Now, For the Technical Updates

Multi-Material 3D Printing: First, the Multi-Material 2.0 is getting closer to being shipped to beta testers. Although this is later than originally announced, Prusa believes it will result in a better printer. For example, the team recently added PINDA as a filament sensor.

Development on Slic3r Prusa Edition: When it comes to Slic3r PE, seven full-time employees were hired who will help new features pop up faster. There is a new configuration assistant on Slic3r PE as well as differential print profiles, accurate print time estimation, and a G-code visualizer.

There was a whole settings system rewrite from Perl into C++ and new settings are automatically updated from the internet if you opt for it in the configuration wizard. Finally, Slic3r PE is now translated into Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish and Ukrainian.

Coated beds are shipping: Finally, the powder coated sheets are available. Joe Prusa stated that “finalizing the production was a huge pain, to be honest, but it is totally worth it.” If you have preorded a coated bed, you’ll be contacted soon.

Addressing inconsistent extrusion problems: For those following Prusa Facebook groups, you’ll like have come across stories of inconsistent extrusion or the elusive GitHub issue 602. But, after researching this issue, Prusa explains: “We found out that two things are getting mixed together, inconsistent extrusion and plain bad prints caused by incorrectly assembled or broken printers.”

You can find a full list of common problems mistaken for inconsistent extrusion on the blog. Prusa didn’t stop there, though, and to find out more about inconsistent extrusion, the team ran further tests and came up with this video:

This is still an ongoing issue but Prusa promises that he, and others from the community, are working hard to solve it. Presumably, there will be further updates in the next post.

Firmware Update: There were many improvements made to firmware 3.3.1, including, a safety timer, faster XYZ calibration process and Linear Advance were brought back in 3.2.0. Make sure to update your firmware regularly to benefit.

Faster delivery: Prusa begins with shipping and support which he states may seem rather boring, but due to a recent major upgrade, positively affects all customers. This is thanks to a change from preparing all shipments by hand to a connected e-shop, ERP and couriers API. As a result, a package can be shipped the same day as an order.

New extruder for Prusa i3 MK3: Finally, Prusa goes into detail on the improvements in cooling and extrusion for the MK3. He explains that the MK2/S default cooler was unidirectional from the front. As the team wanted a more even cooling system for the new printer, they came up with an angled fan mount to increase the airflow and improve the cooling performance.

The extruder body was also improved to provide a better extruder heatsink/heat-break cooling. This means fewer jams when the printer is in high-temperature environments or an enclosure.

That’s it for this update, you can find more in-depth information over on the Prusa Printers website. Prusa also adds that you’re always welcome to share your feedback on the Prusa Research forums.