The Prusa Build
Building a Prusa i3 MK3 from a kit — an IKEA-like assembly adventure that ends with the printer printing its own replacement parts. The moment my mind was blown upgrading from a $200 Monoprice Mini.
I’ve been so excited for a larger 3d printer (replacing my tiny Monoprice Mini Select). But the Prusa I3 MK3 I ordered isn’t slated to ship until March! Uggg, I am clearly not patient enough for this kind of backordered item.
New Prusa printer finally came! Kinda feels like IKEA sent me a 3D printer to build. And it comes with gummy bears!
So, some parts are duh stupid easy. A few others have some gotchas. I definitely had a minor casualty with a printed part that I’m hoping I can fix after it’s all assembled. I am enjoying it though.
When building my Prusa printer, I put a screw in backwards and stripped the 3D printed material around a captive nut. I still got the printer working with the damaged part, then used it to print its own replacement part!
Kudos to my wife for making this joke. I was proud.
Honestly, the biggest credit here goes to Prusa for being so committed to open source hardware. All the printer schematics and files for the 3D printed parts are available online. I just downloaded and printed.
My MK3 PEI plate and multi material upgrade are still on back order. But I think should be here pretty soon!
Oh yeah! I was printing the next day. I had a couple snags that extended the build time - I’d say it took 7-8 hours to build? I should have timed it better. I did destroy one shipped 3D printed part.
One of the interesting and unexpected side effects of ordering the Prusa kit and assembling it myself is that I’ve got so many more ideas about how to design more complex 3d printed parts than previously.
I started with a $200 monoprice printer, low investment and sufficiently fun. Recently upgraded to a Prusa which I LOVE. Totally agree with starting with PLA. It’s still mostly what I use.
I went from the Monoprice select mini to the MK3 - and my mind was blown. So happy with the Prusa. You get the kit or assembled?
Nice, you’ll have a blast. Pay close attention. I busted a printed part when I was assembling the hot end carriage.
I went from the $200 monoprice mini to a Prusa i3 Mk3 and didn’t regret it one single bit. It’s an amazingly solid printer. Quality, speed, and noise levels are far superior to the mini - and price isn’t crazy.
Agree - good motors and firmware are a huge part. Print volume is still something I long for periodically, but I don’t really have space/good enough reason. But I went from the mono price mini, which makes the prusa seem giant.