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The Prusa i3 MK2 is an excellent 3D printer for people who want to start with 3D printing. It is most suited towards beginners as it is very user-friendly, but at the same time offers some advanced features as well. All in all, the Prusa i3 MK2 is an excellent choice for anyone looking to get into 3D printing. Yes, it has a higher upfront cost than some other 3D printers, but the time it will save you during setup and before printing is incalculable. Plus, with such a vast array of supported materials, you have unlimited potential for growth.

Today, we’re going to review a 3D printer that’s often imitated yet never surpassed. We’re talking, of course, about the Prusa i3 MK2. Now, before we begin, you should be aware that Prusa’s website is the only legitimate vendor of this product so don’t buy it from any other marketplace.

Simply, the i3 MK2 takes the hassle out of setting up a print. It comes with a heated bed and cold corner compensation, but what does this mean? Basically, filament tends to stick to cold surfaces and this feature ensures the bed remains at a constant temperature all over. That’s not bad, but there’s more.

The Prusa i3 MK2 features a built-in LCD display and SD card, controller. An 8GB SD card is also included to get you started but if you’re a heavy user, you’ll likely want to upgrade this in the future. It also uses cutting edge modern technology to stay as quiet as possible during the printing process – usually around 50dB, which is comparable to the noise from moderate rainfall.

The MK2 can print with the usual suspects: PLA, ABS, and PET, but also supports HIPS, Flex PP, Ninjaflex, Laywood, Laybrick, nylon, Bamboofill, Bronzefill, ASA, T-Glase, carbon fiber, and polycarbonate filaments. That’s outstandingly versatile, even for a printer of this price. A single 2lb spool of silver PLA is included so you can get started as soon as possible.

We’ve all seen them: instructions that look like they’ve been translated into Chinese and back. They’re almost useless and unfortunately, all too common. In contrast, Prusa provides a thick instruction booklet with illustrated, concise directions on how to set up and configure your new 3D printer.

All in all, the Prusa i3 MK2 is an excellent choice for anyone looking to get into 3D printing. Yes, it has a higher upfront cost than some other 3D printers, but the time it will save you during setup and before printing is incalculable. Plus, with such a vast array of supported materials, you have unlimited potential for growth.

The $1,999 Prusa SL1S resin MSLA 3D printer is one of the priciest resin 3D printers in the consumer/prosumer market, and after spending some time printing with it, I understand exactly where all of that money goes. The SL1S uses a tilting resin vat and a monochrome LCD to achieve print speeds of under 2 seconds per layer while not sacrificing quality on printed parts. Prusa has developed an entire ecosystem for this machine, including the PrusaSlicer software for preparing models and Prusament Resin for achieving best results when printing. One of the best 3D printers, this machine impressed and surprised throughout the testing process.

The Prusa SL1S ships with everything you need to start printing, including a 500 gram bottle of Prusa’s Orange Tough resin. Included in the accessories kit is a set of gloves, a funnel with a filter, a cover for the resin vat, a small syringe, some extra FEP film, a pair of scrapers, a bag of Haribo Goldbears (a staple for all Prusa printers), and a validation print to confirm the functionality of the printer. This print is a grid of tiny replicas of Josef Prusa himself, with a total of 120 tiny models that were all printed simultaneously.

As you would expect from a machine from Prusa, the included documentation is best-in-class and contains detailed diagrams and instructions for getting the printer up and running. Everything from how to unbox the printer to troubleshooting problems is covered in the 68 page user manual, and it should be required reading for any manufacturer currently making 3D printers.

The Prusa SL1S is a familiar sight for most users of resin 3D printers; an orange UV lid perched atop a black metal base. Upon closer inspection, some of the unique design elements of the SL1S become more apparent. For one, the lid of the SL1S doesn’t lift off like the lid of the Elegoo Saturn or the Anycubic Photon Mono; the hinges on the top of the printer allow it to lift up and back without needing to be removed from the machine. This small touch means the printer can be opened without needing to remove the lid and finding a place to set it down; something anyone with a busy work area will no doubt appreciate.

The 4-inch color touchscreen LCD interface offers a guided setup for the machine, including detailed instructions on how to calibrate the build platform. At each step of the setup, the user can swipe the screen to the right, which reveals full-color pictures detailing the process. This is an invaluable step for new users, and the additional value of this detailed user guide will result in a printer that has far fewer issues due to an improper or incomplete setup process. In fact, shortly after turning the machine on and connecting to Wi-Fi, I was prompted to update the firmware, which the printer was able to automatically download and install.

In addition to the FEP film already attached to the resin vat, Prusa has included three additional extra FEP film sheets to use as a replacement when the original becomes deformed or perforated. The resin vat itself has markings denoting 35%, 70%, and 100% volume. Because of the tilting mechanism of the vat, the 100% volume mark is relatively low on the vat and only allows for 200ml of resin to be filled at a time.

These parts indicate that Prusa has embraced some of the core strengths of additive manufacturing, including printing high-complexity, low-volume parts for production. The printed knob on the build platform works just as well as an injection molded or machined knob would function, and there was no tooling or setup required for manufacturing, just directly printing the part on an FDM 3D printer.

Considering the high level of automation on the Prusa SL1S, it should come as no surprise that the build platform leveling process is nearly completely automated, only requiring a single bolt be loosened and then tightened. The SL1S uses an automated wizard that guides the user through the calibration process, and it only takes a few minutes to complete. After loosening the bolt that holds the build platform tight against the gantry, the SL1S drops the platform onto the FEP film of the vat, holding it flat while the user re-tightens the bolt.

Compared to the four bolt process used by printers like the Anycubic Photon Mono, this is fast, reliable, easy, and doesn’t require the same “feel” for pulling a piece of paper between the platform and the LCD. This is a very subjective process that can be difficult for new users, and the SL1S instead opts for a calibration workflow that has a higher level of automation with a lower chance of failure. The obvious trade-off is cost; the Photon Mono costs $199 and contains only a single sensor (Z-axis endstop), while the Prusa SL1S is 10x the price and contains a multiple sensors for everything from the UV lid to the weight sensor used to detect the amount of resin left.

The Prusa SL1S uses 405nm UV resin, a material that you need to handle safely when in an uncured state to avoid injury. The resin can be harmful when making contact with skin, so make sure to wear gloves when pouring, cleaning up, or handling uncured resin. I also make sure I’m wearing gloves when removing the build platform after a print, as the resin tends to pool on top of the platform and can drip off while the platform is being removed.

For anyone considering purchasing a resin printer, it may be difficult to understand why the price of the Prusa SL1S is so much higher than some of the other resin printers on the market. To benchmark this machine, I printed a model on both the SL1S as well as the Elegoo Mars 3, one of the best 3D printers you can buy in 2021 which happens to cost $300 or less. To understand this benchmark test, it’s worth taking a look at the specs of both machines to better understand their performance.

To minimize variables between the two prints, I used a pre-supported model from Loot Studios that prints hollow with an internal support structure. I used default settings on both PrusaSlicer as well as Chitubox, and used Prusament Tough Anthracite Grey resin on both the SL1S and the Mars 3. Both models were printed at a default layer height of 0.05mm (50 microns), and the exposure time for PrusaSlicer defaulted to 2.4 seconds / layer while Chitubox defaulted to 2.5 seconds / layer.

The model printed on the Mars 3 took 5 hours and 19 minutes, a large difference from the estimated 4 hour and 4 minute print time provided by Chitubox. By contrast, the model printed on the SL1 took 2 hours and 59 minutes, precisely down to the minute of the estimate provided by PrusaSlicer.

The print from the Mars 3 featured a high level of detail, and the texture on both the skin of the model was clean and well-defined, and the smooth plates on the armor had almost no visible stepping. The Mars 3 is a 4K Mono LCD with an XY resolution of .035mm, so this level of detail is about what you would expect.

Prusa has created an online file repository called ‘PrusaPrinters’ that encourages users to upload both 3D models as well as prepared 3D files that are ready for printing. As an example of this is the ‘Wardragon’ model, which is available as a ‘.sl1s’ file format that is readily printable by the Prusa SL1S without any additional software. This type of file sharing allows users to download models that they can print without having to worry about going through the slicing process.

After removing the part from the build platform of the machine, I post-processed the model using the Prusa CW1S to clean up the excess resin and fully cure the part. The detail on the model is striking, with individual rings visible on the reins of the dragon and the textured skin of the model looking sharp and lifelike. I was most impressed with the chainmail rings hanging underneath the armor; they appear to almost float in air and the level of detail is far past what I would have expected from a 2K masking LCD screen.

Resin MSLA 3D printers, like the Prusa SL1S, have a unique advantage over FDM 3D printers when it comes to print speed by virtue of the curing process. Each layer on a MSLA resin 3D printer has the potential to be cured across the area of the platform, so adding multiple parts doesn’t add any additional print time. As an example of this technique, I’ve loaded three copies of the same Sci-Fi Door model from Loot Studios into PrusaSlicer side-by-side on the build platform.

The $1,999 price of the Prusa SL1S ($2,599 with the CW1S Cure/Wash station) is certainly high enough to raise the eyebrows of most hobbyists. This machine is not designed to compete in the race-to-the-bottom pricing of other inexpensive machines, and instead focuses very intensely at providing reliable results using sturdy, high-quality components. After spending time with this machine and testing it for a variety of applications, I can whole-heartedly recommend it for anyone interested in a reliable resin MSLA 3D printer and believe that it has earned a place among the best 3D printers.

Prusa is involved with every aspect of the ecosystem of this machine, from the hardware, to the software, even down to the consumables like the Prusament resin. This translates to a smooth, predictable printing experience that involves little to no trouble-shooting or guessing on the part of the user, so they can spend more time printing and less time tweaking.