Best Print Quality? MK4S or CoreOne?
I know the CoreOnes are new and I’m sure some bugs will continue to get worked out. But I’m curious whether anyone has done side by side quality comparisons between a MK4S (enclosed) and a stock CoreOne.
I bought an MK4S during the 2024 Black Friday promotion, along with ordering a CoreOne conversion upgrade. It is looking like the conversions will probably start shipping in the next few weeks.
I need the ability to print with CF so an enclosed process is required.
I really like the promise of the CoreOne but after reading about Z-banding and VFA issues, now I’m concerned that the print quality is not likely to be as good as the MK4S. I’ll be pissed if I convert my printer and then find out I have taken a step backwards in quality. Keeping my MK4S and adding an enclosure seems to have the best prospects in terms of quality, but it takes twice the space and looks like a kluge.
MK4S/MMU3
RE:
I was looking to sell my MK4S and have removed the MMU3 and converted it back to stock. However, having the same concerns as yourself, I'm wondering whether I should keep hold of my MK4s for a whole longer - maybe I should have left the MMU3 on it for now as well and run the Core One as a single filament printer for a while......
If I do keep hold of it I'll try some comparative prints - although could be a while as I need to build the Core One first!
RE:
My current opinion on this, the CORE One have a good potential. Excepted the VFA issue, the print quality is really good, the layer stacking with glossy filament gives a mirror effect where the MK4S is more like a little bit fuzzy. But unfortunately there are VFA, particularly visible due to the mirror effect. When I need to print something like a box with black PETG, the MK4S is still my go to printer. To the point that I am currently not ready to convert it.
Now regarding the enclosure, compared to my 38°C lack table enclosure (limited due to the MK4S max specs), the CORE One can reach temperature up to 57°C with 19°C ambient. And this is really an advantage to print demanding materials. I was able to finally use this spool of PC-ABS on a 10cm tall print on the CORE One where I was barely able to print flat things with limited warping on the MK4S...
RE: Best Print Quality? MK4S or CoreOne?
I have nothing but problems with my Core One, so I'm returning it to Prusa for a refund.
The print quality is simply awful, and after spending six hours with the support, they think it's normal.
RE: Best Print Quality? MK4S or CoreOne?
But I’m curious whether anyone has done side by side quality comparisons between a MK4S (enclosed) and a stock CoreOne.
Lucky you, I just had the need to print two pieces of the same part for a wheelchair. It's black PETG so I am currently printing the first on my MK4S and I'll print the second on my CORE One tomorrow. I'll be back to give you a pictured feedback. 😉
RE: Best Print Quality? MK4S or CoreOne?
Ok so it took me a little bit more time than expected because of wet filament...
On this picture, back to front MK4S with wet PETG, MK4S with 3h@65°C drying, CORE One with the dried filament too.
On the second picture, back piece is the CORE One, front is the MK4S
On this one, the front piece is printed on the CORE One and the back one on the MK4S
All the previous pictures do not show a major difference, the CORE One is a little bit more glossy with a more regular layer stacking. The MK4S vertical surfaces are a little bit fuzzy and hide any possible defect. But the top surface is better on the CORE One, the MK4S show some "ripple" around the curved slots.
But this part is all in curvature, now if we print something with straight walls like a simple vase mode box, I let you guess which is which.
With "grazing light" (is that english?), to show a maximum of defects.
With an additional front light.
The MK4S is absolutely fine, where the CORE One present vertical lines all the way. But it is so frustrating because the CORE One is much more regular...
A blind test with my beloved gave the CORE One winner for the wheelchair part, and the MK4S winner for the box.
RE: Best Print Quality? MK4S or CoreOne?
The MK4S is absolutely fine, where the CORE One present vertical lines all the way. But it is so frustrating because the CORE One is much more regular...
Those last two photos almost make me wonder whether the VFAs are just much more visible on the Core One, because they are not masked by the "white noise" irregularities. How does the Core One print look if you dial in very light (low amplitude) fuzzy skin?
RE: Best Print Quality? MK4S or CoreOne?
How does the Core One print look if you dial in very light (low amplitude) fuzzy skin?
Oh wow, I never thought about this. It would be amazing if the CORE One could be as good as the MK4S by... printing worse. 😆
Very good idea, I'll definitely give a try, thank you!
RE: Best Print Quality? MK4S or CoreOne?
It would be amazing if the CORE One could be as good as the MK4S by... printing worse. 😆
Would make for a nice advertising claim: "The printer that is too smooth for its own good." 😊
If a light fuzzy skin really helps to get to "MK4S quality", one would probably still use it in very specific instances only. It's bound to incur a penalty in terms of print time and gcode size. But I would love to see your comparison photo together with the two previous MK4S and Core One prints!
RE: Best Print Quality? MK4S or CoreOne?
Ok, it's very promising.
Top to bottom:
- MK4S
- CORE One native
- CORE One Fuzzy skin thickness: 0.05mm and Fuzzy skin point distance: 0.2mm (no print time penalty)
- CORE One Fuzzy skin thickness: 0.1mm and Fuzzy skin point distance: 0.2mm (print time penalty)
The good values are somewhere in between, so I need to fine tune this a bit more. But to me it looks like a good palliative to hide VFAs to at least be as good as the MK4S. The one who only own the CORE One could use this trick to be able to print "decent" straight walls.
Thank you @Jürgen, you're genius!
RE: Best Print Quality? MK4S or CoreOne?
- CORE One Fuzzy skin thickness: 0.05mm and Fuzzy skin point distance: 0.2mm (no print time penalty)
- CORE One Fuzzy skin thickness: 0.1mm and Fuzzy skin point distance: 0.2mm (print time penalty)
The good values are somewhere in between, so I need to fine tune this a bit more. But to me it looks like a good palliative to hide VFAs to at least be as good as the MK4S. The one who only own the CORE One could use this trick to be able to print "decent" straight walls.
Thank you very much for trying this out so quickly -- and for doing the MK4S comparison in the first place, which really helped to put the Core One VFAs into perspective. This makes me feel much better about my Core One and its ability to print nice-looking parts. 😊
RE: Best Print Quality? MK4S or CoreOne?
Last try for today.
With this settings:
I got very approaching results without print time penalty, top to bottom:
- CORE One native
- CORE One fuzzy skin
- MK4S
All I have to do now is to find the "slightest" settings able to hide the VFAs. 😉
RE: Best Print Quality? MK4S or CoreOne?
That's crazy to have to apply fuzzy skin to have decent prints.
It's kind of cool, but that must increase print time by a lot doesn't it?
PS: I don't know why but not all your pictures are cliquable (I can't "open" every picture you post)
RE: Best Print Quality? MK4S or CoreOne?
About the non-clickable pictures, I don't understand too, the forum seems to be buggy. All the pictures are imported in batch using the "Add Media" button...
Regarding the print time, I did a simulation with a 5h print (custom gridfinity pot), with the last settings it increase by only 2min. 🙂
RE: Best Print Quality? MK4S or CoreOne?
Oh so we can't consider it adds print time, nice!
RE: Best Print Quality? MK4S or CoreOne?
The Core One should improve with the Phase Stepping calibration function. It is still in work for the Core one, but near completion according to comments on Github. The accelerometer option will be needed to do the calibration.