: https://all3dp.com/atom-3d-printer/

Perhaps Prusa also has some ideas ...? Or they just want to be prepared for different directions?

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

Sorry, but I find your statement self-contradictory. Prusa surely knows FFF will not last forever, so is positioning themselves for a possible SLA future. Meanwhile, they continue to support their older products for far longer than a lot of mainstream device manufacturers. I don't see how Prusa staying with a single model of a single technology and possibly going under is any better for customers in the long run. Their sales of Mk3s is still apparently strong enough to allow them to make this move, so there's not a better time for it. Meanwhile, we're seeing regular firmware updates and significant software enhancements for the FFF products.

It's only contradictory if you don't understand the word "premature".

We'll see how things go. I'm just dropping the signpost.

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

I am sure if they have plans, they will do it right.

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

It's only contradictory if you don't understand the word "premature".
I will defer to your expertise with the word "premature".

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

I think their system always says “backordered.” A while ago I placed an order for a couple items that were listed “In Stock” and the the order still said “backordered.” At that point they were about a week behind on order processing and my order shipped within the expected timeframe.
In my head, backordered means the seller is out of stock on one or more items in the order. I think to them it just means more like backlogged; or in the queue. So don’t be concerned about that status just yet.

The English is so good across PR’s website that I personally forget they’re not all native speakers. They’re actually better than many native English speakers. So when I see a word use that’s slightly off it actually seems worse in my head than when reading something like an obvious Chinese to English from some websites; sort of like a linguistic “Uncanny Valley.”

I know that I had the same thing, it said backordered as soon as I clicked purchase which bummed me out because it took me awhile to pull the trigger on the purchase and then I was really anticipating it coming so I could start working with it. Within an hour or so the status changed to shipped. Then not only did it get to the shipper the same day it was on its way the same day. From order time to the kit arriving on my doorstep was 2 days, that would be fast for someone within the same state ( in the US) much less someone who is shipping from Europe.

In response to the worries about going into a different aspect of printing and saying that's a sure sign of doom, I wouldn't get too ahead of yourself there. Business 101 once you establish a stable market you start expanding, whether it be into whole new catergories or into similar but different product lines. I would see this more as a move to acquire more of the printing market than they currently enjoy by adding in people that go to the other major aspect of 3d printing.

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

With the problems of SLA printing I wouldn't say your average person printing today would move to it, especially with the chemical issues.

Disadvantages

Consumables are unsafe to handle without gloves, smell unpleasant, and are flammable
Further curing is required during post-processing
Consumables are sticky and can cause workplace contamination if not cured properly
Support structures are almost always necessary, which leave artifacts on the surface of the print
It is not possible to combine multiple materials or colors in a single print
The build volume of desktop SLA printers is relatively small compared to the other two technologies
Parts must be prepared with holes so that uncured resin can drain out of closed structures

Key takeaways

SLA is well-suited to parts with complex geometry which require fine detail, but printed parts will need to use support structures in almost all cases.

Post-processing is a more complex process compared to FFF: parts need to be cleaned with harsh chemicals such as isopropyl alcohol, and need to be cured in a UV oven before they can be handled. Due to the use of harsh chemicals, a well-ventilated area for operation and post-processing is required.

The raw material is a resin, which is flammable, smells unpleasant, and has a limited shelf life. Old and new resin can’t be mixed together, meaning higher costs due to material wastage. The price of raw material is relatively high compared to the other technologies.

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

I own a UV resin printer and can state that it is not for the uninitiated or timid. There is quite a bit of learning and patience required to start getting acceptable prints. Depending on the resin, the smell can be strong, permeates the whole house, and is irritating to some.

Placement of parts and supports for printing takes practice. Post processing of prints requires cleaning the uncured resin off, usually with IPA, and then curing either outside or in a UV curing oven. Removing supports is easy but the part may require additional sanding to remove support marks.

All that said, the prints you can achieve are stunning.

Here is a picture of a couple Benchies sitting on a US Dime. They were printed at a .035mm layer height.

Re: Hint at a New Prusa Printer?

I have used FDM (FFF) printers for many years now (Stratasys Fortus and DImension line, Mendel, Solidoodle, I3mk3).

I have used some laser/UV systems too (Objet 500, Form 1+, Form 2).

If I had to pick only one technology, it would be FDM/FFF based mostly on the overall usability of the parts they are capable of making. Obviously if teeny-tiny is your thing, laser/UV polymer is probably the way to go. BUT.....I have never been very pleased with the quality of the materials, post processing, warped/inaccurate printing of the UV systems.

I think UV polymers have a LONG way to go to reach the useful functionality of the thermoplastic based models.

Your results will(no doubt) vary.