Original Prusa XL - FDM 3D printer

Original Prusa XL

The Original Prusa XL is an open source and open material Core XY FFF 3D printer created and designed by Prusa3D, one of the most relevant companies in the 3D printing industry and the manufacturer of one of the most often used 3D printers such as the Prusa Mini, Prusa MK3S+ or Prusa MK4. Prusa XL is available fully assembled or semi-assembled, in three toolhead variants: 1 toolhead, dual toolheads or five toolheads, and with or without the official Prusa Enclosure.

Video 1: The main features of the Prusa XL printer. Source: Prusa3D.

Prusa 3D printers are distinguished by their continuous innovation, always seeking to obtain the highest possible performance, with continuous updates and with rigorous quality control. With time more and more add-ons will be available for purchase to fully exploit the potential of Prusa XL, such as enclosures or more nozzle diameters and materials, for example for printing with abrasive materials.

Image 1: Size comparison of the the Prusa 3D printers. Source: Prusa3D.

The Original Prusa XL has an impressive build volume of 360 x 360 x 360 mm and a cubed design for more stability. The large build volume allows for printing large objects in one piece and in one go, thus highly agilizing the 3D printing workflow. Prusa XL has numerous very attractive features that make it highly unique and efficient:

• Up to 5 independent tool heads - a highly accurate toolchanger design makes it possible to print with up to five colors or up to five different materials.
• Nextruder - a redesigned extruder with a planetary gearbox, hot-swappable nozzles and a Load Cell based system for fully automatic first layer calibration.
• Modular print bed design - an array of smaller, individually-controlled segments that lower the risk of warping and raise the printer's thermal and energy efficiency.

All these features and more will be discussed in more detail further on.

Image 2: Parts 3D printed with the Prusa XL printer. Source: Prusa3D.

The Prusa XL printer is compatible with a wide range of 3D printing materials, from PLA to PETG, ASA, PC or PP. If you are going to use your Prusa XL to print with advanced materials like ASA, ABS, and PC, it is advised to get the version with enclosure.

Image 3: The Original Prusa XL printer with its enclosure. Source: Prusa3D.

The enclosure creates a stable, high-temperature environment and enhances performance by eliminating drafts, reducing noise, and controlling odours. Additionally, the high-performance filtration system captures ultra-fine particles, ensuring a cleaner printing process. For users working with technical materials on the XL printer, the official enclosure provides the ideal solution to improve both print quality and safety.

Features in detail

Nextruder and toolchanger

At the heart of the XL printer is the next-generation light extruder Nextruder powered with planetary gears and equiped with various smart features such as a minimal-backlash cycloidal gearbox with a large no-slip drive gear (advantage with flexible materials). What's more, Nextruder has a built-in dedicated CPU and stepper driver directly in the print head, and is controlled through a single-connector cable for easier maintenance.

Image 4: The new generration lightweight Nextruder. Source: Prusa3D.

Another convenient solution applied in the Nextruder is the custom breakout board. This means that all fans, heaters, thermistors, etc., are connected directly in the board and swapping any of those elements takes a minute. Furthermore, the Load Cell function build into the heatsink of Nextruder enables a fully-automatic first layer calibration without any user intervention, adjustments or tuning, even after nozzle or print sheet change. Before every print, Prusa XL measures the distance between the nozzle and the printing platform, the result of which is a perfect first layer every time. That is, however, not the end of what the Load Cell sensor can do. It can also recognize a jam in the nozzle and pause the print.

Image 5: The Prusa XL can work with up to 5 extruders. Source: Prusa3D.

With toolchanger, also based on the Load Cell sensor, Prusa has once again pushed the boundaries of 3D printing. Thanks to the internally developed toolchanger system with a proprietary kinematic coupler mechanism, the Prusa XL can be upgraded with up to 5 individual print heads, each driven by its own electronics board. Toolchanger uses a reliable wear-resistant system and fully automatic tool alignment calibration ensuring trouble-free tool swapping and efficient printing with multiple colors, various materials and support filaments. 

Chassis and build surface

Prusa XL relies on a sturdy aluminum frame that makes the printer stable and rigid. The high quality stepper motors, linear rails and an innovative heatbed are one of the reasons why Prusa XL delivers such great quality prints every time.

The build surface of the Prusa XL uses the proven solution of double-sided spring steel sheets with various types of surfaces. These print surfaces allow for easy removal and maintenance, and make it easier to work with materials with different build surface requirements.

Image 6: The Prusa XL modular printing bed. Source: Prusa3D.

The modular heated bed of Prusa XL is a very unique solution that helps increase the efficiency of the printer. As opposed to a large heatbed used in most 3D printers, Prusa XL uses a heatbed made up of an array of 16 smaller, individually controlled 9 x 9 cm segments, which helps reduce the risk of warping thanks to its expansion gaps between each segment. This solution also makes it very easy to only heat a specific section of the heatbed to adjust to the size of the 3D printed part. This makes the Prusa XL extremely efficient when small parts are printed, reducing the load on the PSU and saving energy.

Connectivity, Prusa Slicer and UI

The Prusa XL printer is fully supported by Prusa Connect, a software that allows the user to control the printer via Internet connection. With Prusa Connect it is possible to drag-and-drop G-Codes into the browser window to upload print files first into the cloud (each user gets 2 GB for free) and then transfer it into the printer’s USB storage and start the print remotely. All communication is encrypted. This feature is especially useful for 3D printer farms.

Image 7: The Prusa XL LCD screen and user interface. Source: Prusa3D.

The Prusa XL is controlled via a color LCD screen and a straightforward user interface with a redesigned menu for easier navigation and new advanced options such as customizable UI, RGB status bar, special options for preheating, etc. Next to the LCD screen, there is a USB-A port for standard USB flash drives. Prusa XL is fully compatible with the Prusa Slicer laminating software with factory-tested XL print profiles. 

Prusa XL grows with your needs

Due to its advanced features, large build volume and innovative efficiency solutions, the Prusa XL is excellent as a primary printer for those who wish to 3D print large objects for modeling or functional applications, with standard or enginnering materials, with one or up to five different filaments, colors or even support materials. Nevertheless, the great connectivity options and versatility make the Prusa XL a great option for an auxiliary printer as part of a 3D printer farm. The potential applications for the Prusa XL printer are countless and will keep growing thanks to the Prusa XL's modular and upgradable design.