Prusa CORE One in review: Is Prusa aiming for a higher weight class?

In recent years, additive manufacturing—particularly in the entry-level segment—has made significant advancements. Thanks to higher printing speeds, improved print quality, enhanced user-friendliness, and an ever-expanding range of materials, even budget-friendly plastic printers have secured a firm place in professional settings. The new Prusa CORE One builds on this trend and introduces exciting innovations clearly aimed at a semi-professional user group. We had the opportunity to test the device and see it as a potentially underestimated challenge to higher-priced machines.

Back in November 2024, the renowned Czech 3D printer manufacturer Prusa Research introduced the Prusa CORE One—a fascinating CoreXY printer with an enclosed build chamber that captured the attention of many makers. However, some viewed this announcement as a missed opportunity to differentiate more clearly from the competition. To understand the controversies surrounding this release and why some consider the CORE One much more than just an upgrade of the MK4S, a closer look at the background is worthwhile.

Why a CoreXY Printer?

Anyone familiar with the 3D printing community will inevitably come across the question of the ideal motion system: Cartesian, Delta, or CoreXY. CoreXY systems are known for achieving high speeds through parallel drive mechanisms for the X and Y axes without sacrificing print quality. The Prusa CORE One combines this advantage with a fully enclosed housing, which is particularly beneficial when working with demanding materials.

A key distinguishing feature of the CORE One is its so-called exoskeleton. Instead of a welded metal frame with separate plastic coverings, Prusa has combined robust steel profiles with high-quality polymer panels, creating an extremely durable (and heavy) device without compromising flexibility. According to the manufacturer, all parts can be disassembled with a screwdriver and replaced if necessary. This modularity and serviceability make it particularly appealing to users who rely heavily on their 3D printer and want to maintain or upgrade it over time.

Additionally, the design minimizes its footprint: with a build volume of 220 × 250 × 270 mm, it offers a larger print area than the Original Prusa MK4S while maintaining a compact footprint. Thoughtful details, such as the flush-integrated filament holder on the right side of the housing, further highlight the well-thought-out design. Another clever feature is the adjustable door hinges, which allow the door to lock at either 90° or 180°.

Overall, the design appears highly refined and professional. It fits well in both office and workshop environments and leaves a high-quality impression. Those who wish can purchase the printer as a kit, allowing them to assemble each step and customize it to their preferences.

The Enclosed Print Chamber: Temperature Control and Benefits

Enclosed 3D printers, especially those utilizing CoreXY mechanics, are no longer a rarity. However, their use often comes with limitations: manufacturers may recommend keeping the door open when printing PLA to prevent excessive heat buildup inside, or an additional heating element may be required for reliable processing of materials like ABS, ASA, or Nylon.

The Prusa CORE One takes a different approach. It strategically utilizes the heat generated by the heated print bed, directing it into the chamber via an actively controlled airflow system. This allows the build area to reach temperatures of up to 55°C. Thanks to this heat recycling and optimized temperature management, materials like ASA, ABS, PC, and Nylon can be printed with significantly reduced warping. This makes the printer particularly appealing for applications that require high durability—such as prototyping or functional components. Anyone who has struggled with large ABS or ASA prints knows how challenging it can be to minimize warping.

For standard filaments like PLA or PETG, a small ventilation window on the top allows cool air to enter the chamber, preventing overheating while maintaining high print quality—an exclusive feature not all enclosed printers offer.

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Print Quality and Speed: Nextruder with 360° Cooling

A crucial factor for the print quality and speed of a 3D printer is its extruder. Prusa has opted for the so-called Nextruder, already familiar from previous models like the MK4S. The core of the Nextruder is a load-cell sensor that precisely measures the distance between the nozzle and the print bed, making first-layer calibration effortless. With a consistently well-calibrated first layer, the likelihood of failed prints due to poor adhesion is significantly reduced.

Additionally, the Nextruder features 360° cooling, which is particularly advantageous for overhangs. In practical terms, this means that air is evenly directed around the nozzle, allowing steep overhangs of up to 75° to be printed cleanly. The result is a reduced need for support structures—or even eliminating them entirely—which saves both print time and material.

The extruder also appears well-suited for flexible filaments: its planetary gear transmission ensures a consistent feed into the hotend, preventing excessive slack commonly found in some Bowden setups. This enables more reliable processing of soft TPU or TPE filaments.

Regarding speed, the printer benefits from the core principles of the CoreXY system, where the heaviest components experience minimal acceleration forces. According to the manufacturer, the printer is approximately 15–20% faster than the MK4S, which was already known for its fast print speeds. At the same time, features such as Input Shaper and Pressure Advance ensure that print quality remains consistently high even at increased speeds.

Software Ecosystem: PrusaSlicer, Printables, Prusa Connect, and More

Anyone who already owns a Prusa printer or is involved in the open-source community is likely familiar with PrusaSlicer. This slicer is free, open-source, and continuously evolving, featuring well-thought-out functionalities. Users benefit from over 200 filament profiles, all thoroughly tested by Prusa, ensuring seamless hardware-software integration.

In addition to PrusaSlicer, Prusa Connect provides a web-based print management service that enables users to manage, start, stop, and monitor print jobs over a network. Those integrating their CORE One into this system can also access the Prusa app for iOS and Android. The app acts as a mobile control center, allowing users to track the printer status, view a camera feed (if an optional camera is installed), and receive filament change notifications.

A vast library of ready-to-print 3D models is available on Printables.com, another Prusa project. This platform features a wide range of models across various categories, all of which can be opened in PrusaSlicer with a single click. This enables users to get started with high-quality prints quickly, without needing to model their own designs.

Upgrades and Compatibility: From the MK4S to a Core Printer

One of Prusa’s longstanding core philosophies has been upgradeability: many MK3 or MK4 owners have upgraded and modified their machines over time without needing to replace the entire printer. The CORE One continues this tradition. Approximately 70% of its components are identical or compatible with the MK4S. According to Prusa, even upgrading from an MK4S to the CORE One is possible using a conversion kit, which reduces waste and lowers costs.

Prusa also offers various add-ons for the CORE One, including an optional advanced filtration system, an internal camera module, a drybox for moisture-sensitive filaments, and compatibility with the MMU3, which enables multi-material printing or combining different filaments in a single print.

For advanced users who enjoy tinkering, a GPIO hacker board is planned, allowing external hardware such as additional LEDs or cameras to be controlled via G-code. Additionally, the printer follows Prusa’s tradition of allowing customization: its plastic parts, panels, and other components can be modified or redesigned. Even before its official release, CAD files for the side panels were made available to the community, allowing users to develop their own expansions and mounts.

This open-source philosophy is what has made Prusa a favorite among makers who want to deeply understand and customize their machines. For professional environments with strict security requirements, the printer also allows complete offline operation by disabling the WiFi module.

Our Test and Conclusion

In practice, how seamlessly a 3D printer integrates into everyday workflows is a key factor in its usefulness. With the Prusa CORE One, it quickly becomes evident that only a few minutes separate unboxing from starting the first print. The intuitive menu and automatic calibration via the load-cell sensor ensure a consistently perfect first layer with minimal user intervention.

The robust exoskeleton, sleek design, and rapidly growing Prusa ecosystem—including software, apps, and community-driven features—bring the device closer to being a “turnkey” solution. Users no longer need to be electronics experts to operate the printer efficiently. This makes the CORE One particularly appealing to a new audience—those who want to focus on creativity rather than the technical details.

At the same time, the potential of the CORE One extends far beyond the features listed. The broader Prusa ecosystem, along with the company’s history, highlights numerous aspects that are particularly attractive to professional users.

Its true strength lies in combining user-friendliness with professional-grade features. Users who focus solely on price and a simple feature list might initially overlook its advantages, especially since some functionalities are optional add-ons. However, experienced users will quickly recognize why the CORE One is so compelling for high-demand applications—and why it poses a direct challenge to more expensive models.

Conclusion

The Prusa CORE One is an enclosed CoreXY printer primarily aimed at users with professional demands. Its well-thought-out overall design shines with numerous details that truly stand out in everyday use: from the modular steel frame construction and neatly routed cable management on the “SwingArm” to the seamless integration of PrusaSlicer and Prusa Connect, and meticulously fine-tuned profiles for high-performance filaments. Like any other device, the CORE One has minor shortcomings, but these can likely be improved with future updates.

Its biggest strength is its effortless “out-of-the-box” printing of ABS, ASA, PC, Nylon, and other warp-prone materials, filling an increasingly important market gap—a cost-effective system capable of reliably processing functional materials. This positions the CORE One as an underestimated challenge to higher-priced machines.

The Prusa CORE One starts at €1,049.