Prusa Research is selling an HT Hotend upgrade for the CORE One family that raises the nozzle temperature limit to 400 degrees Celsius. The product page lists the upgrade at $199.99, shows it in stock, and gives an estimated lead time of three weeks. It fits the CORE One, CORE One+, CORE One+ (Gen 2), CORE One L, and CORE One L+.
What the upgrade adds
Prusa says the swappable hotend unlocks high-temperature materials such as PEKK-CF, PPS-CF, and PPSU, along with stronger parts and better layer adhesion from materials like ASA and nylon. It ships with a hardened, non-high-flow 0.4 mm ObXidian 500 nozzle, plus two idlers (one for standard and one for high-temperature filament), a new main plate printed in PC Blend Carbon Fiber, gloves, and a user guide. Prusa recommends the gloves because bare-hand grease on the hotend leaves a smell when heated, and its FAQ says to wash any greasy spot with isopropyl alcohol before preheating.
The company lists high-temperature PrusaSlicer profiles for ASA, PC Blend, PC Blend Carbon Fiber, PA11 Carbon Fiber, PPS-CF, PPS-GF, and PPA-CF. It claims that printing PA11 Carbon Fiber at the higher temperature improves interlayer adhesion by 23 percent, and that PC Blend Carbon Fiber at 350 degrees gains 7 percent. Those are Prusa's figures.
Limits Prusa spells out
The page is blunt about what the printer cannot do. The CORE One L+ has a chamber temperature of up to 60 degrees Celsius, which Prusa says is too low for PEEK, PEKK, or PEI on large parts, although small components may print. A 400 degree hotend and a 120 degree heatbed sit at the low end of what those materials need. Prusa strongly recommends chamber filtration for high-temperature materials because many emit dangerous fumes, and it offers HEPA and carbon filtration at $82.99 and a USS Drybox at $34.99 as add-ons.
The upgrade does not fit the MK4S, the XL+, or the INDX toolchanger versions. The FAQ says it is built for single-extruder CORE One printers and that it is compatible with the Nextruder but not with induction heating. Prusa also warns against high-temperature PLA profiles, since PLA degrades at 250 degrees and gives off hazardous fumes at higher temperatures. A hotend swap is meant for pairing the right material with the right temperature, not for running every filament hotter.
Market context
Prusa positions the upgrade as the most affordable way to print high-temperature materials on a desktop machine. A CORE One L+ costs $1,999 and a CORE One+ (Gen 2) costs $1,299 on the same page, so the hotend adds about 10 to 15 percent to the price of those printers. Competitors in the enclosed high-temperature space include Bambu Lab's H2D and Qidi's heated-chamber printers, which build chamber heating into the machine instead of offering a hotend swap. Prusa's approach keeps the standard printer for everyday filament and treats the hotend as a swappable accessory.
The upgrade also fits into Prusa's wider pitch for the CORE One. The printers are enclosed machines, and Prusa suggests the L+ for the best results because of its more effective heatbed and chamber heating. A hardened nozzle matters for the abrasive carbon-fiber and glass-fiber materials the hotend targets, and the ObXidian 500 nozzle in the box is a hardened design. The non-high-flow nozzle prints more slowly than a high-flow design, which is a deliberate trade for the high-temperature materials. The page also notes that Prusa's own slicer profiles for the materials make setup easier, since they set the right temperatures without trial and error.
The page also covers nozzle choices. The HT Hotend works with standard materials such as PLA and PETG, though the nozzle may need to change with the material. Prusa's example is Prusament PETG Ultraglow, which needs a 0.6 mm hardened non-high-flow nozzle. It advises against printing high-temperature materials through a brass nozzle, since the advanced materials may damage it. The listing shows a three-week estimated lead time and says import duties are already included in the price, which matters for buyers outside the United States.
For buyers who do not own a CORE One yet, the arithmetic is simple. A CORE One L+ with the hotend comes to $2,198.99, and a CORE One+ (Gen 2) with the hotend comes to $1,498.99, before the filtration and dryer accessories Prusa recommends for high-temperature materials.
Sources and image credits
- Prusa Research: HT Hotend Upgrade for CORE One and CORE One L
- Images: Prusa Research product materials
