Advise % composition of MK4 vs MK3 parts
Hi, I'd like to buy either the MK3 or MK4, but am concerned about the country of origin of the parts. I understand you assemble the printers in the Czech Republic so you say its made in Czech Republic, but if I assemble the kit myself, then this is hardly the case. So then,
what % of parts are from which countries?
You can state % parts fabricated in CR vs fabricated outside CR, and under each of those headings, the % country of origin.
Perhaps if you have 90 screws from Spain and 10 other non screw parts from England but the English parts are 80% of the value of the printer, it would be deceiving to state the printer is 90% from Spain. So then a % by value is likely best, but ok if you also want to do by part count or weight or something like that.
for example:
By cost:
70% made in China
20% made in Czech Republic
10% made in UK
If feels deceiving to say its made in one country when in fact components are from elsewhere. I know about manufacturing and all companies use this designation for final assembly to mean "made in" but why not get ahead of this and be transparent about it?
You can go deep if you would like to exceed expectations.
for example, perhaps all FDM parts are made with Prusament, but perhaps the raw plastic pellets are from England, so then you can do a sub category.
Id like to know the MK3 and the MK4 please, this can only help Prusa, unless you are not proud of the sourcing of materials and components.
you should do this for all products that you sell. Even your Prusament, state the package, spool, plastic wrapper, and of course the filament. Even if this is not a % thing, you can state
Package materials : 50% Vietnam 50% Germany
plastic wrapper: India
Filament raw material source: China
Filament processing: Czech Republic
Spool raw materials and fabrication: Czech Republic
Thanks
Rob
RE: Advise % composition of MK4 vs MK3 parts
Seriously? You want to know the source and cost of every last part that goes into a Prusa printer?
RE:
no, you missed the point of the question.
i don't care about your source or the cost of each component but if 50% of the product comes from England, you should state this, and if 90% comes from China, you should state that. I just suggested you use cost as a way of determining the % of the product, as opposed to part count, or weight.
what % of parts are from which countries?
thanks
RE: Advise % composition of MK4 vs MK3 parts
Hey Rob, you made me curious, can you please state exactly what you would do with this information? What would be the flow of your decision making if all of this info magically appeared tomorrow?
RE: Advise % composition of MK4 vs MK3 parts
😳
Sorry for my poor English. I try to do my best.
RE: Advise % composition of MK4 vs MK3 parts
Spoiler alert: Jo Prusa himself personally actually manufactures each part on the moon. That's why lead times are so long.
RE: Advise % composition of MK4 vs MK3 parts
I saw this somewhere, but I can’t remember now. It was over 50% EU, 13% USA, rest China or similar.
RE: Advise % composition of MK4 vs MK3 parts
Hi, I'd like to buy either the MK3 or MK4.......................................
Thanks
Rob
I'd say order it.
RE: Advise % composition of MK4 vs MK3 parts
Hi, I'd like to buy either the MK3 or MK4, but am concerned about the country of origin of the parts. I understand you assemble the printers in the Czech Republic so you say its made in Czech Republic, but if I assemble the kit myself, then this is hardly the case. So then,
what % of parts are from which countries?
See page 3 :
https://www.prusa3d.com/file/927422/mk3s-product-passport.pdf
For MK4 i would assume it is likely to be less than 33 % China.
RE: Advise % composition of MK4 vs MK3 parts
Too bad companies don't take the high road and state this up front. Perhaps consumers are used to not thinking about this, or considering this in their decision.
RE: Advise % composition of MK4 vs MK3 parts
good question. Its a big plus if its mostly not made in thug countries whose governments engage in slavery, organ harvesting, human rights, and a host of other outrageous issues. The world looks the other way but perhaps we shouldn't. Why does nobody else seem to care?
RE: Advise % composition of MK4 vs MK3 parts
This is a user forum, so there is a good change no one from Prusa is reading this. If this is really important to you or your employer, you should probable contact Prusa customer support. Maybe that have that information.
Unless they have some reason to collect and maintain that information, there is a good chance they won't have any idea. Especially if you want more then the 1st level of parts country of origin. Some parts may have multiple suppliers which could come different sets of countries. Those suppliers could change were they get their sub-parts from at any time. By the time you trace everything down, it'll likely be out of date.
RE: Advise % composition of MK4 vs MK3 parts
I personally don't think this is worth anyone's energy.
RE: Advise % composition of MK4 vs MK3 parts
If Prusa is proud of where the components come from, it will be of value to the company.
If they are not so proud, then perhaps not.
Companies that do it are seen as more honest and transparent.
What good is touting made in Czech Republic if in fact the components come from somewhere else?
So for those who don't care, then you are right - not worth the energy.
RE: Advise % composition of MK4 vs MK3 parts
"Made In _____" is, always has been, and always will have to be taken with a grain of salt. Or a salt shaker full of salt. It's a global supply, and there's little that can break that up at this point. It's easily argued that breaking it up would be bad, as well, as basically no place has all the natural resources to make everything.
It has nothing to do with honesty. It has nothing to do with transparency.
What device are you on and typing your forum replies on? What % of every component was made in which country for it?
Where did your food come from today? Where did the feed, fertilizer come from? Where did the equipment to haul it come from? Where did the tractors and implements get made? What about the fuel, oil, and rubber?
There is no such thing as ethical consumption in a capitalists' world. It's certainly nice to think that in an ideal world, you could somehow make it possible, but, it's not, presently.
Buy the printer, or don't. But don't pretend that you're making a fully informed decision and know nearly enough to say that XYZ country producing parts is "good" or "not good". I can guarantee whatever place you live in, anyone with an unbiased view of history and the world can show you a ton of problems in your own home.
If Prusa is proud of where the components come from, it will be of value to the company.
If they are not so proud, then perhaps not.
Companies that do it are seen as more honest and transparent.
What good is touting made in Czech Republic if in fact the components come from somewhere else?
So for those who don't care, then you are right - not worth the energy.