Prusa’s team has released new firmware for the latest 3D printers selected by our editors Purusa MK4. Since firmware 5.0.0-alpha1 is still in alpha stage, some issues are expected, so only experienced 3D printer enthusiasts should attempt the upgrade. The firmware includes several new features aimed at improving print quality by adjusting the printer’s behavior throughout the printing process. Prusa asks users experimenting with the new firmware to report any issues to the team. GitHub Or through the Prusa forums.
There is a lot of very interesting stuff in the 5.0.0-alpha1 firmware, but the major update includes 3 significant new features. User can adjust Input Shaper, Pressure Advance and Precise Stepping. Each of these has unique performance-altering features aimed at mitigating common problems such as strings and ghosting. Input Shaper and Pressure Advance were both touted as major features of the MK4, but were omitted at the time of the printer’s release.
The first new feature, Input Shaper, aims to reduce ghosting and ringing. Analyze the printer’s resonant vibrations and use filters to try to counteract those vibrations. It also improves the movement speed and acceleration during printing. According to Prusa, this should also help reduce stringiness.
The next feature, Pressure Advance, aims to improve print quality by constantly adjusting the pressure changes that occur within the nozzles. Additional filament is extruded if the extruder is accelerating. Retract the filament during deceleration. This feature also helps improve printing speed.
The final new feature is called Precise Stepping and should work in tandem with the previous two features. This improves the timing accuracy of the motor steps that the MK4 uses while printing. This helps ensure that the Input Shaper and Pressure Advance tools are working in the proper conditions needed to implement the improvements.
If you want to get an overview of this new firmware, check out the official alpha release at: GitHub. Again, this is alpha software, so some bugs are to be expected. It’s up to you to decide whether or not to try the new firmware. Be prepared to share any possible issues with the development team.
