Three years and still going strong......
So, I am getting close to nearly 3 years of owning my Prusa Mini – the original one. And still loving the little machine. It has been printing nearly daily and produced lots and lots of lovely prints. Yes, some teething problems but very stable since. Only replaced the bearings and once, the nozzle (actually not needed). Beyond that pretty much bog standard. I bought lots and lots of spare parts (at the beginning of lockdown, just in case) but have not used them. I have now been printing for at least 9 months without having to adjust the extruder. Impressive. Prusa, well done!
Original Prusa Mini 03/20 PINDAR Misumi Bearings
RE: Three years and still going strong......
Teach us your skills please.
I have to take apart the extruder after every swap from PLA to PETG and vice-versa, since it results in clogged nozzles.
Prusa Mini FW6.2.4
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Strange. I can switch between filaments without any problem. Only thing I do AFTER PC blend printing is feeding the next filament (PLA/PETG) at a high temperature through the extruder for a few seconds to clear the PC. Amazing little machine......
Original Prusa Mini 03/20 PINDAR Misumi Bearings
RE: Three years and still going strong......
I have four and on two I have had to replace the hotend.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: Three years and still going strong......
Now FOUR years........ fitted a wi-fi module last summer and re-greased the bearings but beyond that all still as standard as can be! Nothing replaced. Nothing fixed. Runs amazingly well with the Input Shape software. Printing with PLA, PETG, Flex and PC without any issues. What can I say....... amazing little machine! Statistics: total filament length printed: 5.1km - printing time: 73 days! I have all the parts to do an overhaul but 'if it ain't broke.......'
Original Prusa Mini 03/20 PINDAR Misumi Bearings
RE: Three years and still going strong......
Glad to hear it. I have an early mini also, not the first batch, there was a delay in shipping for awhile after the first batch went out, so mine's second batch. I don't run mine everyday and I did change out the heat break to stop the clogging, but it's been a pretty nice printer.
Cheers
-Bob
Prusa I3 Mk2 kit upgraded to Mk2.5s, Ender3 with many mods, Prusa Mini kit with Bondtech heat break, Prusa I3 Mk3s+ kit
RE: Three years and still going strong......
And my both k1 max printed for 100-150hrs then started making crazy noises. swapped the whole gantry, pulleys and motors which fixed it.
when you go cheap...it ends up more expensive at the end anyway.
RE: Three years and still going strong......
How do you print Flex with a bowden system? 😶
I can also only say good things about the MINI+. Reliable and very nice results with PLA, PETG and ASA so far.
RE: Three years and still going strong......
To be honest it has been pretty straightforward after an earlier ‘disaster’. Purchased Overture TPU on Amazon and used the slicing settings in Prusaslicer. The Mini proceeds very slowly and printing does take at least double the time but with great success!! Happy days!
Original Prusa Mini 03/20 PINDAR Misumi Bearings
RE: Three years and still going strong......
I have the same experience. I bought it used with 29 days in it, now it has over 80 days. At start I had to replace the heatbreak PTFE tube once, because the previous owner didn't do that the right way, and had to tighten one of the screw holding the column in place (probably losened while transporting it). Since then no problems. Even the nozzle is the same. It just prints and prints.
I print PETG, ASA, ABS, PLA and TPU with great success. TPU 98 is easy to print via the stock extruder. If you want to print softer material like TPU 92, I recommend upgrading to the Bondtech IFS extruder. See here: https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/hardware-firmware-and-software-help/bondtech-ifs-for-tpu-on-the-mini/