Prusa CORE One January Update: It's almost here!

The Prusa Core One is ready for spring.

Many of you have been eagerly awaiting an update on the Prusa CORE One I've been waiting, and I'm happy to finally be able to give you one! We've been quite busy over the holidays: All our test units ran nonstop. The firmware team is ironing out all the remaining bugs, and everything looks good. There's also a very interesting hardware update for the CORE One! But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning.

The test devices are being prepared; the final devices are almost ready.

We are currently going through the final part of the internal testing. Even though the CORE One uses many of the proven components with the MK4S Despite having these features in common, it is a completely different printer, and it takes much more than just adjusting the axes in the firmware to make it work.

In recent weeks, we've prepared new assembly stations, set up test machines, and much more. This is all part of an ongoing process. Last year, we focused heavily on improving our entire manufacturing process to avoid delays. I hope this has resulted in significantly improved availability. of the MK4S and the HT90 This has become noticeable, and we are doing our best to continue this trend. As promised, The first Prusa CORE One units will be shipped to customers by the end of January. If you order the Prusa CORE One assembled now, given the current length of the queue, we expect it to be delivered in March.

And if you'd like a little peek behind the scenes, we have a short video. with the drop tests . These are necessary to ensure the printer inside survives even if your package is handled roughly. However, we did have to make one adjustment to meet all requirements: the assembled printer now ships with the LCD panel detached, as the risk of damage would otherwise be too high. When you unpack your assembled printer, all you need to do is connect the cable to the LCD panel and tighten two screws. Otherwise, the printer is truly "plug and print".

Cable chain? Umbilical cord? Introducing the SwingArm!

We love being innovative and constantly improving our existing printers. Despite the tight deadlines involved in developing the CORE One, we redesigned a crucial part of the printer before its release. I'm talking about the energy chain – a flexible plastic chain that carries the cables and filament to the extruder. It's quite sleek and looks cool, but it has one major drawback: everything is packed extremely tightly inside, making it impossible to replace the cables without removing the connectors. We didn't like that. After all, we want the printer to be extremely easy to assemble, operate, and maintain.

So we came up with another solution. We call it SwingArm It's a short, swiveling metal arm that guides the textile-covered cable bundle. The arm's length and movement are carefully optimized to minimize stress on the cables. It's a rather ingenious solution (excuse our self-praise), because Attaching or replacing the cables is a breeze – you simply remove a few Velcro fasteners and that's it. It's lightweight, space-saving, and doesn't create any additional resistance. And we're able to manufacture it on-site 🙂

All of this is part of the CORE One's philosophy. We want it to be the best investment in 3D printing: you get outstanding print quality, reliability, easy maintenance, high speed, and all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a Prusa printer. And when better hardware becomes available, you can simply replace what's needed and keep printing. It's like buying a proper gaming PC—you don't have to replace the entire machine every time a new GPU comes out.

News about accessories

Camera: The camera will be shipped starting at the end of February. If you have already ordered the Prusa CORE One, you can edit your order and add the camera. Please note, however, that the order will only be shipped once the camera is available – i.e., at the end of February. If you would like to receive your CORE One sooner, please place a separate order for the camera.

Advanced Filtration: Based on the advanced filtration solution of the XL (with HEPA filter, carbon filter, and high-pressure fan), it connects to the back of the printer and is scheduled for release in late February/early March. Just like with the camera, you can add it to your existing CORE One order. However, this will delay your printer's shipping date until the Advanced Filtration is ready to ship.

MMU3 for the CORE One: Development and testing are underway, and we're making the final adjustments. The MMU3 unit will be mounted on top of the frame, and the kit includes a custom-made cover for the CORE One. Once everything is finalized, we'll run some final tests, and then we'll be ready to pack everything up and begin shipping. Our current estimate is April 2025. In the meantime, you can check out some of the MK4S+MMU3 prints from our community. We've really pushed the MMU3's reliability to the limit, and there are plenty of examples of huge, intricate prints that have completed flawlessly without any modifications or tinkering. And don't forget that the MMU3 It is the most material-efficient single-extruder solution available on the market!

*Please note that this is a photo of a prototype. The top cover will be transparent (the same material as the door/side windows) and may have a slightly different shape.

There are many ways to use the MMU3 with the CORE One. The setup shown above, which we will be offering, is very similar to how the MMU3 works with the MK4S, right down to details like the length of the PTFE tube to the print head. This system is reliable, efficient, doesn't require many new expensive parts, and we know what to expect from it. Therefore, we are exploring various ways to integrate the MMU3 into the CORE One, especially regarding the form factor—a common request we've heard from the community. These alternative setups could include mounting the spools on the top, bottom, or even the side. However, these solutions are likely to be more expensive, and each has its own drawbacks. We are still evaluating them, so I don't want to make any promises about the development progress or even confirm that we will definitely offer any of these alternatives.

After all that, here's a quick look at one of the early prototypes we were working on. The entire coil holder and MMU3 unit can be pulled out for easy maintenance, and we've integrated the buffer directly under the coils. It's still a rough prototype, but I thought it was too cool not to show! 🙂

This is NOT a prototype of a future product; it is glued together with hot glue and is merely an exploration of one of the possible development paths.

We are also working on an injection-molded dry box that fits the spool holder perfectly. Those of you who visited our booth at Formnext may have already seen the prototype. Once we have completed the adjustments and testing, we should be able to launch it in April/May.

And that's not all! Our community was incredibly active even before the printer's market launch. We have STEP files Images were released from both side panels, allowing the designers to begin brainstorming various ideas, and the results are quite impressive. We particularly like the SKADIS Mod by ScottWolfs!

Shipping date update

So, to summarize briefly: The assembled version of the Prusa CORE One will begin shipping at the end of January (next week). In the announcement article, we included an estimate of its availability. kit and the Conversion kit given and I am pleased to say that we are on track to meet the planned timeframe, with the only slight difference being that the order of publication has been swapped.

The Prusa CORE One Assembly Kit is now scheduled for March 2025, and the Conversion Kit (MK4S to CORE One) will follow in April. If you still own the original MK4 3D printer, we will also offer a bundle that includes both the MK4S upgrade and the CORE One Conversion Kit – the "S" upgrade parts are necessary as they are used in the assembly of the CORE One.

We plan to process orders from both the kit as well as the Conversion kit to enable this as soon as the assembled version is shipped. We will announce this on our social media channels 24 hours beforehand. If you would like to receive the notification, you can already set up a watchdog in our shop so that you will be notified as soon as orders are released!

That's all the news I have – at least for now. We'll keep you updated on progress and accessory availability.

Have fun printing!