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   Prusa CEO declares "open hardware desktop 3D printing is dead" - China blamed   
   for causing the beginning of the end   
      
   Date:   
   Sun, 24 Aug 2025 19:28:00 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Prusa declares open hardware 3D printing dead, blaming Chinas subsidies,   
   patent imbalance, and disputes transformed collaborative innovation into a   
   competitive and increasingly restrictive global industry.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   The open source movement in 3D printing once thrived on shared designs,   
   community projects, and collaboration across borders.    
      
   However, Josef Prusa, head of Prusa Research, has announced, open hardware   
   desktop 3D printing is dead.    
      
   The remark stands out because his company long championed open designs,   
   sharing files and innovations with the wider community.   
      
   Economic support and patent challenges   
      
   Prusa built his early business in a small basement in Prague, packing frames   
   into pizza boxes while relying on contributions from others who shared his   
   philosophy.    
      
   What has changed, he now argues, is not consumer demand but the imbalance   
   created when the Chinese government labeled 3D printing a strategic industry   
   in 2020.    
      
   In his blog post , Prusa cites a study from the Rhodium Group which describes   
   how China backs its firms with grants, subsidies, and easier credit.    
      
   This makes it much cheaper to manufacture machines there than in Europe or   
   North America.    
      
   The issue grows more complicated when looking at patents. In China,   
   registering a claim costs as little as $125, while challenging one ranges    
   from $12,000 to $75,000.    
      
   This gap has encouraged a surge of local filings, often on designs that trace   
   back to open source projects.    
      
   Prusas earlier machines, such as the Original i3, proudly displayed    
   components from partners like E3D and Noctua, embodying a spirit of    
   community, but were also easy to copy, with entire guides appearing online   
   just months after release.    
      
   The newest Prusa printers, including the MK4 and Core ONE, now restrict    
   access to key electronic designs, even while offering STL files for printed   
   parts.    
      
   The Nextruder system is fully proprietary, marking a clear retreat from total   
   openness.    
      
   Prusa argues Chinese firms are effectively locking down technology the   
   community meant to share - as while a patent in China does not block his   
   company from selling in Europe, it prevents access to the Chinese market.    
      
   A bigger risk emerges when agencies like the US Patent Office treat such   
   patents as prior art, creating hurdles that are expensive and time-consuming   
   to clear.    
      
   Prusa cited the case of the Chinese company, Anycubic, securing a US patent    
   on a multicolor hub that appears similar to the MMU system his company first   
   released in 2016.    
      
   Years earlier, Bambu Lab introduced its A1 series, also drawing inspiration   
   from the same concept.    
      
   Anycubic now sells the Kobra 3 Combo with this feature, raising questions   
   about how agencies award patents and who holds legitimate claims.    
      
   Meanwhile, Bambu Lab faces separate legal battles with Stratasys, the    
   American pioneer whose patents once kept 3D printing confined to costly   
   industrial use.    
      
   Declaring the end of open hardware may be dramatic, but the pressures are   
   real.    
      
   Between state subsidies, permissive patent rules, and rising disputes, the   
   foundation of open collaboration is eroding.    
      
   Via Toms Hardware   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/pro/prusa-ceo-declares-open-hardware-desktop-3d-prin   
   ting-is-dead-china-blamed-for-causing-the-beginning-of-the-end   
      
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