Waiting for my i3 MK3S to arrive - Important question first
While waiting for my first Prusa printer, what are all your experienced opinions of a important spare part inventory to have on hand. I hate having printers down for extended periods waiting for parts. It sounds like the i3 MK3S is a very good and reliable printer but I still wants parts on hand just in case.
Suggestions for my list are greatly appreciated,
Thanks for any ideas
3Dgreg
RE: Waiting for my i3 MK3S to arrive - Important question first
I made up a 'crash kit' of things that I may need, particularly likely-to-fail items.
Spare stock nozzle, drive belts, spare extruder parts (in case of a 'blob of doom' meltdown) printed with black ABS, USB cable, the spare screws and such from the kit. I know some people actually keep things like a spare power supply, stepper motors, Einsy board, etc.
RE: Waiting for my i3 MK3S to arrive - Important question first
It all depends on how much you print, how heavy handed you are, and what you print with.
I've had my MK2 for 5 years now and have never had to buy a replacement part! But I only print about once a month on average and only in PLA so far.
RE: Waiting for my i3 MK3S to arrive - Important question first
Be prepared for your 1st jam. Have spares of parts often broken. I recommend keeping at least one of:
- Heater block
- Heatbreak
- Thermistor
- Heater cartridge
- Nozzle
You may not need these parts often, but they can frequently stick together or be encased in enough of a mess that outright replacement is easiest. Without spares, you're stuck waiting for replacements to be mailed.
Some folks swear by having spare extruder parts printed ahead of time, though I've dodged that bullet myself.
I also like to have a 1.5x150mm brass rod or equivalent handy for poking stuck filament out of the hotend and extruder.
More notes on this subject here.
RE: Waiting for my i3 MK3S to arrive - Important question first
Thanks for all your suggestions. I'm not totally new to printing but still less than 6 months. My FF Finder has been used for over 250 hours but parts are hard to come by. I have a cleaning array including push rods, 0.4 needles, taps and dies. I printed only PLA on that printer. I am currently waiting for some parts from FF. It appears that of course, the hot end has the most important parts on any printer. The MK3S has a PTFE tube in the hot end right? That should also be on the hit list?
Thanks for the list everyone