Extremely impressed with the Prusa Mk4 (build from kit)
I don't have any experience of 3D printing before now... But I just wanted to chuck my tuppence worth in and say how impressed I've been with the Mk4 and Prusa the company, so far.
Built it from kit form with my son - we took extreme care to put it together nicely and double checked the bits where you calibrate parts like belt tension and linear bearing/rod seating - and made sure the bearings were greased well.
So far, it has generally "just worked" from the get go. The only issues I've had were pushing one specific filament type to the limit on thin walls - but other filaments have handled that fine. The bed has been easy to clean with PLA (slightly less so with PETG) and it's quieter than I anticipated. Software (Prusa Slicer + Firmware) has been a joy to use. I have been keeping up with updates - currently running Input Shaper firmware which gave a significant print speed boost.
The delivery, whilst the dates did slip (pre order) was well communicated once it was ready to ship and even the VAT payment was handled well by the courier.
Been mostly using eSun filamament (had one exceptionally good spool and another less good different type from them - got two more spools of PLA variants to test)
PS: This is my experience. Not affiliated to anything.
RE: Extremely impressed with the Prusa Mk4 (build from kit)
That's great to hear. I whoheartly agree. It's a great printer and should serve you well for years. I'm curious, how old is your son?
I'll mention one thing. If you don't have one already, I highly recommend the satin sheet. Much easier to get PETG off, and also works well for PLA.
RE: Extremely impressed with the Prusa Mk4 (build from kit)
Agree with fabnavigator, try the different sheets. Textured might be nice just since it adds a nice texture at the bottom of each print. I personally use Sating for like 95% of my prints though, I find that it's the perfect middle ground between Smooth and Textured.
As far as I'm aware, Prusa recommends NOT printing PETG on Smooth sheets, since it might stick so hard that it would damage the sheet to remove it.
RE: Extremely impressed with the Prusa Mk4 (build from kit)
That's great to hear. I whoheartly agree. It's a great printer and should serve you well for years. I'm curious, how old is your son?
I'll mention one thing. If you don't have one already, I highly recommend the satin sheet. Much easier to get PETG off, and also works well for PLA.
Agree with fabnavigator, try the different sheets. Textured might be nice just since it adds a nice texture at the bottom of each print. I personally use Sating for like 95% of my prints though, I find that it's the perfect middle ground between Smooth and Textured.
As far as I'm aware, Prusa recommends NOT printing PETG on Smooth sheets, since it might stick so hard that it would damage the sheet to remove it.
Thank you so much for your input.
RE: Extremely impressed with the Prusa Mk4 (build from kit)
That's great to hear. I whoheartly agree. It's a great printer and should serve you well for years. I'm curious, how old is your son?
I'll mention one thing. If you don't have one already, I highly recommend the satin sheet. Much easier to get PETG off, and also works well for PLA.
Agree with fabnavigator, try the different sheets. Textured might be nice just since it adds a nice texture at the bottom of each print. I personally use Sating for like 95% of my prints though, I find that it's the perfect middle ground between Smooth and Textured.
As far as I'm aware, Prusa recommends NOT printing PETG on Smooth sheets, since it might stick so hard that it would damage the sheet to remove it.
Thank you so much for your input.
In case I want to print PETG on smooth sheets, how can I proceed?
RE: Extremely impressed with the Prusa Mk4 (build from kit)
Wipe Build plate with Windex, and allow to dry, before printing.
Or
Wipe build plate with Talcum powder and wipe off any loos dust before printing
or
Spray build plate with Hair spray, let dry before printing
or
wipe build plate with gluestick, use a wet cloth to spread the glue out thinly, let dry and print.
If you forget, allow build plate to cool completely then dribble isopropanol (IPA) around the model, let soak for a while, then try and flex plate to release model
or put the build plate in the freezer, and when chilled, try removing the model
regards Joan
I try to make safe suggestions,You should understand the context and ensure you are happy that they are safe before attempting to apply my suggestions, what you do, is YOUR responsibility. Location Halifax UK
RE: Extremely impressed with the Prusa Mk4 (build from kit)
....
If you forget, allow build plate to cool completely then dribble isopropanol (IPA) around the model, let soak for a while, then try and flex plate to release model
or put the build plate in the freezer, and when chilled, try removing the model
Be careful with that last option. Freezing the smooth sheet also makes both the top foil and the adhesive between the top foil and the steel very brittle. In fact, freezing is recommended as a way to separate the foil from the steel plate in case you want to replace it.
Freezing works for the powder coated sheets, where the coating follows the steel, which has significantly different thermal expansion than the PETG, so applying a large temperature difference from the heated bed temperature at which the fusion was made may increase the separation. On laminated sheets like the smooth one there is the intermediate layers reducing the effect.
In no case try to freeze and then pull the object off the sheet. (I did, and had to buy a new smooth sheet. 😥 ).
RE: Extremely impressed with the Prusa Mk4 (build from kit)
I only ever really used Prusament filaments with my MK4 along with regular cleaning of the build plate every few prints (I try to touch it as little as possible) and never had a single failed print. Most reliable printer I ever owned.