RE: What's next from Prusa?
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.
For me it's less about the sparkle and more about the rather substantial difference in price tag. A 5-tool XL with enclosure costs way above what I can justify for a hobby toy tool.
RE:
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.
I have a MK3.5 and a Core ONE+. Based on my experience with making an enclosure for the former and making the latter air tight combined with looking at pictures and videos of the enclosed XL, I've come to the conclusion that the enclosed XL is not nearly airtight enough to reach 60°C or more, which is what is the lower bound for what is acceptable for an enclosure in my mind. And higher would be better in case of a bigger printer, as bigger prints need more relief from warping when printing with tougher filaments like unmodified ASA, which will still warp if the print is big enough if the enclosure is not hot enough. There are also many videos on youtube stating as such, so I am not alone in that analysis.
RE: What's next from Prusa?
The XL enclosure works. I understand the concerns about the exotic nature, but it functions.
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.
--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: What's next from Prusa?
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.
For me it's less about the sparkle and more about the rather substantial difference in price tag. A 5-tool XL with enclosure costs way above what I can justify for a hobby
toytool.
There is always the 4 tool SnapMaker U1 for half the price of the C1 + INDX. I expect 2026 to be the year of cheap multi-tool machines.
RE: What's next from Prusa?
There is always the 4 tool SnapMaker U1 for half the price of the C1 + INDX. I expect 2026 to be the year of cheap multi-tool machines.
yes... watching but (AFAIK) still only on preorder. And yes, good point, the XL is expensive.
Oh well, make do with what you've got ... I've got the MMU trained so it's (usually) eating from my hand ... filament loading isn't nearly as difficult as they make it look 🙂
RE: What's next from Prusa?
One thing that defines Prusa for me is the ability to build your own printer from kit form. I fear this is going to reduce in the near future, with examples such as the Core One L, which is not available in kit form, but I have always associated Prusa with their kits, which I find an interesting, enjoyable, and satisfying process. It'll be a shame when that stops as I find it very interesting to see the printer come together, and better understand the inner workings.
RE: What's next from Prusa?
One thing that defines Prusa for me is the ability to build your own printer from kit form. I fear this is going to reduce in the near future, with examples such as the Core One L, which is not available in kit form, but I have always associated Prusa with their kits, which I find an interesting, enjoyable, and satisfying process. It'll be a shame when that stops as I find it very interesting to see the printer come together, and better understand the inner workings.
I think that the era of the kit is over already. The the lack of quality control when customers have to assemble their own printer exposes quite a bit of risk to Prusa, as there is both the cost of support as well as the risk of negative news. Also, with the real upgrades upgrades becoming ever more expensive, as shown with the upgrades for the MK3 to the MK4 and its 3.x siblings, as well as for the MK4 to the Core ONE, the savings achieved for the customer are diminishing to the point where selling on the old printer is becoming the ever more logical option.
Personally, I am a bit on the fence on the topic of kits. It can be a nice experience which can help to understand the workings of a printer, but I've grown to the point where it is more tedium for me than a beneficial experience. I didn't order the kit version of my Core ONE, and I'm glad I didn't. I could just unpack, add the filter and start printing. I still have my other (non-Prusa) printers to satisfy my tinker cravings.
RE: What's next from Prusa?
I doubt it. Kit sales are still high. I bought 3. You can tell from the number of YouTube videos that demand was high.
One thing that defines Prusa for me is the ability to build your own printer from kit form. I fear this is going to reduce in the near future, with examples such as the Core One L, which is not available in kit form, but I have always associated Prusa with their kits, which I find an interesting, enjoyable, and satisfying process. It'll be a shame when that stops as I find it very interesting to see the printer come together, and better understand the inner workings.
I think that the era of the kit is over already. The the lack of quality control when customers have to assemble their own printer exposes quite a bit of risk to Prusa, as there is both the cost of support as well as the risk of negative news. Also, with the real upgrades upgrades becoming ever more expensive, as shown with the upgrades for the MK3 to the MK4 and its 3.x siblings, as well as for the MK4 to the Core ONE, the savings achieved for the customer are diminishing to the point where selling on the old printer is becoming the ever more logical option.
Personally, I am a bit on the fence on the topic of kits. It can be a nice experience which can help to understand the workings of a printer, but I've grown to the point where it is more tedium for me than a beneficial experience. I didn't order the kit version of my Core ONE, and I'm glad I didn't. I could just unpack, add the filter and start printing. I still have my other (non-Prusa) printers to satisfy my tinker cravings.
--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: What's next from Prusa?
My guess regarding kits: They will still be available for printers where there is a reasonable upgrade/conversion path from an earlier model. But not for printers which share very few components with their predecessors -- like the XL and the Core One L.
Maybe the increasing complexity of new printers, or safety and compliance concerns e.g. around mains-powered modules, will mean that a kit build or conversion does not go all the way to the component level, but increasingly uses pre-built modules. Or we only get to install smaller upgrades ourselves -- the "upgrade" from Core One to Core One plus being a rather extreme example, the upcoming INDX upgrade maybe a more typical one.