What's next from Prusa?
What do you think is in the works?
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: What's next from Prusa?
INDX of course. I’m hoping a Core Two with an insulated actively heated chamber.
RE:
Hopefully something with 1.5 gt belts. Seems like the next step in improving the print quality. I feel like what they did for the C1 was a band aid, and didn't address the real problem.
Out maybe something even better.
RE: What's next from Prusa?
Once INDX is out (on the Core One and L) and fully stable, I think Prusa reaches a divide.
If they want to stay in the consumer market, they will have to reduce the cost of their printers -- which would probably be a major effort involving engineering, manufacturing, outsourcing. Not sure whether Prusa can (and wants to) play there; it seems to go against the grain of the company. Or they decide to focus on the professional market. They took a step in that direction several years ago with the acquisition of Trilab and the HT90, although I have no idea how commercially successful this has been so far.
Either way, Prusa's current market segment of "advanced hobbyist" and "small shop" will be very difficult to defend, I think. The large number of Chinese printers sold, the manufacturing infrastructure in China and probably also the government-subsidized development, lets the competitors make technical progress at a rate and sales price that is difficult to keep up with.
RE: What's next from Prusa?
The HT90... If I was going to spend $10K on a printer (i.e. I’m a business or school) then I would rather own an 22 IDEX for $5K more that has much better specs (and is not a delta). My feeling is that Prusa will still offer a prosumer printer but will shift more toward the print farm offerings.
RE: What's next from Prusa?
I would love to have an HT90. I have seen two in the wild. They are great products.
Deltas - Most are very noisy but have their benefits. I have three and use them to print rocket nose cones. MY FLSUNs are fast and perfect for that job. The problem is they will wake the dead with their noises. The HT90 is near silent.
The HT90... If I was going to spend $10K on a printer (i.e. I’m a business or school) then I would rather own an 22 IDEX for $5K more that has much better specs (and is not a delta). My feeling is that Prusa will still offer a prosumer printer but will shift more toward the print farm offerings.
--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: What's next from Prusa?
Once INDX is out (on the Core One and L) and fully stable, I think Prusa reaches a divide.
If they want to stay in the consumer market, they will have to reduce the cost of their printers -- which would probably be a major effort involving engineering, manufacturing, outsourcing. Not sure whether Prusa can (and wants to) play there; it seems to go against the grain of the company. Or they decide to focus on the professional market. They took a step in that direction several years ago with the acquisition of Trilab and the HT90, although I have no idea how commercially successful this has been so far.
Either way, Prusa's current market segment of "advanced hobbyist" and "small shop" will be very difficult to defend, I think. The large number of Chinese printers sold, the manufacturing infrastructure in China and probably also the government-subsidized development, lets the competitors make technical progress at a rate and sales price that is difficult to keep up with.
Prusa will be a niche market for the foreseeable future. I think they have given up on the entry-level market. I work for the US GOV now, and their purchases cannot be a Bambu. Typically, they are forced to buy US-made products. They can buy NATO-made products, such as Prusas, with a waiver. Prusa would be good to advertise their security.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: What's next from Prusa?
What problem are you having with the Core One?
I can't see why they have not switched to 1.5.
Hopefully something with 1.5 gt belts. Seems like the next step in improving the print quality. I feel like what they did for the C1 was a band aid, and didn't address the real problem.
Out maybe something even better.
--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: What's next from Prusa?
That would be a good addition.
INDX of course. I’m hoping a Core Two with an insulated actively heated chamber.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE:
I just wish they’d support the MK4S/MMU3 which are still sold as current product. After they merged firmware with C1 and other models, numerous bugs have popped up. Many of us have reverted from 6.4.0 back to 6.2.6 for reliability. The silence from Prusa is deafening. They seem more interested in selling vaporware.
MK4S/MMU3
RE: What's next from Prusa?
Most likely referring to VFA's which is a problem with pretty much all CoreXY style printers and glossy filaments. I made mine go away by ignoring it.
That would be a good addition.
INDX of course. I’m hoping a Core Two with an insulated actively heated chamber.
RE: What's next from Prusa?
What problem are you having with the Core One?
I can't see why they have not switched to 1.5.
Hopefully something with 1.5 gt belts. Seems like the next step in improving the print quality. I feel like what they did for the C1 was a band aid, and didn't address the real problem.
Out maybe something even better.
Just the VFA. I know it's being a bit nitpicking, but I print 90% black PETG, and it's pretty prominent.
RE: What's next from Prusa?
What problem are you having with the Core One?
I can't see why they have not switched to 1.5.
Hopefully something with 1.5 gt belts. Seems like the next step in improving the print quality. I feel like what they did for the C1 was a band aid, and didn't address the real problem.
Out maybe something even better.
Just the VFA. I know it's being a bit nitpicking, but I print 90% black PETG, and it's pretty prominent.
Switch to matte or PETG-CF. No more VFAs (they are still there of course, just 'hidden').
RE: What's next from Prusa?
I must have gotten 3 good ones. No VFAs.
What problem are you having with the Core One?
I can't see why they have not switched to 1.5.
Hopefully something with 1.5 gt belts. Seems like the next step in improving the print quality. I feel like what they did for the C1 was a band aid, and didn't address the real problem.
Out maybe something even better.
Just the VFA. I know it's being a bit nitpicking, but I print 90% black PETG, and it's pretty prominent.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: What's next from Prusa?
I must have gotten 3 good ones. No VFAs.
You are beating the odds then. Or maybe your prints typically don't have larger surfaces with glossy materials?
RE:
Maybe. I print large items in PETG. Both large and glossy.
I must have gotten 3 good ones. No VFAs.
You are beating the odds then. Or maybe your prints typically don't have larger surfaces with glossy materials?
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: What's next from Prusa?
Staying on topic, my picks for this year are:
- INDX
- PrusaSlicer 3.0 and general improvements in multi material printing
- maybe multi material drybox for above
- stronger push toward custom tools, because the idea with custom tools for XL totally fizzled - there are just two tools available - people were afraid to experiment because hardware was already expensive and did not want risking in breaking it (Prusa admitted it on FormNext)
- higher temps for more advanced materials but don't stretch it, there's already Obxidian 500
- probably no more kits
- EOL of the Mini
See my GitHub and printables.com for some 3d stuff that you may like.
RE:
Prusa is part of a group of comanies which is in a tough place. They're a latecomer to the low end professional market, but I have seen some tentative but positive responses to the HT online, so it's not a lost cause just yet. Their positioning in the consumer market is precarious. They might be growing, but I don't think they're capturing as much of a slice of the pie as the Chinese manufacturers are.
As far as product future development goes, the higher end is in a tough spot. The Prusa Pro is doing okay, I guess, but The XL needs a revision which completely encloses it to make it machine which is able to handle technical materials like PPS-CF. The enclosure on offer right now is a joke, making the machine a non-starter for its price point in a market where the Snapmaker U1 and Core ONE with INDX exist. I think the silicone upgrade to the XL was a nice move. Tools like a drag knife are just not interesting. The surface area for drag knife work is relatively small. To me that came across as a (slightly panicked) reaction to BL doing their thing with the H2-series, which in itself didn't make much sense to me.
As for the consumer business, they have to find a way to stay competitive. I think the Core ONE was the right move, but the price did not hit the mark it should have. Currently Chinese manufacturers pretty much dominate the low end because of the economies of scale they can achieve in China. Prusa might be able to buy parts cheaply, but I don´t think Prusa can compete without outsourcing their manufacturing to a low wage country themselves. The relatively high price of the Core ONE reflects this. A CoreXY with multiple tools is the direction the industry is moving towards for the consumer market. Single-extruder printers are going to be relegated to the low end by around 2028. Filament multiplexers like the MMU and AMS will offer those people a way to print with multiple colours, but given that these are now ubiquitous, I don't think they will command a premium. I think their buy-in with INDX was the right move and I totally expect them to launch a factory built Core ONE with integrated INDX.
Resin seems to have been abandoned. which is a shame. I'd love to see a SL2 printer with a larger build volume which is able to handle more exotic materials, so with heating, as well as an accompanying curing station. An open source-ish alternative to the Form 4, if you will. I know it is wishful thinking, but I just happen to need one 😉
RE: What's next from Prusa?
The XL needs a revision which completely encloses it to make it machine which is able to handle technical materials like PPS-CF. The enclosure on offer right now is a joke.
Do you own an XL and/or enclosure? The enclosure is fine. I now own two - one with a SUMO enclosure and one with a Prusa enclosure. I prefer the Prusa enclosure. Although it is odd, it works.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: What's next from Prusa?
The XL needs a revision which completely encloses it to make it machine which is able to handle technical materials like PPS-CF. The enclosure on offer right now is a joke.
Do you own an XL and/or enclosure? The enclosure is fine. I now own two - one with a SUMO enclosure and one with a Prusa enclosure. I prefer the Prusa enclosure. Although it is odd, it works.
Strangely, the more I read on INDX the more I get interested in the XL which I could have "right now", in a somewhat mature state. It's lacking the magic sparkle of an unreleased product but the "gotchas" and limitations e.g. on nozzle selection are well understood. An enclosure is indeed mandatory - if only for the fumes - but yes, this seems solvable.