I Imported a Original PRUSA i3 MK3 3D Printer Kit to India
This post is regarding the 3D printer i purchased recently from Prusa Printers from Czech Republic. I imported their latest version Original Prusa i3 MK3 to India. Since the printer is a little expensive, i had to pay a large amount as customs duty for the import. Now lets get into the details.
Why i bought the Original Prusa i3 MK3 ?
The Prusa i3 MK3 is not a cheap machine even though its a DIY 3D Printer that came out of the RepRap movement. RepRap means the parts used in the machine are printed by the same machine. Its like you buy a 3D printer and make any number of 3D printers out of it. But off course it would need some extra parts as well for electronics and mechanics.
Great Support :
The Prusa is highly priced but is completely open source and it has a great community support as well as company support. Lot of knowledge has already been created with regards to different versions of Prusa Printers.
You post a question in the Facebook group or Prusa forums, you get answers very quickly. Its great to have that kind of support.
Fantastic Print quality :
The print quality of the Prusa i3 MK3 is on par with the Ultimaker level which costs 3 to 4 times more. Prusa can give absolutely flawless prints if you learn to tweak it properly. I was lucky enough to get the prints at very good quality at my first attempt.
Easy repairs and fixes :
Its very easy to repair the Prusa machines since they are open source and all parts STL, firmware and spares are easily available online. The community also has generated a lot of wealth of knowledge which helps the beginners to get their issues fixed in no time.
Ability to print multiple materials :
The MK3 supports wide variety of filament material which can be a added advantage for people who want to experiment. Build quality :
Since i ordered a kit i was able to familiarize myself with the machine during the assembling process. The parts used in the machine are all genuine parts which last very long before breaking down. They can last a lifetime if you maintain it properly.
Why i ordered the kit and not the ready machine ?
The kit comes with all parts separate and packed nicely which is much safer way to import compared to a pre built and calibrated machine which might go wrong if the shipping is not done properly. The distance from Czech Republic to India is a long way to cover.
Assembling Process :
Building the printer myself gave me lot of confidence on the machine because i came to know how each part is rigged together and how they interact with each other during the operation. If the machine breaks down or gives any problem i should be able to fix it in no time.
I took about 3 days to assemble the printer by investing around 3 hours per day due to my schedule. I did it slowly and followed the fantastic instruction book point by point. Thats why the printer worked straight after assembling without any problems.
I also printed the parts of machine as soon as it was ready so that i have spares ready if something gets broken. Just being safe
How much did the Prusa i3 MK3 cost me to import to India ?
The printer was priced at 749 USD and i had to pay international shipping charges of 80USD by DHL. In INR i had to pay around Rs.62,000/-Once the machine arrived by DHL to India after 15 days of order i had to pay Rs.18,000/- as customs dutySo we can say it costed me around ~ 80K INR as a round figure.
Hows the experience so far?
I have been using the printer since two months now. Its been great and i absolutely love this machine. The prints are just fabulous. I am printing with ABS material only since the start. Since i mostly print enclosures for my electronics products i want them to be strong and fit to be used outdoors. The printer prints ABS great without any problems or issues.
Filaments used :
I ordered all possible filament color of ABS material made by Wanhao from the local suppliers and i got couple of filaments form WOL 3D also, both these filaments work great. Printing with ABS is a bit tricky and it needs proper temperature controlled environment. I got better results keeping the printer in a closed area than having it print near air inlets like windows. Keep the printer enclosed to get better results as the temperature variations will be minimized.
Lets look at the prints :
Here are some of the prints i have got out of this printer in ABS and PLA. The grey color parts are PLA parts made with Prusament Filament they shipped with printer.
