What accessories for a new purchase of Prusa mini+  

RE: What accessories for a new purchase of Prusa mini+

The only upgrade I wholeheartedly recommend is the Bondtech IFS extruder. I found I had to adjust the stock extruder a lot for different filaments — never touched it after installing the Bondtech. If you expect to change nozzles frequently, I suggest you look into the Revo or the Dragon hotend. I run Dragons on all my Mk3s and Minis, and I'm very happy with them. Another frequent suggestion is a titanium heat  break. I have one but never saw the need to install it. 

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@ikarus if you can afford it I'd recommend the mk3 alot of people have had problems with the mini if uou do want a mini then Like fuchsr said go to bondtech

RE: What accessories for a new purchase of Prusa mini+

Please read:

https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/general-discussion-announcements-and-releases/just-ordered-my-first-ever-3d-printer-prusa-mini/

and

https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/general-discussion-announcements-and-releases/prusa-mini-which-to-order/

Also ask yourself a question: do you need a tool or a project?

If you need a tool, get preassembled version and do not alter it for at least 4 months - just tuning things in software are complex enough to give you time to experiment and understand what you will need.

If you need a project then get non-assembled version 😉

I needed tool and I never touched PLA, started to print PETG from the very beginning.

What I can recommend is to get some 6x2mm or slightly bigger magnets, 2m of PTFE tube. Read about filament drybox and enclosures - those are more useful in the long run especially if having dirty workshop or animals.

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people have had problems with the mini

I've found my Minis to print as nicely and as reliably as my Mk3s. There are a couple of areas to pay attention to. A common source of issues is not having the print bed square to the Z axis. There's a knowledgebase article on how to deal with that xz skew. Another issue seems to be the heat sink not being moved high enough. Again, easy to fix. I've seen reports of people having issues with the hotend PTFE tube. I've had mine on for almost two years,  without any problems. 

I think the Mini is a very fine printer. My main complaint is that they seemed to have lost interest in it and there haven't been any firmware upgrades in ages. To date, you cannot connect it to Prusa Connect, so they haven't been fully integrated into my farm but are used mainly for ad hoc projects printed directly from Prusaslicer via PrusaLink. 

RE: What accessories for a new purchase of Prusa mini+

Thank you for your advices.

A few words about my needs :

I paint figures for leisure. I need to create objects like diorama parts and also chariots etc… I printed some of them wit a resin printer from a friend but I was not to much pleased with the results.

I live in an apartment with limited space for my hobby. This is the reason I need a small footprint reliable printer that I can use when needed and put it back in the cupboard when not.

I need a plug and play tool. I do not want to tangle with it. Just to change material (PLA or PTEG), maybe the Nozzle (0.25) for finer printing and parts that get used, when needed.

This is the reason I choose The Prusa mini+. I read good reviews and so video on this forum.

If you think I am mistaken, tell me. I will search for another model or even might abandon the idea of 3D printing entirely.

RE: What accessories for a new purchase of Prusa mini+

Posted by: @fuchsr

My main complaint is that they seemed to have lost interest in it and there haven't been any firmware upgrades in ages. 

If Prusa has lost interest ins the Mini / Mini+, maybe it is not a good idea to invest in this machine ?

It's a perfectly good machine that works well for hundreds of thousands of users.

It's probably fair to day they Prusa dev's attention has been diverted elsewhere for the moment but the Mini uses the same codebase as the Mk4 & XL though it has less memory.  Looking through GitHub it appears that many of the changes could also be applied to the Mini by a few switches in the Make file(s) - but space considerations mean it's not quite that simple. My guess is that some of these will arrive on the Mini after testing and optimisation, which work is being done on the larger memory models and when enough potentially useful changes have been accrued we will see a new Beta.

Cheerio,

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Thank you.

I had doubts for a moment.

But to go back to my questions, what do you think I would need for spare parts to start with beside filaments ?

I understand that an extra plate, an extra tube and maybe a smaller nozzle (0.25 ?) would be handy.

For my first time, I want to buy it all from Prusa.

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Posted by: @ikarus

I paint figures for leisure. I need to create objects like diorama parts and also chariots etc… I printed some of them wit a resin printer from a friend but I was not to much pleased with the results.

What was wrong with the prints from resin printer?
Resins in general are top quality/detail for figures, but maintenance is indeed problematic (resin toxicity etc).
3D printer will be ok for bigger prints, Prusa Mini can print 18x18cm  - which is IMHO pretty good for dioramas.

There is a limit of detail you can get from 3D print on filament printer - certain things are so hard to print, that it is just better to buy parts online.
For example people print something like a train wagon for H0/TT, but they will use pre-fabricated parts from online store such as railing, ladders etc, because they are better quality than what you would get from 3D print.

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I made a chariot with a fireman pump used by the Impérial Guard Corp of Engineers (Napoleon).

It was really à kit in 1:30 scale. We had a good share of warping problem and also parts fit. The parts were also too fragile.

My friend and I finally believed that resine was not the ideal solution.

RE: What accessories for a new purchase of Prusa mini+

The printed model in resin.

RE: What accessories for a new purchase of Prusa mini+

Posted by: @ikarus

The printed model in resin.

 e5eda247-concours-chariot.png

They look okay if you want small tiny things maybe doo look into resin

RE: What accessories for a new purchase of Prusa mini+

Resin printing is not a possibility in my apartment.

If the Prusa Mini+ is not good enough, please tell me.

On the other hand, I do not always do this kind of project...

RE: What accessories for a new purchase of Prusa mini+

I saw this video.

RE: What accessories for a new purchase of Prusa mini+

I think the questioning here isn't to do with the mini itself, but filament printing vs resin for miniatures. The nature of filament deposition has a distinct limit for feature resolution, whereas resin printing is basically the univerally accepted standard for the craft.

With that out of the way, the mini is just as capable as any other printer out there for this use case. Personally, I'm a huge fan of the small footprint and being able to have full access to the entirety of everything. Print a handle for it, and you've just created a portable printer that you can take anywhere.

My recommended accessories (I have these stored in my handle, and have constant use):

• Wire brush for nozzle cleaning
• Tweezers
• Small-socket 2.5mm allen head (i.e. iFixIt kit driver)
• Rounded flat-edge (i.e. wood chisel, just always be very careful not to actually scratch the build plate)
• Needle-nose pliers (I believe it comes with a pair, but I prefer curved-nose pliers)
• Side-cutters

These are what I consider must-haves in my tool aresenal that can't be replaced/printed.

RE: What accessories for a new purchase of Prusa mini+

These are (imo) two must-haves for your Mini (should you choose that)

https://www.printables.com/model/51415-prusa-mini-z-axis-brace

https://www.printables.com/model/14610-prusa-mini-handle

@fuchsr, @ikarus -  This should settle your worries about the future of the Mini - OK, it's alpha at the moment (so @ikarus stay clear) but in due course the Mini will have a stable upgrade.

https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/input-shaper-mini/5-1-0-alpha1-firmware-for-original-prusa-mini-mini-with-input-shaper-and-prusa-connect/#post-674477

Cheerio,

RE: What accessories for a new purchase of Prusa mini+

Indeed good news. Can't wait to test the PrusaConnect integration.

RE: What accessories for a new purchase of Prusa mini+

While i am waiting for the XL i bought a Mini+ in March this year (2023) and can say i do not regret the purchase. The Mini is fun to build, prints great and reliably. But i had a couple of issues at first: After building the printer it works perfect. Suddenly the printquality for PETG got worse. This was an issue with wet filament and the short bowden tube in the hotend. I replaced this part with a new origianl part from prusa and had no issue for months. I also printed a lot of TPU 95A with this printer without any issues. But this topic with the short bowden tube will catch up every 4-5 months i guess. I replaced it a few weeks ago again. The hotend + nozzle was completly blocked with filament. I took the opportunity to install a 0.25mm nozzle at the same time. No issue since that.
If it is your first printer, i would say: Great choice, because we are still not there where a 3D printer is a fire and forgett machine like normal printers. You sometimes have to maintenance a 3D printer. The mini is the best way to learn how components work together and which screws need to be turned to get a perfect result. But you do not have to turn that screws every day, every print. 🙂