Share Share by:
- Copy link
- X
Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google
Josef Prusa has long been a champion of Open Source, but defending its use has been an uphill battle. Last July, he surprised no one at all when he announced that “open hardware desktop 3D printing is dead.” He pointed to his company’s 2016 MMU1 multiplexer as an example of an open source design copied and used by competitors.
The Prusa Research multiplexer allows four filaments to enter a single hotend via a hub mounted on top of the tool head. Bambu Lab’s A1, Anycubic’s Kobra, and Creality’s new Spark X all used this type of design with multicolor bed slingers.
Today, Prusa Research launched the new licensing framework, called the Open Community License (OCL). Its purpose is to allow designers the ability to share open source hardware with users while still protecting it from commercial exploitation.
You may like
-
Prusa launches two new 3D printers, open source filament tags, and printable silicone at private event -
![]()
Prusa’s mobile slicer now works with competitors’ 3D printers -
Prusa CORE One L 3D printer review: Bigger and better
To prove that OCL can work, Prusa Research has released CAD files for the CORE One + and CORE One L frames on Printables under the new Open Community License (OCL). This license grants users the right to modify parts for both CORE One models and to freely share them with the community. You can do anything you like with an OCL design, except sell it.