CORE One INDX acrylic front plate

Update 4th Sept 2026: Added a bung for the holes left by removing the twist locks in the turret.  It's a friction fit, but with a taper to keep it in place.

Update 2nd Sept 2026: I've now added a remix of the door magnet holder that brings the magnet further out from the door frame, to accommodate thicker foam strip around the door frame.

When the Founders Edition front plate was first pictured online, it was clear that Prusa's objective to make a totally reliable base for the tool docks had compromised the visibility of the print head and the print bed.  I had the thought to replace the front plate with an acrylic plate, but before I got around to doing anything about it a video from Proper Printing appeared online with a realisation of the idea.  He made a great job of demonstrating the concept, and made a visually very appealing plate that copied the aesthetic of the FE plate, using edge lighting to pick out the shape.  Watch the video - he's an entertaining presenter.

I wanted a simpler design, so I set about making accurate measurements of my FE plate and programming them into OpenSCAD so that I could have a simpler design made.  I deliberately omitted the FE cutouts to maximise the stiffness of the plate, and I concentrated on getting the mounting holes in the right place.  And I incorporated a few simple graphics: the INDX logo, some text for the Founders Edition individual numbers, and the tool dock numbers.  The result seems quite successful, so I want to make the design available for others to try it and give feedback.

Fitting the plate involves removing the FE plate and reinstating the original CORE One top rail that was removed during the INDX conversion.  To fix the acrylic front plate to the top rail I have included a 'joint' piece, that has the 'PRUSA CORE One' graphics included to match the original aesthetic.  I have also had to modify the vent-lever-holder so that it can be mounted to the joint, instead of the FE front plate.  Since I'm including that as a 'remix' of Prusa's original part, that dictates the licence for this whole listing (Open Community License (OCL v1.1)). 

Note that the top rail from the CORE One doesn't include the cutouts that are present in the FE plate to make the top lid twist locks work.  I find that gravity is perfectly sufficient to hold the lid closed, so I've simply removed the twist locks and will probably make a 'plug' to seal the lock holes.

This listing includes the OpenSCAD script that I used to generate both the acrylic plate and the joint, and several outputs from it (the STL of the joint, and a DXF, SVG and PDF of a plate with founder number 0000.  The font is 8mm Arial Rounded MT Bold, should you wish to modify the outputs with your own FE number, but I'd recommend just changing the text in the OpenSCAD script and regenerating your own output.

If would prefer a plain, un-etched acrylic plate (which becomes a more DIY-freindly proposition, because you only need to cut and drill the acrylic), I have included a set of numbered tool docks in my threaded insert tool dock model, so that the numbers can be seen through a clear acrylic plate.

Door magnet holder: With a 4mm acrylic plate, on my printer the acrylic plate sits very slightly proud of the foam strip around the door frame.  I decided to fit slightly thicker foam strip so that the door doesn't touch the acrylic plate.  I used 6mm wide x 3mm thick black foam draught strip.  Whilst this does indeed hold the door clear of the acrylic plate, it also holds it slightly clear of the door magnets which significantly reduces their pull.  I therefore modified Prusa's door magnet holder so that a) the cover over the magnets is reduced from 2.1mm to 0.8mm (four layers at 0.2mm), and b) the magnet pocket is moved out towards the door by a further 0.8mm.  In my case, this seems to be just about right - the magnets grab the door and the thicker foam strip seals the gap and holds the door off the acrylic plate.  I've also included my OpenSCAD script in case you want to vary the cover and the extra reach to suit your own setup.  I should note here that this idea had already been implemented in another Printables model: https://www.printables.com/model/1548269-core-one-door-magnet-holder-improved.  Mine is not a remix of that model since I started from Prusa's original part, but I'm happy to acknowledge the inspiration.  I also felt that by NOT making it an explicit remix of that model, it won't show up under his listing, so my INDX-specific model is less likely to draw people away from that model.

Making the parts

The front plate

I had my plate laser cut and etched from 4mm cast acrylic.  4mm gives a good level of stiffness that seems to cope with multiple tool changes, even in a hot environment.  I did not add any extra holes along the bottom edge that would have required drilling and tapping the cross-member, and so far, with what little experience I have to date, the part seems stiff enough without those holes.  

4mm takes up all the slack there is between the printer door and the frame, so you'll need to make sure the screws are all recessed flush with the surface.  The tool dock screws have countersunk heads, so a countersunk hole is best here - go just deep enough to let the head sit flush.  For all the other holes that use the black screws, a 5.5mm recessed hole is the best approach.  It's very easy to be too aggressive with countersinking and drilling, especially with a conventional steel or wood drill bit that will 'bite' into the acrylic and chip it - go slowly and gently, and check the depth regularly.  For the black screws I found that a 5.5mm masonry drill bit gave the best result, since it doesn't bite - drill slowly and let the drill bit grind the acrylic away.

The Joint

The STLs are supplied 'face up', but I get better results printing them 'face down', so that the (0.4mm) graphics are printed on the print plate.  This way up the nut slots are on the 'top' of the print so need no supports, and the holes for the vent-lever-holder have support helpers so they print cleanly without supports.  I printed mine in ABS, but I don't think this is a stressed part so PETG would be fine I think.

The shortened Vent Lever Holder

Prusa's original part is supplied in PCCF, but again, this part isn't stressed so you could use something else I think.  Print it in the supplied orientation, then transfer the vent lever itself from the original part to this part.

Assembly

Insert hexagonal M3 nuts into the 6 pockets in the back of the joint. 

Attach the shortened vent-lever-holder to the joint using the original screws. 

Use three black M3x10rT screws to connect the acrylic plate to the joint along the top edge of the plate (M3x8rT would be sufficient, but I happened to have some 10mm spares left over from the kit builds).

Remove the FE front plate from the printer - 6 M3x4rT screws: two at each end of the top frame rail and two holding the plate to the cross-member at the bottom.  Transfer the tool docks and the nozzle seal mounts from the original FE front plate to the acrylic plate.  All the original screws can be re-used.  

Attach the original CORE One top rail, with acrylic plate attached, to the printer using 4 of the M3x4rT screws that you removed when removing the FE front plate.  For connection to the cross-member the thicker acrylic means that the original M3x4rT screws are too short.  I rescued a couple of M3x8rT screws from the spool holder that I removed from the side panel during the INDX build.

TIP: Leave all of the black screws loose, including those in the top rail, those in the joint, and the two into the bottom cross-member (but not the nozzle wiper mounts), until all of them have started into their threaded holes.  If you leave the screw heads clear of the 5.5mm recess, you'll be able to wiggle the acrylic plate to get all the screws started.  Once they're all started you can tighten them all down.  Take care - don't over-tighten any of the screws into the acrylic to avoid cracking it. 

I left the LED strip stuck to the rear of the cross-member, where I'd located it in preference to using the original LED mounting bar, since it gives better illumination of the first few print layers.

The 4mm acrylic panel uses up all of the depth of the foam strips that are used on the door surround, and some.  I have bought some thicker foam draught strip (6mm wide x 3mm thick) to lift the door clear of the acrylic panel - it seems ok with the original foam strip, and I'm not sure whether the thicker strip would be too thick for the door magnets to do their job - I shall be testing this soon.

Licence

Note that the Open Community License (OCL v1.1) does not allow for Commercial Reselling.  Personally I have no problem with people making acrylic plates from this design for other people, but I believe the licence means that this has to be done on a not-for-profit basis, i.e. a reasonable charge for materials, time/effort and shipping can be made, but nothing more.