Prusa launches their MK4 3D Printer promising an “always perfect first layer”

Prusa’s MK4 3D printer promises higher print quality and greater ease of use

Prusa3D has just released their new MK4 3D printer, promising buyers some major upgrades over their existing MK3 series printers. With their new MK4 design, over 90% of their parts have been changes or improved over their MK3 counterparts, enabling the creation of higher quality prints, and faster print times. 

Prusa3D is a Czech company that is lead by Josef Prusa, a world renowned 3D printing expert. Prusa are well known for creating reliable and easy to use 3D printers, and their MK4 promises to be their easiest to use printer to date, promising users an “always perfect first layer”.

If you have ever dabbled into the world of 3D printing, you will know that 3D printers can be a pain to work with, especially if you invest in a cheap 3D printer without many advanced features. One bugbear for many 3D printer users is bed levelling, and ensuring that the first layer of their 3D prints are accurate. These two factors are what Prusa’s MK4 3D printer addresses fully with their “Nextruder”, which allows the MK4 to automatically dial in settings for a perfectly smooth first layer “without user interaction”.

The Nextruder is one of the MK4’s major upgrades over the MK3, offering users quick-swap nozzles, automatic levelling, part cooling and more.   

    The next important part is the Nextruder. I already talked extensively about the Nextruder in relation to the XL. The MK4 uses a smaller, lighter version of the Nextruder, but it has very similar capabilities to its bigger brother. It has the same Load cell sensor which is used to set the distance between the nozzle and the print sheet with incredible accuracy by measuring the tension inside the extruder. This means you can say goodbye to Live Adjust Z. Once you unpack the MK4 and run the Selftest, the printer is ready to lay down a perfect first layer. No more tweaking, no more asking whether you should move the nozzle higher or lower. So I guess we can delete like half of the handbook and a ton of guides from our Knowledge Base. ???? The Nextruder is also more compact than the previous model which gives the MK4 another 10 mm on the Z-axis, so the total print dimensions are 250×210×220 mm.

I’ll be honest, as a user of a heavily upgrade Chinese brand 3D printer, the Prusa MK4’s promise of an “always perfect first layer” has me salivating. Every other upgrade that the MK4 offers is just icing on the cake.  

The Prusa MK4 features both WiFi and ethernet connectivity, making this printer ideal for print far setups and extremely easy to use at home. There is no need to move files around with SD cards, and no fear that your printer has any Chinese spyware. Remember, this printer is made in Prague, not made in China. For those who do not want an online connected printer, the Prusa MK4 can also be used offline.

Another upgrade that the MK4 possesses is its non-VFA motors, which tackles the “vertical fine artefacts” that plague most 3D printed parts. This results in smoother and higher quality 3D prints.

With the Prusa MK4, users will also benefit from having a new colour screen, a new 32-bit connected architecture, and a large print bed that measures in at 250x210x200 mm. 

In Prusa’s labs, the company has already tested over 100 MK4 3D printers for over one million combined hours to ensure that their new design is reliable and easy to use. Prusa has been using their MK4 3D printers in their labs for over a year, allowing them to fine tune their design and make sure that their new printer design is ready for its public release.  

Prusa’s MK4 3D printer is now available to order online, both in the form of a fully assembled 3D printer and as a self assembly kit. The MK4 is available for  799 USD / 889 EUR (INC VAT) as an assembly kit and for 1099 USD / 1199 EUR (INC VAT) as an assembled 3D printer. 

In June 2023, Prusa plans to release upgrade kits for their MK3S+ 3D printers to allow users to move to intermediate 3.5 or 3.9 designs (with many features of the MK4), or fully upgrade their 3D printers to a MK4. These upgrades will vary in price significantly. 

You can join the discussion on Prusa’s MK4 3D printer on the OC3D Forums.