This year has seen Prusa Research announce a highly new resin Original Prusa SL1, bring new products to market including a filament, and continue to update its software and firmware regularly.
To keep customers in the loop, Josef Průša, founder of Prusa Research, has written a blog post with updates on the Prusament status and MMU2.0 but, more importantly the powder-coated sheets.
He explains: “I feel we have done a lot of good work. But I understand that we have also made some promises, which we still need to fulfil. So let’s take a look at what you can expect to happen in the upcoming weeks.”
Prusa begins by explaining that the powder coated sheets manufacturing “is a never ending story.” He adds that due to complications with scrap ratio and quality control, he’d – on one hand – like to “cancel them and move on”. However, he adds that it would be a shame to throw away the knowledge and experience gained from attempting to manufacture such a high quality product in quantity.
But, after receiving feedback from customers, Prusa is trying to resolve this problem quickly by providing three options for the 17,000 people waiting for discount vouchers for the powder-coated sheets. Those waiting will receive an email about these options but they include either a $10 discount for powder-coated PEI sheet with free shipping, a free Smooth PEI sheet with free shipping or a $30 discount voucher for any item from our e-shop.
Prusa has now decided that the company will stop selling new printers, printer kits and upgrade kits with powder-coated sheets on Saturday, November 10th.
Prusament Filament Updates
Next up in the blog post is an update on Prusament, the in-house made filament. It was launched in September and offers a 20 μm tolerance. Prusa adds that Prusament became the user’s favorite and proves customers are still most interested in quality over a cheap price tag.
The demand for this filament is huge and, if you’ve seen Prusa Research at a fair or event, you’ll likely have received a sample of the material. The company is asking for feedback via social media and discussion forums.
With this feedback in mind, the team are expanding the production lines, improving the automatization processes and robots as well as hiring more staff.
There is also a plan to sell Prusament through Amazon. But, this takes careful planning so that customers don’t see the “out of stock” message too soon. Prusa adds that the filament will be available on US Amazon stores before Christmas 2018.
Multi Material Upgrade 2.0 for MK2.5 is Now Shipping
For anyone who owns an Original Prusa i3 MK2.5, the Multi Material Upgrade 2.0 is now shipping. Prusa explains that it took longer than the MK3 version due to the difference in electronics (miniRAMBo vs. Einsy RAMBo). This meant having to prepare a cable for powering the MMU2.0.
Prusa adds that it was also necessary to tweak the firmware and print profiles. Otherwise, the device would not have been quiet while printing.
As well as the fact that MK2.5 MMU2.0 is now shipping, the team has also published the new firmware v3.4.2, Slic3r PE v1.41.1, and a new driver package.
Download them here to get all the latest software packages, drivers, sample G-codes and utilities. However, Prusa adds: “Please note that the firmware 3.4.2 is aimed at MK2.5/MMU2.0 owners, while the rest of customers can safely stay at 3.4.1. btw: new RC of 3.4.3 should be out before the end of next week.”
New Slic3r PE 1.41.1 with Custom Supports
To explain this new update, Prusa has released a video, check it out below. But, put simply, the way the Slic3r works is that, once you import an object to it, you can double-click it to open an Object Settings window where you can set object-specific settings.
Next, choose the “Load Generic…” button to create a Lambda object with custom height, width, and length. When you select the object, you can also set its type to either “Support blocker” and “Support enforcer”. Finally, turn off the “Auto generated supports” option in Print Settings and slice the object.
Prusa explains: “Slic3r PE will see some major changes in the UI department in the near future and we’re basically aiming to deliver a combination of Slic3r PE and PrusaControl – the app will have a simplified interface for new users, but it will also allow more advanced users to switch to “Expert interface”, which will offer the same range of features as Slic3r PE.”
https://youtu.be/CSqX_8pVi2o
Get Your MK3 a New Einsy Case
Since the release of the Original Prusa i3 MK, the company has been taking on board customer feedback and implementing it. The latest development is a modified Einsy RAMBo case.
The MK3 is compatible with the Raspberry Pi Zero W, which can run OctoPrint software which can control the printer remotely. With the latest case modification, it’s possible to insert the RPi into the case without completely removing the board.
Prusa adds: “All the Einsy cases, which will leave our factory are now ready for the Raspberry Pi and there’s no need to disassemble anything. Look at the back side of the cover, where you will see a part in the middle, which is separated from the rest by several small “bridges”. In case you want to use RPi, carefully cut this entire part out and insert the tiny Pi board inside. Our developers prepared a removable cover, so you can shield the RPi and remove it if necessary.”
That’s all for this update. Make sure to check back for Prusa’s 2018 roundup and follow the company on social media for regular updates.
Source: Prusa Printers
License: The text of "Prusa Releases Autumn Update with Information about Powder-Coated Sheets" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.