Prusa Research
 | |
| Company type | a.s. |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | |
| Revenue | 2,182,857,000 Czech koruna (2020)  |
| 396,548,000 Czech koruna (2020) | |
| 270,538,000 Czech koruna (2020) | |
| Total assets | 883,921,000 Czech koruna (2020) |
Number of employees | 35 (2020) |
Prusa Research is a Czech company that produces 3D printers, and was the world's second largest 3D printer manufacturer in 2020.[1]
It was founded in 2012 by Josef Průša, a developer in the RepRap project which has a strong emphasis on open-source hardware. In the past, all printers produced by the company were open source – their design plans were fully available online and anyone could use them, for example to improve an existing printer.[2] Some examples are the Prusa i3, Prusa Mini and Prusa XL.
As of 2023, the company started partially abandoning this open-source concept due to competition from others[3] (including their open-source software being used by competitor Bambu Lab[4][5]), and in 2024 launched their second CoreXY printer Prusa Core One which is no longer fully open-source.[6]
History
[edit]The first model was called Prusa Mendel, and was released in 2010. The second iteration of the Prusa Mendel was released in 2011.
The company was founded in 2012. In May 2012, Prusa launched a completely new printer – the Prusa i3. In 2016, the second version – the Prusa i3 MK2 – was released, and a year later in 2017, the third version – the Prusa i3 MK3.
In 2019, Prusa introduced the improved Prusa i3 MK3/S/+, which won many awards, as well as a new, smaller 3D printer, the Prusa Mini.
In 2021, the company launched their first CoreXY printer, the Prusa XL. At the end of 2021, the company acquired another Czech company, Trilab, which specializes in the production of delta kinematic printers, which lead to the Prusa Pro product line in 2024, as well as the first printers in this line, the Prusa Pro HT90 and Prusa Pro SLX.
In 2023, the company introduced the new MK4 series, and in 2024, its improved version MK4S. In 2024, the Prusa Core One was introduced as a CoreXY extension of the Prusa i3, and was sold both as standalone printers and an upgrade kit to existing i3 printers.
3D printers
[edit]
As of 2024, Prusa Research offers the filament printers Prusa i3 MK4S, Prusa XL, Prusa MINI+ and Prusa Core One. The company offers upgrades for almost all printers - for example, one can upgrade the Prusa i3 MK3S+ to the Prusa i3 MK4. Available printer accessories are an enclosure, and also the MMU3 multi-material upgrade for the Prusa XL.
Prusa also offers the stereolithography printer Prusa SL1S SPEED, and is developing the Prusa PRO product line with Trilab, including the Prusa Pro HT90 and Prusa Pro SLX printer models. Available printer accessories are a Prusa CW1S washing and curing station for SLA printing.
Trilab previously manufactured the DeltiQ 2, DeltiQ 2 plus, AzteQ Industrial and AzteQ Dynamic printers. Production of these printers was definitively discontinued at the end of 2023. They are currently behind the production and development of the Prusa Pro HT90 printer, which is the direct successor to the AzteQ printers.
Software
[edit]Prusa Research also develops its own software.
PrusaSlicer
[edit]Prusa Research software products includes the open-source PrusaSlicer (GNU Affero General Public License v3.0[7]), based on Alessandro Ranellucci's Slic3r, a well-known 3D model preparation program that is constantly being updated with new features and settings. In PrusaSlicer, profiles can be created for any 3D printer on the market, meaning that one does not need to own a Prusa printer to use the program.
Prusa Connect
[edit]Prusa Connect is a software for wireless connection of Prusa 3D printers supporting Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection (Prusa i3 MK4, Prusa XL), or it is possible to connect older i3 models using Raspberry Pi. It allows for remote control of the printer like heating it to a certain temperature, uploading a file to it, starting or stopping a print and monitor its progress, including using a mobile phone to monitor the printer visually. PrusaLink is available for the Prusa Mini printer.
Filament
[edit]Prusa Research also produces its own filament – Prusament – which uses the industry standard 1.75 mm diameter.
The building where the company operates has several production lines for filament production.
For example, they produce in materials such as PLA and PETG (both are also produced in recycled form), as well as ASA, ABS, HIPS, Flex, PC blend with carbon fiber or nylon, and finally they produce resins for SLA printers. All these filaments, in addition to nylon, are produced in several dozen colors. Interestingly, they claim they only allow a 0.02 mm deviation in the width of the filament, while most other companies tolerate up to 0.05 mm.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ "Když české techno okouzluje svět". Vol. 33, no. 45. p. 17.
- ^ "The Make: 3D Printer Buyer's Guide".
- ^ Průša, Josef (2023-03-29). "The state of open-source in 3D printing in 2023". Original Prusa 3D Printers. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
- ^ Sher, Davide (2023-11-22). "Fabbaloo reports on Prusa-Bambu Lab fight over open source licenses". VoxelMatters - The heart of additive manufacturing. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
- ^ "The Life and Death of Open Source Companies". Armin Ronacher's Thoughts and Writings. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
- ^ By (2024-11-20). "With Core ONE, Prusa's Open Source Hardware Dream Quietly Dies". Hackaday. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
- ^ "PrusaSlicer/LICENSE at master · prusa3d/PrusaSlicer". GitHub. Retrieved 2025-03-03.