Prusa XL Purchase Advice Please
Hi folks,
I am planning to pull the trigger on a 3d printer in early December. I need a large build volume with multi-material capability. I have been saving the money and researching. I have previously done some diy cnc router builds for wood routing, so I'm comfortable with how the engineering works, and dont mind spending a few hours on assembly when it arrives. I also understand that there can be some noise, although on my wood machines the only noise that mattered was the cutting tool. I would expect a 3d printer to be super quiet.
I currently dont have a shed or garage space, and my main concern here is the wifey factor. I'll be placing the printer in the conservatory next to the living room so it has good ventilation, and if its too noisy, my foray into 3d printing will be over before it starts. Its also a hell of a lot of money for something if I cant use it due to noise.
After quite a bit of research, I had honestly settled on a different brand to prusa which also facilitates multi-material capability, but buckets of waste plastic poop also wont go down well with wifey so I circled back here. It looks like there is some good news...did the 6.0.0 firmware update effectively resolve the XL noise issues?
I'm also a little concerned with comments like "They said the XL is just a noisy machine." which doesn't sound like very proactive vendor support 😐 But Prusa's support seems to get good reviews overall?
There seems to have been a lot of conversation around 2023 iro. XL noise. From my research, below seem to be the improvements suggested. In addition to the 6.0.0 firmware, is the XL shipping with any of these as standard now? (I would expect the vendor to have taken this feedback in 18 months and made improvements for something at this price point) .
- Tool/Nozzle head vibration and tool head changes - (Redesign Nozzle Heads?)
- Foam wedges inside assembly cover
- Dampening around assembly cover
- Sound deadening mats on sides and base
- Sound deadening foot pads
- Front anti-vibration supports
- Stepper motor harmonic vibrations printing @45deg (Firmware update seems to have made a difference?) (Different stepper motors with lower inductance & resistence?)
- Black plate on the bottom of the printer generates noise
- Air sealing material around metal panels
- Tightness of PCB metal attachment points to metal frame
- Fan noise (Padding on inside edges of fan shroud?)
- Lube on Z Rails
- Filament runout sensor improvement
- Motor dampers
Last question - Does the XL Enclosure make any difference re. noise dampening? It seems I will need it for PC and PA anyway.
Thanks for any advice. Its a lot of money, so I need to get the decision right.
FWIW my XL has been quiet from day one - I often work in the same room and I don't hear it over the sound of the radio - about a year ago I had a visitor sitting chatting about 2 metres from the working printer and she didn't notice it until it changed toolheads.
The only sound deadening used is a pad of the closed cell foam it was delivered with placed under the rear of the machine.
Cheerio,
RE:
Like any core xy it can make some noises when it moves in certain directions, and the tool changers make some noise when being swapped. But I don't think it's any noisier than my Core Ones, if anything it's quieter. I don't really have an answer to your specific list of questions. I don't use any of it. I have an EnXLosure, but mostly to protect it from dust. I print most ASA on my Cores.
Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- https://foxrun3d.com/
RE: Prusa XL Purchase Advice Please
I searched for EnXLosure but could not find anything on Google, would you have a link please? (Unless that is the one available from Prusa?). Thanks
RE: Prusa XL Purchase Advice Please
i THINK this is the one they meant.
https://www.printables.com/model/610843-prusa-xl-enxlosure
RE: Prusa XL Purchase Advice Please
Thanks
RE: Prusa XL Purchase Advice Please
I wouldn't buy one at this point. I have a 5T. It's a great machine. But it's being abandoned for the core.
It was never a machine for the colour printing obsessed - it was and is for those who need the multimaterial abilities for functional prints. Far from being abandoned the new paste/gel/mixer extruder and pick and place heads make it even more potent. It has no real competition in the sub 20k price range.
Cheerio,
RE: Prusa XL Purchase Advice Please
That's not a Prusa developed add on. Hardly the same thing. Also unproven and niche.
I purchased this machine partly because of Prusa's past support/upgrades of their previous printers. That's pretty much come to a halt.
Yes, I'd agree that it has serious potential but that's only going to happen if Prusa is involved or the printer has good sales.
I will be surprised if the sales don't plummet at this point - the core is pretty awesome - can't deny that. I'll eat my hat if a second tool add on is released by Prusa (or again, let's be real - a first addon).
The bottom line is the printer is a failed experiment in the end - not because of capability but because tech has been leapfroggedt. Prusa obviously saw this pretty quickly given the tech in the Core - that didn't just get developed overnight.
I'd love to be wrong. And well, they dissed the changer in the advertisement for the core. Direct copy from their splash page. Go see for yourself.
'Filament-switchers can be slow and wasteful, while full toolchangers mean swapping heavy, expensive print heads. '
Sooo...
I will be surprised if the sales don't plummet at this point
Go read my reply in one of the several other threads you are whinging in. I anticipate a surge in sales to engineering workshops - perhaps not to trinket mongers.
Cheerio,
RE: Prusa XL Purchase Advice Please
I wouldn't say my XL is "super quiet". It's not very loud, but I can hear it when I'm in the room next to the one it's in, mostly low noises during sharp direction changes I guess. I have not installed anything to dampen the noise, though, I'll probably get a rubber mat.
However, I think you're considering buying a minidisc player after the launch of the iPod. It's clear Prusa has all but abandoned the XL, meanwhile they're launching new Core one models or add-ons every six months or something. I've not even had the XL for a full year yet and I deeply regret getting it, as the Core one L is 1/3 the price. I've already stopped buying filament from them because they constantly went out of stock (also, the price); they won't catch me buying another printer either, ever.
RE: Prusa XL Purchase Advice Please
lol. Is that all you do - cheerlead for Prusa? What a fanboi.
Cheerios!