Prusa's 2026 Lineup Refresh: What the XL+, CORE One+ Gen 2 and CORE One L+ Mean for Makers and Educators
Prusa Research has refreshed its entire 3D printer lineup for 2026, upgrading the XL to the XL+, the CORE One+ to Gen 2, and the CORE One L to the L+. The changes focus on usability and print quality rather than headline specs: a shared nozzle wiper, new belts that reduce surface artifacts, faster tool calibration on the XL, and quicker first-layer starts on the CORE One+. Prices remain unchanged, and existing owners get upgrade paths rather than being told to buy new machines.
In Brief
- All three printers receive a shared standard nozzle wiper and GT1.5 belts that reduce fine repeating patterns on smooth surfaces
- The XL+ gains 360-degree cooling matching the CORE One series, a new eddy-current Tool Offset Sensor that aligns toolheads roughly 20 times faster, and high-flow nozzles as standard
- The CORE One+ (Gen 2) eliminates the “Absorbing heat” wait for PLA and PETG, adds a snap-on top panel, and receives a more robust automatic top vent
- The CORE One L+ adds the shared wiper and belts while keeping its 300 × 300 × 330 mm build volume and actively controlled chamber
- All three are on sale now at the same prices as their predecessors, with upgrade paths available for existing owners
What Changed Across the Lineup
The common thread through all three refreshed printers is attention to the small annoyances that add up over daily use. Prusa says it went through extensive community feedback — including a detailed summary from its community manager — and prioritized changes that reduce time spent calibrating, waiting, and cleaning.
The new nozzle wiper is the most frequently requested addition. It cleans the nozzle before each print starts, preventing loose filament strands and blobs from being carried onto the print surface. Prusa deliberately chose a standard, widely replaceable part rather than a proprietary design, so users can buy replacements from Prusa, a local 3D printing store, or any compatible supplier.
The GT1.5 belts are the other shared upgrade. They reduce the fine repeating patterns that can appear on large, smooth print surfaces — a subtle but visible quality improvement, particularly on parts with broad flat areas.
Prusa XL+: Closing the Gap With the CORE Series
The XL is Prusa’s large-format toolchanger, with a 360 × 360 × 360 mm build volume — three times the capacity of the CORE One+ and one and a half times the CORE One L+. It remains the largest toolchanger on the consumer market that fits on a standard workbench and runs on a standard power socket.
The most significant XL+ upgrade is a new 360-degree cooling system that matches the cooling performance of the MK4S and CORE One series. Better airflow distribution around the nozzle improves overhangs, bridges, and fine detail — areas where the XL previously lagged behind its smaller siblings.
The new Tool Offset Sensor is a permanently mounted eddy-current sensor that checks and aligns every toolhead during setup. According to Prusa, it is roughly 20 times faster than the previous removable-pin calibration method. This matters most for multi-color prints and layer-based color mixing, where precise toolhead alignment directly affects print quality.
The XL+ also includes high-flow nozzles as standard and is rated for chamber temperatures up to 60°C. Using heat generated by the printer itself, the enclosure reaches around 50°C. A separately sold chamber heater accessory — not yet dated for release — will be needed to reach the full 60°C. Prusa says the warmer, more stable chamber helps large PC Blend, PCCF, and PETG parts hold their shape and dimensions more closely.
CORE One+ (Gen 2): The Broadest Set of Changes
The CORE One+ (Gen 2) receives the most changes of the three refreshed printers. Beyond the shared nozzle wiper and belts, it starts printing the first layer faster thanks to a redesigned heatbed mount. For PLA, PETG, and any material printed at a bed temperature of 85°C or below, the “Absorbing heat” wait step is eliminated entirely. Higher-temperature materials also start sooner.
This sounds minor, but in practice it means you can start a print, verify the first layer is going down correctly, and leave — without standing around waiting for the bed to stabilize. For educators running multiple print jobs in a school day, or product teams iterating on prototypes, those saved minutes compound.
The Gen 2 also gains the tool-free, snap-on top panel introduced on the CORE One L, making cleaning and maintenance faster. The automatic top-vent mechanism is more robust than the previous version.
CORE One L+: Refinements on an Already Strong Platform
The CORE One L launched more recently than the smaller CORE One, so it already included several improvements that are now making their way to the Gen 2. The L+ refresh is correspondingly lighter: it adds the shared nozzle wiper and GT1.5 belts while keeping its 300 × 300 × 330 mm build volume, actively controlled chamber, and all-aluminum AC heatbed.
Pricing and Availability
All three refreshed printers are on sale now at the same prices as their predecessors, despite the additional hardware. Assembled CORE One+ (Gen 2) and CORE One L+ units began shipping immediately. Assembled XL+ units follow later in August. Kits, upgrade components, and individual parts will roll out over the following weeks, starting with CORE One+ upgrades and followed by CORE One L+ and XL+ upgrades around the end of August and start of September.
Any open, unshipped order for a CORE One+, CORE One L, or XL is automatically upgraded to the corresponding new version at no extra cost. (Prusa Blog)
The Upgrade Philosophy
Prusa’s approach to product longevity is unusual in consumer electronics. Rather than rendering older machines obsolete, the company offers incremental hardware upgrades — from new electronics to a full conversion of an older open-frame printer into an enclosed CORE One+. Firmware updates, PrusaSlicer improvements, and print profiles continue for all machines, regardless of age.
This is not pure altruism. It is a competitive strategy that builds long-term loyalty, especially among the education and maker segments where budget cycles are long and reliability matters more than having the newest hardware. It also creates a moat: once a school or makerspace has invested in Prusa’s ecosystem — PrusaSlicer, Prusa Connect, compatible filaments, trained staff — switching to Bambu Lab or Creality means retraining and retooling.
What Else Is Coming
Prusa outlined several developments still in progress:
- INDX for the CORE One+: The automatic tool-changing system that enables mid-print switching between colors, materials, or nozzle sizes is nearly ready. First units ship soon and are compatible with Gen 2. Testing is also underway on the CORE One L.
- Automatic filament calibration: A new system using a load cell to measure filament before each print and calibrate a flow-dependent Pressure Advance model, rather than relying on a single fixed value. No release date yet.
- PrusaSlicer 3.0: The next generation of Prusa’s open-source slicing software, with the first alpha coming within weeks. Benefits the entire lineup, not just the new machines.
- HT Hotend: Designed for high-temperature engineering materials, shipping in September for the CORE One L/+ and CORE One / One+ / One+ (Gen 2).
- Prusa Connect Local: A ground-up successor to PrusaLink for local network control without a cloud connection, built as an open, multi-protocol system. Early access starting soon.
Why This Matters
The desktop 3D printer market in 2026 is fiercely competitive. Bambu Lab has overtaken Creality as the top-selling budget brand, as noted in our earlier 3D printing coverage. Creality is pursuing a Hong Kong IPO valued at approximately $177 million. FlashForge is selling multi-color printers for under $210. Speed and price are the dominant competitive axes.
Prusa’s refresh is a deliberate counter-position. Rather than racing to the bottom on price or the top on speed, Prusa is investing in the things that matter to users who print daily: cleaner starts, better surfaces, less waiting, and machines that improve over time through upgrades. The fact that the XL+ is the only consumer toolchanger with a 360 × 360 × 360 mm build volume gives it a defensible niche that Bambu Lab does not currently challenge.
For STEAM educators, the upgrade philosophy has direct financial implications. A school that bought a Prusa MK4S two years ago can convert it into a fully enclosed CORE One+ through a kit, rather than purchasing a new machine. For product teams using 3D printing for prototyping — like those working on educational robotics platforms or hardware products — the consistency of PrusaSlicer across the entire lineup means a team can mix XL+, CORE One+, and older machines without managing different slicer profiles or workflows.
For Pakistani Makers and Educators
Desktop 3D printing has become increasingly accessible in Pakistan, but total cost of ownership remains a concern. Import duties, shipping costs, and limited local availability of spare parts mean that a printer’s longevity and upgradeability matter more in Karachi or Islamabad than in Berlin or Austin.
Prusa’s upgrade path is particularly relevant here. The ability to incrementally upgrade a machine — rather than replacing it entirely — reduces the burden on school budgets and maker spaces that operate on thin margins. The standard nozzle wiper and widely available GT1.5 belts are small but meaningful choices that reduce dependency on a single supplier.
That said, Prusa printers remain priced at a premium compared to Creality or FlashForge. For Pakistani educators building STEAM programs on a budget, the trade-off between a Prusa CORE One+ and two or three budget printers from competitors is a real calculation. The value proposition depends on how heavily the institution weighs reliability, upgradeability, and ecosystem maturity against upfront cost.
Product Builder’s Perspective
From a product development standpoint, Prusa’s refresh illustrates a principle that applies beyond 3D printing: the most impactful improvements are often not the ones that make headlines. A nozzle wiper, a belt upgrade, and the elimination of a pre-print wait step will not generate the same excitement as a new printer category or a speed record. But for users who run their printers daily, these are the changes that determine whether a machine is a pleasure or a chore.
The Tool Offset Sensor on the XL+ is the exception. For anyone doing multi-color or multi-material printing, reducing toolhead calibration from minutes to seconds is a meaningful workflow improvement. Combined with the 360-degree cooling, it makes the XL+ a substantially better machine for complex, multi-material prints without changing the fundamental spec sheet.
The automatic filament calibration system, when it ships, could be the most significant development of all. If it works reliably across third-party filaments, it removes one of the last persistent pain points in desktop FDM printing: the fact that every spool behaves slightly differently and users must manually tune flow and pressure advance. This is the kind of behind-the-scenes engineering that compounds in value over time.
What to Watch Next
- Whether Bambu Lab responds with a comparable toolchanger or large-format printer to challenge the XL+‘s unique position
- Whether Prusa’s automatic filament calibration system ships on schedule and works reliably with third-party filaments — a key adoption test
- How PrusaSlicer 3.0 compares to the latest Bambu Studio and Cura releases, particularly for multi-material workflows
- Whether the HT Hotend, delayed for reliability reasons, delivers on its promise with the broader range of third-party filaments Prusa tested against
Conclusion
Prusa’s 2026 refresh is not about chasing specs. It is about making better printers through hundreds of small refinements, keeping prices stable, and honoring the investment existing owners have made. In a market where competitors are racing to the bottom on price and the top on speed, Prusa is betting that reliability, upgradeability, and ecosystem coherence remain compelling — especially for the educators, makers, and product teams who print every day.
For readers deciding between Prusa and its competitors, the core question is not which printer has the best specs on paper, but which ecosystem you want to be locked into for the next five years. Prusa’s answer is clear: the one where your printer gets better over time rather than obsolete.
Are you using Prusa printers in your school, makerspace, or product team? What improvements would matter most to you in the next refresh?
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