The New Prusa i3 MK4 Is Now Available!

In the world of consumer 3D printers, no company has a better reputation than Prusa Research. Josef Prusa's original RepRap i3 design is, without a doubt, the most-copied 3D printer in history. But the Original Prusa i3 line is still the gold standard thanks to its legendary reliability and performance. For many years, Prusa has released updates to the Original Prusa i3 MK3 line. But now the new Original Prusa i3 MK4 is finally available!

This is big news, because Prusa doesn't just release a new model on a whim. While the new MK4 looks a lot like its predecessor, it comes with numerous upgrades over even the later versions of the MK3. According to Prusa, more than 90% of the MK3S+'s parts were changed and improved to create the MK4. Even the frame is different, with the MK4 getting a die-cast aluminum frame in place of the old frame cut from aluminum plate. The heated bed and power supply are the same, but almost everything else is new.

There are far too many improvements for us to provide a comprehensive list here, but there are some that stand out. The first is the new 32-bit controller, which supports input shaping and pressure advance. Both of those require real-time processing by the controller and provide a dramatic benefit when printing at very high speeds. That controller also allows for remote printing features, the connection of webcams, and supports the new color touchscreen interface.

The Original Prusa MK4 also gets fully automatic leveling and first-layer calibration, which means that users can get a perfect first layer every time without the need for fussy manual leveling or Z-height adjustment. That is a perfect complement for the Nextruder, which supports quick nozzle changes. Combined with the automatic first-layer calibration, you no longer have a reason to dread nozzle swaps.

Build volume is almost identical to the old MK3, but the new MK4 does give you an additional 10mm in the Z axis. We should see a significant performance increase as a result of the new 32-bit controller with its input shaping and pressure advance support, as well as new "no-VFA" (Vertical Fine Artifact) motors.

Alongside the Original Prusa MK4, Prusa is also releasing the new MMU3 (Multi-Material Upgrade 3). That is an add-on module that lets the printer swap between different spools of filament during a job for multi-color and/or multi-material printing. Older versions of the MMU were plagued with reliability issues, so it will be interesting to see how well the new MMU3 works.

If you want to get your hands on the new Original Prusa i3 MK4, then you're in luck: it is currently in stock at a price of $1,099. There are also upgrade kits coming soon if you already own an MK3 and want to convert it into an MK4.