The Prusa XL+ gets cleaner overhangs from 360-degree cooling
The Prusa XL+ 360-degree cooling upgrade wraps airflow around the nozzle from every side, so overhangs, bridges and fine details set cleaner than the old single-duct XL managed. The refreshed toolhead also gains GT1.5 belts, standard high-flow nozzles, and an eddy-current tool sensor Prusa says aligns each toolhead about 20 times faster.
Key Takeaways
- The XL+ toolhead now cools from all sides, like the MK4S and CORE One.
- Even airflow means cleaner overhangs, bridges and small details on tough models.
- New GT1.5 belts hide the faint ripple lines on big flat walls.
- A borrowed INDX sensor aligns each toolhead about 20 times faster.
- Prices did not change, and a 249 EUR kit upgrades an existing XL.
What does 360-degree cooling change on the Prusa XL+?
The headline change on the Prusa XL+ is a new 360-degree part-cooling system. It matches the cooling already on the MK4S and CORE One series. Prusa frames the refresh as “bringing the Prusa XL up to our latest generation” in its product announcement.
The old duct pushed most of its airflow from one side of the nozzle. The new shroud feeds air from all sides at once, so freshly laid plastic sets evenly whichever way the head is moving.
Prusa claims better overhangs, cleaner bridges, and crisper small details, “particularly on demanding models.” Droops and rough edges come from uneven cooling, which is why spreading the air out helps.
Standard high-flow nozzles now ship on the XL+ too. They give more headroom when a print calls for a higher material flow, and with the extra cooling you can push the flow up and still set each layer cleanly.
No independent before-and-after cooling test has been published yet, so the overhang and bridge gains are Prusa’s word until someone measures them. If the gains are real, they apply across a very large area: the XL keeps its 360x360x360 mm build volume and is the largest toolchanger of its kind.
How do GT1.5 belts smooth large flat walls?
All three refreshed machines get new GT1.5 belts. On the XL, they target the faint, regularly repeating ripple lines that show up on the large smooth walls the XL is often used to print.
Prusa says the belts make the pattern “less noticeable.” That helps most on big flat surfaces, where the eye catches any repeating texture. Prusa shows this with a side-by-side of the same two-color wall, ripples on one side and a smooth finish on the other, as reported by 3DPCC.
A belt’s pitch and stiffness shape how motion turns into surface texture. The finer GT1.5 pitch cuts the visible signature of that motion.
The gain is cosmetic. Dimensions and print times are unchanged.
What is the faster tool offset sensor borrowed from the INDX?
The XL+ inherits a permanently mounted eddy-current Tool Offset Sensor from the INDX toolchanger. It checks and aligns every toolhead during initial setup.
The old automatic calibration used a removable pin and took long minutes. Prusa says the new permanent sensor is “about 20 times faster.” With no pin to insert, alignment turns into a routine setup step.
On a toolchanger, precise per-toolhead offset keeps colors registered. Get it wrong and multi-color prints show seams and color bleed where one head hands off to the next. Tighter alignment also keeps layer-based color mixing lined up.
Prusa notes the sensor works with the upcoming Silicone toolhead, which is scheduled for release in Fall 2026. The XL+ also gets the integrated nozzle wiper shared with the other refreshed machines, a standard, replaceable consumable that clears strands and blobs before a print starts, so loose material is not dragged onto the first layer.
A 60°C-ready enclosure for warp-prone materials
The XL+ ships ready for chamber temperatures up to 60°C. Today, though, the better-sealed new enclosure reaches only around 50°C, using nothing but the printer’s own waste heat.
The 60°C figure depends on a chamber heater Prusa has shown but not scheduled. At launch the enclosure is a passive waste-heat design, and the active heater is a later upgrade with no ship date.
A warmer, steadier chamber helps large technical parts hold their shape. Big PC Blend and PCCF prints, and even boxy PETG, warp and shrink less when the air around them stays hot. ABS and ASA gain the same way, since both want a chamber held near 45 to 55°C. The larger the part, the more internal stress builds as it cools unevenly, and a heated chamber slows that cooling. On a 360mm-tall build volume, fewer warped parts means less money lost to failed prints.
Every XL+ change and the problem it fixes
| Change | Print problem it targets |
|---|---|
| 360-degree part cooling | Rough overhangs, sagging bridges, soft fine detail |
| GT1.5 belts | Faint repeating ripple on large flat walls |
| High-flow nozzles | Too little melt at higher flow rates |
| Eddy-current tool sensor | Slow alignment and color misregistration |
| Better-sealed enclosure | Warping and shrinkage on big technical parts |
| Integrated nozzle wiper | Strands and blobs dragged onto the first layer |
Most of the list targets surface quality and clean first layers, with nothing pitched as a speed upgrade.
Can I upgrade my Prusa XL to the XL+?
Yes. Prusa is shipping complete upgrade kits and the individual parts for existing owners. The XL to XL+ upgrade kit is listed at 249 EUR, shipping from September 4, 2026, per 3DPCC’s price roundup.
Despite the added hardware, every refreshed machine costs the same as the model it replaces. An assembled single-tool XL+ is 2,299 EUR. Printed Solid, Prusa’s US shop, lists the assembled CORE One+ at $1,499, but firm dollar prices for the refreshed XL+ had not landed under the new name yet.
The rollout ran in order: assembled machines and CORE One+ upgrades came first, then CORE One L+ and XL+ kits around the end of August into early September. Assembled XL+ printers began shipping August 28. Any unshipped order for an older XL is upgraded automatically.
Prusa support has told a commenter the XL+ works with the original Prusa Enclosure, so existing owners are not forced into an enclosure swap. Treat that as reported rather than official spec until Prusa confirms it on the product page.
If you own an XL and print large, multi-color parts, the cooling and belts clean up the surfaces you already print, and the sensor cuts setup time. For 249 EUR, that is a fair price for a tune-up on a printer you already have.