Why Prusa is the next Blackberry

I love Prusa...which is why I'm hard on them. I don't want them to slip into obsolescence! What do you think Prusa needs to do to stay on top?

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[ShopNation]

Thanks for watching! What do you think?

[jamescollier]

Multicolor isn’t the main use case for the multi head system I believe. I work in prototyping and research and this printer would be extremely useful for multi-material type parts. For example, we print in one material for the part and we print the supports in dissolvable material.

[ndisa]

The one thing Prusa still will hang on to over nearly every other major printer company is their EU manufacturing. It doesn't matter to most people, but it does for some. Personally I appreciate seeing Prusa stay true to its roots and move even more of its manufacturing to the Czech Republic. Its not enough to be the sole reason I would choose Prusa, but it is good to see.

[sschueller]

Here is what I want to see from prusia: a smaller xl, fully enclosed, heated chamber, air filtration, dual head (either tool swapping or fixed) that's it. Can still cost more than others but at least I get the same features.

[Azrael]

Smaller XL with 3 heads: 2 for different colours and 1 for dissolvable support for exemple.

[Brosion]

i think the XL can be a gamechanger if they implement software that allows for different size nozzles to print one and the same object. Infill and supports will be done with a 0.8mm nozzle, low detail areas on the outside will also be done in 0.8 or 0.6 mm and the high detail areas will be done with 0.4 or even 0.2 mm, possibly even going down to 0.1mm layer hight to ensure great details while the infill etc. gets added at 0.3mm every third layer or maybe even 0.6mm every sixth layer. This would result in huge prints with incredible details, like when printed with a 0.2mm nozzle alone, but in a fraction of the time. Might be a big gamechanger for professionals who are selling detailed prints. Also They might be able to add different types of tools that could pick up and insert magnets or similar items into the prints allowing a kind of automatic assembly of mechanical parts into the printed object. The possibilities are quite limitless if you start to think about it.

[ndisa]

I think the first problem with the XL is that it has been widely accepted as a Bambu AMS competitor, when I think it is more accurate to compare it to something like the E3D toolchanger. The toolchanger was a similar price to the XL, and it could that price because there was nothing else with the same capability. That said, the E3D Toolchanger was also just a motion system, not a ready to use printer.

[peter]

Definitely forgot to mention the best thing about this printer, it’s the fact you can print tpu with pla supports with a petg body, something you litterally couldn’t do with a x1c

[dannyboycalifornia]

Still waiting for a company to come out with a way to reuse all the wasted filament without having to build my own version.

[carlosjosejimenezbermudez]

I believe Prusa is doing a slow, but steady pivot to a B2B model, which would show why they are lagging in the consumer market. Businesses with privacy concerns don't like Bambu spyware sending their gcode, and a european company is something that will offer better support than a chinese one.

You can see it with their Prusa Lab videos, they're all highlights of how they are making big moves in the B2B space, replacing what Ultimaker used to be, but catching up at the consumer/prosumer market much more slowly.

[Paul-rsgd]

I really want Prusa to win. The company has customer support beyond any other company that I have dealt with. Their open source philosophy has pushed 3D printing forward and benefited the whole community.

[eida-am]

You have forgotten an important point:
When it comes to multi-material prints, it makes a big difference whether the material comes from one hot end or from different ones. If it comes from one hot end, layer adhesions in the Z-plane of the material change are much worse (even if a lot of purging is done).
This does not happen with a printer like the Prusa XL or IDEX printers. This has an enormous influence on the strength of a component.
This means that the target group is not so small, but is aimed at all people who want to print multi-materials and have certain strength requirements.

[fivepointeightnate]

Until they make a printer enclosed with a heated chamber I wouldn't consider it. If you are doing ABS / Nylon / CF mixes and want it to look good Bambu printers rock. I was looking at the XL because I need the size but it's not enclosed and to expensive for what it is.

[thegaragejournal]

The Bambu experience is absolutely amazing… until you need product support. Once that happens, you will remember why you loved Prusa so much.

[GregorOttmann]

If Prusa brought out a fully enclosed tool changer with active chamber heating and linear motors, I would throw my money at them way faster than Josef could catch it.

[anthrobug]

I worked for a University around the turn of the century, and they got so many of those AOL CDs for students every year - and gave them out to literally anyone who walked by. But by the time AOL was history around 2000ish, there were still so many boxes of CDs left. So we gave them to the student assistants that helped professors with technology & they made CD wallpaper for the student assistant office. They even made some CD chandeliers. I wish I still had photos, it was really creative.

[PoliteChihuahua]

I changed my ringtone to the modem dial-up sound and I either get a WTF look or a giggle.

[senspartech]

Im a HUGE Prusa fan and have a MK4 with a Prusa Enclosure, so I say this with all the love in the world:
*They need to get it together*
I was a bit concerned about the MK4 being a bedslinger, but the real world results are still great. I knew that the software was a bit behind when I got it and expected them to play catch-up but it hasnt really happened as fast as I would have liked. I have faith that it will, but the XL seems like the main focus right now.
The machine is lacking a whole lot of features that come standard on significantly less expensive machines, from cameras to enclosures to even just basic lights. With IS, the speed is fine though.
However, the competition DOES have some issues too. I work with some NDA projects, so I cant go with Bambu in good conscience. Reliability can be a concern with other brands, etc. Bambu shook up the industry, which is fantastic imo, but while a lot of other brands are pushing out some machines with amazing features at amazing prices (like the early bird price on the QIDI Q1 Pro) it feels like I overpaid for my MK4.
I still dont regret it and I dont really mind paying *more*, but there is a huge gap there that is only going to get wider.
I see potential in the MK4 beyond what it is now, which is still a stellar machine as it is, but a lot of times it feels like I am part of a beta test when Im trying to do things like get octoprint to work or just add lighting to the workspace without paying extra for some kit.

[mytoyota]

Where I work I use the Prusa mini and Bambu Carbon with the AMS. The Bambu is fast and precise and the AMS takes some of the worry off of running out of filament half way through a large print. It's ability to handle higher temps and or more exotic filaments is fantastic. The Prusa mini is smaller, slower, quieter and generally reliable. Plus you don't normally need a glue stick for most prints. What I feel should be stressed more then it is, is the fact that the Prusa being open source means you don't have to worry about what you already OWN and paid for suddenly being put behind a subscription pay wall. The Bambu on the other hand has all the elements already in place for that to happen. When your machine is purposely made to favor having an internet connection over anything else says alot to me. The Bambu is nice but I will always look on it with an eye of suspicion expecting for that to happen. Too many other companies have done just that with their products.

[willofthemaker]

You see the new Core One? I think Prusa heard you loud and clear