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Printer Maintenance, Calibration, and more

A Brief History

Prusa Research is a 3D printing company based in Prague, Czech Republic. Founded by Josef Průša, it has quickly become one of the leading companies in the 3D printing industry, known for its open-source approach and high-quality printers.

From the start, Prusa Research embraced the open-source ethos, ensuring all their printer designs are available for the community. This has fostered innovation, trust, and a robust community around Prusa products.

Timeline

2009: The Beginning

  • RepRap Project: Josef Průša's journey began with the RepRap project, an initiative focused on creating self-replicating machines. Josef introduced the Prusa Mendel, an iteration of the RepRap Mendel design, which became one of the most popular 3D printer designs worldwide.

2012: Birth of Prusa i3

  • The Prusa i3 design was launched, further simplifying and improving upon previous models. This became the cornerstone for future printers.

2014: Formation of Prusa Research

  • Josef Průša officially established Prusa Research, transitioning from a passionate hobbyist to a business entrepreneur.

2016: Introduction of the Prusa i3 MK2

  • This model brought several innovations, notably the Multi-Material Upgrade and an auto-bed leveling system using an inductive sensor.

2017-2019: Rapid Innovations

  • Prusa Research released the MK3 and MK3S versions, incorporating features like a removable print bed, quieter operation, and filament sensors.
  • Prusa SL1, a resin-based 3D printer using MSLA (Masked Stereolithography, LCD-based) technology, was introduced.

2020-2021: MINI+ and Multi-Material Advances

  • Prusa MINI was launched, offering a more affordable and compact 3D printing solution.
  • The Prusa MINI+ followed as an updated revision, featuring a revised hotend with a longer heatbreak, improved extruder idler, and other reliability refinements over the original MINI.
  • Development continued on the Multi-Material Unit (MMU), with work toward the MMU3 — a ground-up redesign focusing on improved reliability and easier filament loading compared to prior MMU2S units.

2022-2023: Nextruder Era and New Form Factors

  • The Prusa MK3.5 was released as an upgrade kit for MK3S+ owners, bringing the new Nextruder direct-drive extruder with a Revo-compatible nozzle system, a 32-bit Buddy board, and input shaping support to the proven MK3 platform.
  • The Prusa MK4 launched as a major ground-up redesign of the i3 platform. Key advances included the Nextruder, loadcell-based first-layer calibration (replacing the PINDA probe), input shaping for vibration compensation, and a new Buddy mainboard — all while retaining the open, user-repairable philosophy.
  • The Prusa XL debuted as Prusa's largest printer to date: a large-format CoreXY machine with a tool-changing system supporting up to five independent toolheads, enabling true multi-material and multi-nozzle printing without a purge tower.
  • The MMU3 was released, offering a redesigned filament selector, improved buffer system, and significantly more reliable automatic filament loading and unloading compared to previous MMU generations.

2024-2025: Refinements and an Enclosed Platform

  • The Prusa MK4S updated the MK4 with an improved hotend and extruder assembly, bringing better heat management and further print quality improvements while remaining compatible with existing MK4 hardware via an upgrade kit.
  • The Prusa CORE One launched as Prusa's first enclosed printer, built on a CoreXY motion system. The enclosed design enables better temperature management for engineering materials, and like the MK4 it uses loadcell-based first-layer calibration.
  • PrusaSlicer continued active development with regular releases adding features such as organic supports, improved multi-material wipe tower strategies, and better input shaping profile integration.
  • Prusa Connect, Prusa's cloud-based printer management platform, expanded with improved remote monitoring, camera integration, and a growing fleet management feature set for both home users and print farms.

Calibration and Maintenance

All of the calibration routines can be reached via the printer menu under the "Calibration" entry. Please see Prusa's Calibration Page for the most up-to-date steps on how to calibrate your printer.

Note

Calibration is not just for first-time setup. There are MANY reasons to recalibrate, including but not limited to changes in the motion system, hotend, or other, upgrades that add/reduce weight, firmware updates, and more

Note

The Prusa MK4 and CORE One use a loadcell-based first-layer calibration system that works very differently from the PINDA-probe approach used on the MK3S+ and older models. If you own one of these newer printers, consult the model-specific calibration guide rather than general i3 documentation to avoid confusion.

For regular maintenance articles, please refer to Prusa's printer maintenance index for a vast library of tasks that should periodically be done to ensure that your printer continues to provide reliable prints for a long time. Don't forget to clean and lubricate all the rods, use compressed air to keep debris at bay, update to new firmware, changing and replacing the nozzle, and more.