Prusa Research is now shipping MK4S 3D printers from their US-based manufacturing facility.
According to a Reddit post, a message to customers from Prusa Research said:
“We are happy to announce the start of production of our latest MK4S printer and Prusament at Printed Solid in Newark, Delaware, USA.
This means our products are now more accessible to our US customers and we can ensure maximum availability of our printers and filaments, speed up delivery, and eliminate shipping costs.
The MK4S at Printed Solid is fully stocked and ready for immediate shipment!”
This was anticipated as a result of their acquisition of Printed Solid and announcement of an intent to set up manufacturing in Delaware.
An inspection of their online store shows this:
While “Made in the EU” is quite prominent, it’s likely the company hasn’t yet switched up their content to match the US production.
This is good news for Prusa Research and for customers in the United States. Shipping should be quite a bit faster, as shipments from EU locations can take a week or so.
However, the Reddit discussion thread reveals a couple of issues perceived by contributors. Some say the costs of US-produced MK4S units can actually be slightly more expensive than the EU units due to local taxes, which are not charged on out-of-state purchases.
While some seem disappointed because of this, that’s really not what it’s all about.
The real reason for building 3D printers in the US location is to unlock the ability to sell equipment to a wide range of businesses and institutions in the US. Many operations have a “buy American” policy, especially government organizations. Because of this single rule, EU-produced MK4S units are not eligible for purchase.
This represents an enormous market for any 3D printer manufacturer. There aren’t a lot of US-based 3D printer manufacturers in this range, with perhaps the most well-known being LulzBot.
Prusa Research’s opening of their Delaware facility now puts them on the menu for countless organizations purchasing 3D printers across the US. Because of Prusa Research’s good technical and service reputation, this is almost certainly going to dramatically grow their US sales in the coming year.
Individuals or private companies buying MK4S equipment from the EU are not really affected by this move at all, unless there is some unusual requirement for near immediate delivery, which is now possible.
Via Reddit and Prusa Research
