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Prusa Research shared a blog post today with updates on the company’s upcoming Core One 3D printer, the assembled version of which is set to ship next week.

There’s just one tweak to the printer’s hardware: it’s gained a “SwingArm” instead of the cable chains we typically see on CoreXY machines. Explained as a measure to keep cables tidy and relieved of strain while making them more accessible than a typical cable chain would allow, it’s a minor but purposeful tweak from the prototype Core One we saw at Formnext.

The Prusa “SwingArm” replaces the cable chain we’d seen on previous versions. (Source: Prusa Research)

Prusa also let prospective customers know that, following drop testing, it has decided to ship the 3D printer with the LCD screen detached to avoid damage. “When you unpack your assembled printer, you simply need to attach the cable to the LCD panel and tighten two screws. Other than that, the printer is truly ‘plug and print’,” the company says.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the update (other than the happy news a Prusa release is on schedule) is the sneak peek at potential spool-mounting solutions for the MMU3 – particularly an enclosure. Prusa touts that the MMU3 is the “most material-efficient single-extruder solution” – which we largely agree with – but in the rapidly growing material changer market its lack of an enclosure has been notable.

An “exploration” prototype of an MMU3 enclosure (Source: Prusa Research)

Prusa cautions that it’s “still in the process of evaluating” a variety of MMU3 spool mounting solutions and is very clear (in all caps) that the enclosure is not a prototype of an upcoming product but “just an exploration of one of the possible development paths”. That said, the prospective solution builds on the already top-mounted material changer and appears to make the system self-contained.

“The whole spool holder and MMU3 unit can slide out for easy maintenance, and we’ve integrated the buffer right below the spools,” Prusa explains.

The MMU3 device will already be mounted to the top of the Core One as it stands now, and the set will include a transparent top cover. A photograph of a prototype shows the filament buffer attached to the printer’s spool recess.

This update for the Core One certainly takes advantage of the timely controversy concerning Bambu Lab. After all, Prusa did have the newest bamboo 3D printer at this past Formnext.

The Core One will begin shipping next week, with kits on track for March and conversion kits on track for April. You can already pre-order the pre-assembled Core One, and Prusa says kit pre-orders will be live after shipping begins. There are a few more details about the Core One camera set to follow in February and an air-filter add-on, so give the full update a read if you’re interested.

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License: The text of "Prusa Updates on Core One, On Track to Ship Next Week" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.