I got a 3D printer Prusa MK3S+!

3 min read. | 5761 words.

Some context

The title says it all, doesn't it?

I got a used, modified, Prusa MK3S+ to get into 3D printing. I've been thinking about this for a while (around 4 years since I saw the SnapMaker 1.0), but I was delaying the buy until I had something I really wanted to print. I think now I've gotten to that point. I know it's not the latest and best machine ever, but I liked what I read about it, and I found it for a good price with some extras.

I evaluated a lot of printers:

  • Bambu Labs (as recommended by a colleague),
  • Artillery,
  • SnapMaker,
  • Prusa,
  • Voron
  • and others.

Key Factors

Some key factors for me where:

  • Not-so-small printing bed (the Prusa has a 25 x 21 x 21 cm or 9,84 x 8,3 x 8,3 in, although it can print a little more)
  • Being able to easily get replacement parts (I can print many parts of this machine and get replacements directly from Prusa).
  • Being able to change the Nozzle quickly. The machine I got comes with a Revo6 HotEnd, which allows for quick change of nozzles.
  • High quality prints
  • Multi-material print capabilities (I didn't want to buy a machine only for PLA)
  • Don't break my bank (I didn't want to buy a new machine for a "new hobby")

But the key deciding factor is that I want to own my machine. I want to modify it, to upgrade it, to decide when it stops working. This was a huge decision point! I don't want a tool that works, until it doesn't. Much like the Apple Products. They are great, no doubt. Great design, great performance, but stop working when the company decides the machine is too old for the new software, and then you can't install any new apps. (This may seem a bit extreme, but I do have several iPhones I cannot longer use as daily drivers just because of this)

Given that, and after re-reading this article about the new Bambu Firmware, which can allow the company to block your machine. I may be a real issue, maybe not. For a plug-and-play device that should just work, controlling it remotely and allowing the company to "access" it could be a good idea for some. I just don't like it. And many others seem to agree, as OrcaSlicer has added mode to "block" network access from Bambu Labs.

After checking kleinanzeigen.de for a while, I found a machine that seemed about right. I got it yesterday, but I still have not managed to print (I know it does print because the seller was printing a sample when I got there). Why? Because I needed to upgrade the firmware to the latest version, and I didn't find how to remove the message and just print. I will document the issues I had in additional articles, but in the end I managed to install the new firmware and found out why I couldn't print.

The machine!

But enough of that. Look and behold my new toy!

Prusa mk3s 1
Prusa mk3s 4
Prusa mk3s 3
Prusa mk3s 2

It came with:

  • two Food Dehydrators adapted to dry filament (until a few days ago I didn't know that humidity can make a print fail)
  • one 250gr Silk PLA
  • Squash side feet to absorb vibrations
  • Prusa Black PSU 24V 240W
  • Revo6 HotEnd with 4 nozzles
  • A custom front cooling system (I haven't found the design yet)
  • 2 magnetic printing beds
  • The Prusa Book, original tools and original pieces.

I foresee a lot of invested hours understanding the machine and playing with it. I already have the following in the pipeline:

  • The Mostly Printed CNC (MPCNC)
  • A personal project (the main reason I bought this machine)
  • Toys for my daughters. They already chose some Pokémon designs. And my wife wants some Book Ends to hold the books on the shelf.

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