3D Printing Prusa XL

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cwbullet

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Prusa is taking preorders and this baby has up to 5 print heads.
 
I have a MK3S+ and it's a good printer. However, having had to wait 2 yrs since they announced it I've moved on to Voron and Klipper.

$2K for a base machine and $500 per head - deal breaker. I had a 2 material printer and NEVER used that feature.

For 2K, you can get 2 Voron 2.4s or 1 1/2 RatRig Vcore 3s.
 
Yeah, as much as I love my Prusa...the XL is a bit pricy. I don't doubt the quality but it's priced out of my need. I think the best two head job would be for dissolvable supports. Even then the utility would probably be limited.
 
Yeah, as much as I love my Prusa...the XL is a bit pricy. I don't doubt the quality but it's priced out of my need. I think the best two head job would be for dissolvable supports. Even then the utility would probably be limited.

Don’t forget multicolor prints.
 
Don’t forget multicolor prints.
Multicolor prints are great but I think there is less of a use for that on the hobby side. More for production or commercial applications for sure, but for a hobbyist, it seems like dissolvable supports would be more useful.

On that note, haven’t seen much about the dissolvable supports lately so I’m not sure that is still a thing. Also, I’ll admit, if multicolor print was readily available (cost) I’m sure the hobbyist would figure out how to maximize the use!
 
Multicolor prints are great but I think there is less of a use for that on the hobby side. More for production or commercial applications for sure, but for a hobbyist, it seems like dissolvable supports would be more useful.

On that note, haven’t seen much about the dissolvable supports lately so I’m not sure that is still a thing. Also, I’ll admit, if multicolor print was readily available (cost) I’m sure the hobbyist would figure out how to maximize the use!

Dissolvable filament is still a thing. The features of this printer are amazing.

Feature:
  • Load cell based auto-leveling
  • Heat creep detection
  • Tool changer
  • Segmented heat bed
  • Detects jams and partial jams
  • 20:1 gear box extruder
And this is just the features they have released. More to come as addons.
 
If everything Prusa's claiming functions well, I think the XL's a bargain.

The Vorons and Rat Rigs seem capable and nice, but they're not comparable in price. The Voron entails a bit of work just to source all the parts. Then for any kit or fully DIY design you're looking at a much more involved build process and tweaking than semi-assembled printers.

Not so much for those specifically, but in general, another consideration of the pricing is the target market. I'd argue that a printer like the XL is aimed more toward the "hobby business" portion of the spectrum, versus just "hobby," i.e., personal use. For even small scale production you need reliability and efficiency to a greater level than when just printing things for yourself. A printer which can deliver on that will be worth the extra expense compared to more hobbyist-level printers that might be capable of producing the same caliber of print quality, but struggle to do so day-in/day-out repeatedly, take more maintenance, etc..

For a current generation semi-assembled or assembled, robust, farm-ready FDM printer w/ a ~12"x12" build plate I would expect to spend $1500--$2k, especially all-in with upgrades and niceties. This thing is bigger than that and has a bunch of additional and new features besides.


Another way of looking at it: Prusa's i3 MK3S+ is a $750 kit, and apparently many people, as well as myself, believe that's a fair price. The XL has more than double the build plate area (216 sq in vs 69 sq in), ostensibly without the usually correlated degradations in stability and heating. Plus the load cell bed leveling. Plus the fancy build plate heating. Plus a bunch of other stuff. Plus a toolchanger.

I am skeptical of automated bed leveling, for me it usually feels amazing at first but eventually slows things down or gets in the way. But maybe this design is a new ballgame as far as that goes.

The modularized build plate heating alone though is a big deal in terms of print reliability and efficiency. I would list irregular bed heating and degradation of the heating elements as one of the primary challenges toward printing in quantity.

And did I say, plus a toolchanger. I'm vaguely aware of a couple printers that have come out in the past few years with a toolchanger, but nothing that felt like a major-brand product. That capability seems like a big deal, a lot better than a dual extruder, and not just in terms of being able to have more spools ready, whether they be colors or materials. E.g., it seems like potentially you could refill a toolhead w/out pausing the print, which you can't do on a dual extruder. And I can only imagine what kinds of hacks might be possible to put tools other than extruders on there.



All that said, I'm wary of the first generation of any product that's such a complete and thorough reworking and has so many new things going on. Just smacks of something that the first wave of mass users will uncover a whole bunch of nits and possible improvements, and what you really want is v2. So, I tried to place a preorder several times yesterday but wasn't too upset that their site and payment processor were apparently crushed and I couldn't get it to go through. A v2 edition that was available now I would purchase immediately. But I don't currently have a burning need to sign up for a v1 that's realistically likely not going to arrive for a year (though I acknowledge that the preorder terms are generous & lenient).
 
Guys,

I will do an unboxing and build video. I am setting up a VTC suite in my workshop to do these. I am very excite to test this puppy out. I ordered before the blog post due to a heads up from a source that it was coming. I do not own stock and will not receive any benefits but the source values my input that I have provided over the last 3 years.

I will keep you in the loop. I should get one in the first 5-10 days it ships.
 
while it looks like a great printer, I don't have much desire to print multi color things
 
while it looks like a great printer, I don't have much desire to print multi color things

There are two reason too buy this printer - large prints - 14" x 14" x 14" or multi-material or multicolor. If you do not need either, this is not the printer for you.
 
I already have a 300x300x1000 printer

But, does it have a tool changer or the features as described. I already have one that will do 500 x 500 x 1000, but it does not have that feature set.
 
I have 3 Vorons, 2 Prusa MK3S. I gave 1 MK3S to my brother. I pre-ordered it. Not sure I need it. I do like the zone bed heating. It is a waste to heat the entire bed just for small prints. It also has an accordion like enclosure. You can see it in the picture - probably an extra $150 for that option. Nice idea to raise it up when you need it and lower it when you don't.

I will say I am so happy with my Voron printers that I no longer see the need to keep the MK3 with its slow print speed and small build area. I keep it around for small jobs when the others are all occupied.

Pre-ordered. Will see it in/on Nov 22 or something like that. I'm in absolutely no hurry.
 
I have 3 Vorons, 2 Prusa MK3S. I gave 1 MK3S to my brother. I pre-ordered it. Not sure I need it. I do like the zone bed heating. It is a waste to heat the entire bed just for small prints. It also has an accordion like enclosure. You can see it in the picture - probably an extra $150 for that option. Nice idea to raise it up when you need it and lower it when you don't.

I will say I am so happy with my Voron printers that I no longer see the need to keep the MK3 with its slow print speed and small build area. I keep it around for small jobs when the others are all occupied.

Pre-ordered. Will see it in/on Nov 22 or something like that. I'm in absolutely no hurry.

There are two enclosures - The accordion and the total enclosure.
 
I'm also a happy Voron owner precisely because the XL took so long to get here, but I did put a deposit down on the XL as soon as I saw it. It does not have the elegant design aesthetics of the Voron, but I think there are several features that will have significant impact on the overall 3DP world. I'm having a few minor issues with inconsistent heating and first layer squish on my Voron right now, and if the XL segmented bed and touch probe make those problems obsolete, I will find a way to assimilate them into the Voron.

My plan is to get 2 heads and run soluble support filaments. I never got there with the Mk3s/MMU2 combo, as the MMU just seemed a little too gimmicky and was hard to keep in tune. Fingers crossed for XL!
 
Very interesting. I'm also going to pre-order with 2 toolheads. (I'm also thinking support material, but wouldn't want to discount the idea of multi-color entirely.)
 
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I don't think you have to decide on head count at the preorder, just throw down the $200 now and configure it right before they ship it. They should have more features and options enabled by then too.
 
I don't think you have to decide on head count at the preorder, just throw down the $200 now and configure it right before they ship it. They should have more features and options enabled by then too.

That is correct. It is in the description and the video.
 
I don't think you have to decide on head count at the preorder, just throw down the $200 now and configure it right before they ship it. They should have more features and options enabled by then too.
Yes, and you can also buy more heads as an upgrade after purchase. Upgrading from 2 to more requires another board (in addition to however many heads you want). Maybe they'll offer a "3 head" option which would give you all the support hardware for up to 5. I chose 2 because I know I'll want to print with supports, but not sure if I'll have need for more.
 
... I chose 2 because I know I'll want to print with supports, but not sure if I'll have need for more.
Same here. I could see wanting three heads to enable things like printing shock absorbing TPU layers in place with an ABS or PETG body around it. Those are the only kind of multi-material needs I think I'd have for rocketry related prints.
 
Same here. I could see wanting three heads to enable things like printing shock absorbing TPU layers in place with an ABS or PETG body around it. Those are the only kind of multi-material needs I think I'd have for rocketry related prints.

I thought about printing signs for our launch pads and a Saturn V that does not need to be painted. I think you can come up with some others.
 
Hey Chuck (@cwbullet ) I know you are on the short list for the Prusa XL and it's due in soon. Quick question, did you order one with multiple extruders?

Looking forward to your reivew.
 
I ordered one with one extruder and fully assembled but changed the order to 5 extruders and semi-assembled it within 90 days of my initial order. My order is due to ship in January, but I might get a demo machine before that.
 
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