Czech 3D printer manufacturer Prusa Research has released firmware updates for its MK4 and MINI models that significantly increase printing speed. With the help of the new “Input Shaper” firmware, the MK4 is said to print up to 10 times faster.
According to Prusa CEO Josef Průša, however, print times are not only reduced by high accelerations, but depend on several factors. Temperature management, for example, is important in order to maintain good material quality, as are optimum volume flows.
The firmware has also been adapted for the compact MINI so that it achieves enormous speed increases despite lower processing power. The alpha version is available now, the final version in a month.
With the updates, Prusa shows that even older printer models can be improved by software. A firmware update is also planned soon for the large XL model.
According to Prusa, such continuous improvements help keep the printers competitive in the long term. In addition to speed, however, other aspects such as print quality and reliability are also relevant in 3D printing.
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