I love my Elegoo Mars printer, but I did run into a pretty serious flaw 2 weeks into using it. The FEP film on the bottom of the print tray can get stuck to the LCD from suction when printing large parts. During one long print, I heard a pop and the display showed an error citing LCD issues. It turns out that the FEP film had gotten stuck to the LCD, and when the print arm tried to raise the print between layers, it actually yanked the LCD out of the machine by about a cm, which also destroyed the ribbon cable attached to the LCD. I returned the printer for a new one, and also found out that most people prevent this sticking by putting a thin layer of scotch or masking tape along the left and right edges of the LCD, so that the FEP can never fully stick. Since adding the tape, I haven't had another problem, but it's definitely something to be aware of.
I tried to order an Elegoo Mars printer last week but they were all sold out. I just checked again and they're in stock. I should receive the printer on Tuesday. I'll make sure and use some tape so I don't have the FEP film problem. Thanks for warning us. Do you guys know which resin will produce the strongest parts? I'm hoping to print robot parts.
@@ddegn I've been using their Gray ABS-Like resin, and it's pretty strong. I'm not sure that it's as strong as ABS, but it's definitely stronger than the translucent resin I've used.
@@delsydsoftware I just checked my order and I had included a bottle their Gray ABS-Like resin. I'll be able to test it out when the printer arrives. Thanks for reply.
Wow, that's pretty bad. At least, you were able to return it. I'm using an Anycubic Photon which works just like the Mars (afaik), now I'm a little worried. Gonna google if that's also an issue with the Photon.
I'm glad you mentioned the hazardous waste aspect of these types of machines. People seem to gloss over not only the health dangers of the resin, but the by products of processing the prints.
I kept having trouble with my prints being upside down, I am so glad you showed me a solution in this video. Now I just have to figure out who keeps inverting my spoons...
Dealing with the chemicals sounds like a pain, but not very different from a number of other Maker media: woodworking (finishes, strippers, and some wood species' sawdusts are toxic), olde-tyme photography (various developers), working with metals such as antique clocks and jewelry (lead and other toxic metals), even dollmaking (ceramic dust can damage your lungs). My rules of thumb for any Making are: Find non-toxic alternatives when possible; strictly follow the safety instructions; read the warnings on the Material Safety Data Sheets; consider the impact on the planet as well has your home. Thanks for the very informative video!
Tom, glad you mentioned those resins are nasty, but really there has to be some emphasis that they are TOXIC in the monomer state. So when those are still liquid they are really toxic long term. I noticed many RUclipsrs under estimate that. Those acrylic resins become totally safe once totally polymerised but before being really cured they are really toxic.
Really depends on what you're trying to do. If your into miniatures and strength isn't the priority resin is the best way to go. I got into metal casting, and for making small detailed things like coins, resin definalty has advantages, like you don't need to sand, prime, paint, and sand again to get rid of layer lines. If your trying to make functional parts, FDM is the way to go, many more strong material choices. But resins are getting better and you are starting to see more options like, tuff resinsand even flexible resins.
The best tip I've ever used is to do the final cure with the part submerged in water. It prevents oxygen from reaching the part, which prevents the outer surface from curing fully.
There is an issue with the center curing more than the outer edges when you print a solid models like you have you won't notice this issue but when you start printing models where you have to fine-tune the burn time just right you have to get it as low as possible so that you don't fuse movable printing place links for example if you wanted to print the flexi butterfly this becomes a problem when I tried to fill the bed plate with multiple little butterflies the ones on the outside edge didn't cook enough and malformed but if I adjusted it upward the center fused a minor issue for most people but it is an issue you have to be aware of To greatly extend the life of the machine use Clear resin this allows you to use much much shorter burn times per layer and you can use your 0.1mm layer Heights Because of the near-perfect layer alignment and consistency that a resin printer gives you 0.1 layers look far superior and you still can't see the laser lights just enable anti-aliasing for the low resolution screen 1440p is actually pretty low resolution in this regard I have otherwise been extremely pleased with my ellegoo Mars although the newer machines with Matrix array LED's should work a lot better
One of the reasons why Elegoo Mars stood out is that it was the first 1440p "very cheap" MSLA printer in a sea of 1080p ones (that many others YT channels reviewed). It doesn't sound like much, but the difference is very noticeable.
My experience with resin printers Has taught me that it is not so much the hardware but the resin and resin settings that contribute to great parts or failed parts.
EXTREMELY comprehensive video, thank you so much. I've been thinking about getting an elegoo mars, but after watching this, while I still like the concept, I think a filament printer will be a better option for me. Thank you for this thorough look into the product!
Until recently, I have had ZERO interest in resin printing. Now, with the significant price drop, I am considering making a purchase. However, Tom hit on one thing I had never even considered: proper disposal of waste products. I don't know why I had not considered this. But I didn't until he mentioned it in this video. Does anyone know of a resource describing how to handle this part? Tom briefly touched on it but only indicated that he now had a tub of "hazardous waste". I don't like the idea of turning my home into a a hazardous waste storage facility. It would be good to know how to properly handle this material.
I'd love to see you extensively review the Prusa SL1 and the Curing/Washing machine. I think Prusa was trying to make the process as easy as possible (of course you still have to get resin in and out of the machine).
It shouldn't be to difficult to design a system that keeps light out of the resin/printing area yet still lets us top-up & remove the print safely. I think designers need to stop copying each other & obsessing over appearance as this is the Enemy of Well Designed Invention.
I am absolutely in love with my resin SLA printer. I have an Epax X1 that is very similar to the Mars, it has a few ease of living items (factory bed plate leveling, no need to ever level it again, that type of thing), but both of them are light years better than an FDM printer for miniatures and high detail items.
Little off topic but with plastic and resin printers being so common, I wonder why no home solutions for powder based printing. It sounds like it has some benefits like not needing to print supports and a lot of materials.
Years ago someone asked me about these higher quality one that uses 'liquid' and why didn't I own such printer that time for very detailed print quality. It is just too much hassle for me to use resin printer. Everything about the 'hassle' to handle a resin been discussed several times and I probably won't ever gonna touch resin printer anyway.
Purchased one of these about 2 months ago. After stumbling through a few prints with clear resin, I found my groove with some Elegoo grey. The quality and precision are amazing. I've created prints with a resolution higher than my eyes can even see. As for your "lines" . . . I use a 12s ON-1s OFF exposure for (non clear) resins as the resin still hardens slightly after exposure. I don't have any lines that are detectable with out careful inspection or a magnifying glass.
If you have trouble with a hollowed model and not getting all the uncured resin from inside it, I’ve found a syringe with a coarse needle (1mm) filled with IPA is great for that.
With resin printers, you need to have a use for it. Like minis for example, your not going to get the quality and speed with FDM compared to resin. You CAN get good FDM minis but with the expense of time, where you could print a whole plate full in the same time as a single one. (Assuming the z height is the same) it has many advantages in that respect. For larger or strength required parts, FDM wins all day everyday. Resin is very brittle even tho it has a high tensile strength. For me I mostly print minis and arts and crafty things so resin is amazing. The details are epic, not having to sand as much (just supports) is absolutely worth the added expense over FDM for post processing. The wash set-up, I see non-issue with Ikea containers vs some ridiculously overpriced container system, like the forms station. There's no way you can justify spending that much money for what it does. There just containers... And you can print a mount to hold the plate in the bath. Which also is a great way to cut down on mess and gloves. I do agree they should supply a proper curing light but that would be added cost and it easy to source a cheap UV light setup. I simply transfer my plate onto amount and let it soak in a container without even using a glove, because I'm only touching the knob to unbolt the plate from the printer. I only wear when handling uncured prints or cleaning. Rubber reusable kitchen gloves are also a much better solution to wasting hundreds of gloves. The smell I also found varies per brand of resin and by the person. I personally am not slightly bothered by the smell. I smell way worse at work lol but that's my opinion (and many others) my gf HATES when I print ABS filament and says it stinks but has never said anything about the resin. Ultimately it depends what you wanna make/print. I personally like having both resin and FDM printers. Miniatures and small detail items are great in resin and larger prints in FDM. I recently made a Rick Sanchez mask and printed all in PLA and printed the eyes in resin as I KNEW the hole would be an issue with FDM or require some post processing. Where the resin eyes came out flawless. You can't really say one's better than the other when they both have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Hi Thomas. I love your videos. Could you please film with a more wider depth of field next time you show printed parts? The DOF is so narrow that I just can't see the quality of the print very well. Keep it up!
Thanks for this very thorough overview. I was curious but now seeing what is all involved, I dont think its something I want to get involved with right now! Keep up the great work!
So, if I do not have the space to place one anywhere other than my bedroom (sharing apartment with a friend), a resin printer would just be a no go? How bad are the fumes? Can it be solved with a bunch of open windows etc. or would you guys just say no to that? If so, my understanding is that most filament/FDM printers just aren't detailed enough for finer miniatures where detail is very important, which is what I'm mainly interested in printing. Is this supposition wrong?
if the washed IPA is now "hazardous waste" how do you dispose of it? No one seems to touch on that and I'm willing to bet people say "Don't put this down the drain, now look away while I put this down the drain".
I just bought a Elegoo mars for making parts for models, scratch builds and such. not some thing I can use a FDM printer for, but I will most likely make some sort of contraption/box thingy-ma-bob I can stick the printer in too, and vent out the fumes to the outside.
Wow - this was great! I've got (2) Mars units and (3) Ender 3's in my "farm" and I was definitely concerned at what the verdict here would be. This video was straightforward, honest, and impartial. Also - thank you so much for responsibly discussing the safety piece. So many other content creators are glossing over it or dismissing it. One of the downsides of bringing these printers to the mass-affordable segment is that so many people are expressing their "opinions" on the resin and that "It's fine, it's never affected me." As you said in the video, it isn't a question of "if" there will be a problem, rather when that problem will arise. There are serious long term concerns if you don't protect yourself from exposure to absorption of the uncured material.
@@asive7612 I run a negative pressure cabinet for my resin units that vents outside. The cabinet is in a negative pressure room where all my other FDM printers reside. Makeup air comes from an intake on the opposite side of the house.
Chitu Box has a feature in the menu for adding holes to the print and will even then add the removed hole "plug" to the print bed automatically so after printing you can just put the plug into the appropriate hole. Also, you should have 1 hole at the top and 1 at the bottom so that the resin can drain through the low one and air can enter through the upper.
I recently bought a elegoo mars printer and I LOVE it. My biggest issue is sometimes prints don't stick to the inverted base and you won't be able to see if your print stuck to the bed unless it runs for a while and clears the resin tub.
FWIW, the Prusa resins don't smell as strong (they do smell, and I have an open window near my SL1), and they don't burn or even irritate the skin. It's messy, but no worse than paint or glue. I like the vat pack container approach on the Mars. That's really smart. But, I really like the washing/curing station with the Prusa (it's not available separately, but it's a huge time and mess saver). If you can try out that system on-channel, you should. Yes, you pay quite a bit for all that, but I don't mind supporting Prusa.
I felt like I was cheating. I'm still tweaking my Prusa. With the Mars, I just needed to understand support placement. I've had two failed prints. One was on my support placement and the other was just something went wrong.
I put my printers in a cabinet with dedicated vent system and located on the balcony. in the same time, i noticed that high quality resin doesn't volatilize much? almost no smell(just cost maybe 3 times more). whatever it is, i wear gloves and mask with carbon filter with vent on all the time. take it seriously
You should have far more subscribers than you do. Your channel is one of my go to's on 3d printing. I bought a Prusa MK3S after watching your videos on it and it was possibly the best choice. I even sat through hours (and hours) of your homemade Prusa. Thanks Tom. Much appreciated.
Before going to Resin printers you could also try FDM printing with smaller nozzles. I recently did this to get better details on a small functional part in PETG, and I was really happy with the result. This was on a stock Ender3 pro. This will for sure not come close to what a resin printer can do. But if you want more detail than what the default 0.4mm FDM does, just spend a couple of bucks on a smaller nozzle. Maybe an idea for a new video?
light off time is handy i tend to have it at 6.5 and during long prints i set to 15 seconds. this gives the uv and screen time to cool down between layers and stops the screen from getting burnt out. :) also to help removal of supports. after cleaning. before you cure the parts. use a hairdryer to heat up the supports then then should start to bend and you should be able to brush them off and not have bad pockmarks in the prints. just use an airbrush to dry the ipa of the parts before heating the supports.
Wotrhy to note: chitubox does not notify you that your thumdrive is full. If there isn't enough space to save the print file, it will simply save the images up until the point it is full. When you print the file it will simply freeze at the point the file stopped saving. I had a print failat 78% and assumed it was some sort of power flicker as my power company sucks. I tried it again and it did the same thing. I resliced it after clearing space on the thumb drive and it printed fine
ChiTuBox (The one i got with my Mars), actually has a "hole" feature you can use to make a square, round, or hexagonal hole into your hollowed prints to let the goo out and the Alcohol in. There's even an option to "Keep Hole", where it will make a separate body representing the hole it removed so if you like, you can glue the model back together. I don't know if a tolerance is built into that or not, but resin swells slightly as it cures so you could find that the hole needs some help to fit. (I haven't tried printing holes, only snap-fit parts, which worked with about 0.013" tolerance between them. I printed Hot Wheels car-sized rims with removable/swappable tires.) The advantage is that if you can be clean about it, you could use uncured resin as glue, and throw it into your curing station to get a good bond.
How accurate is dimensional tolerance / stability on a resin printer? Detail is one thing, accuracy is another. Can I paint tiny functional mechanical parts?
Great honest review. I know there is a lot of embuggerance using resin but I was happy to take the plunge on this fairly solid and reliable printer. Just wish I could find someone stocking the spare resin tank kits, as changing out is a complete pain!
I am looking hard at the SLA printers, I have an Anycubic FDM printer, and like the brand, but the Elegoo Saturn looks better than the Anycubic Mono X at a much lower price. The Anycubic has a slightly larger Z axis, but that's not worth a $330.00 premium. I hope to have an Elegoo Saturn in my future. Thanks again for the thorough reviews. Something about a German accent that lends credibility to anything technical. Keep up the great content!
After 3 years of FDM printing switched for small parts to SLA printing and I'm never going back to FDM. The dimensional accuracy and surface quality is outstanding. What comes resin smells I havent experienced it the same way as Tom. There are resins with very mild smell, almost odorless. Plant based resins which can be poured to sink. Tough resins outperforming PETG, ABS. Lot of choices here. For additional work required the end result is well worth it. FDM as a technology has reached it's top. Now it's the time of SLA.
Can you put the isprpopyl alcohol jug in full sunlight, so that the alcohol evaporates, and the remaining resin bits cure to little pellets? Resin printing at time seems interesting, but it's such a hassle compared to FFF... i'd need to have some kind of booth with outdoor air evacuation, a curing station, so many consumables, washing station, gloves, alcohol, waste disposal, plus the cleanup when you inevitably spill something... Perhaps we're better off waiting for cheap SLS printers? although they are very wasteful, and the fine powder is probably super bad for your lungs...
Yeah you can leave it out or talk to your local chemical waste facilities to see if they will take it. They probably would. Just never dump this stuff down a drain. Yes resin printing pretty much requires a station. I don't know if you need a hardcore ventilation like Tom has but I would not do this in some tiny little room where fresh air can't be made available. Though maybe you should ask yourself if you should even being doing FDM then. Waste disposal, what are you doing with supports, failed prints, and just the general debris? SLS printing? That's just as dirty. The fumes given off by a high powered laser. Properly cleaning the powder off prints requires a good sized station. With Resin, you shake it a few times in a bottle of IPA. They are developing resins where you just use water and dishsoap. If you handle it properly all the mess you make are from drips of the cleaning liquid in a pan plus the paper towels... By all means if you don't have the space or want the responsibility, resin printing isn't for you at the moment. Still how far off from FDM is it really?
@@DesignIncase Hello, thanks for your insights. It's not that i don't have the space, but weighting the pro and cons make me want to spend my money and time elsewhere... Sure i'd be glad to print super high quality stuff from time to time. But honestly, i'm not in jewelery, casting, or figurine making. At the price, i considered it, but as a hacker, i think i'd get more use of a laser cutter (yes, it also requires fumes extraction ^^) or simply spend time on my cnc to learn how to use it properly :) If it wasn't for the waste management, i might have considered it, since costs are low now. But i don't even know if my local waste management facility would know where to put this... About how far from FFF, there still is an undeniable gap between both, plus the fact that high quality FFF prints means much longer print times, whereas resin printing is much less impacted, as layers are exposed in one go independantly of the surface of the layer (for MSLA at least) But i wonder how often we really need super detailed prints for our hoby prints...
I worked in a plastic shop for 15 years, and yes you'd must be aware of fumes and hazardous waste handling. Couple of tips 1# to save on ipa put your part in a Ziploc bag and use a ultrasound cleaner with water in it. Make sure the top of the Ziploc bag is sealed and no holes. That way there is no fire hazzard. Tip 2# use a uv lamp on the ipa for a hour or so. Then filter the ipa out. The resin is cured and you can throw away the plastic and reuse the ipa. Tip 3# build a fume hood an vent outdoors. Make a window adaptor similar to a window AC unit adaptor to run your hoses. Can use it also for painting too. Yes this resin printer can be used for making many things like for metal casting, lab equipment, jewelery and prototyping parts. I have had lots of hobbies, woodworking and metal working. Fixing old classic cars ect. ect. If you think working with resin is a big hassle then you need to take up knitting. Oh! go out and buy some finished AD&D models, they cost a small fortune. This is ware you really save money. Have you seen the prices lately.
Very thoughtful video, Tom. Thanks for that approach. I too find the fumes and the hassles of resin printing to be beyond my threshold of hobby enjoyment.
I just ordered an Ender 3 pro and was wondering if i should have gotten a resin printer since I plan to do a lot of minitures. After watching this video I'm damn sure I made the right choice. Didn't know there was so much hassle and toxicity to resin print
From a detail perspective, a resin printer certainly wins hands down. But you can get still get some pretty nice prints from FDM printers like the Ender 3. There are a LOT of tips out there on RUclips for doing this, if you haven't discovered them yet already. Personally, I'm willing to put in a little bit more effort in my settings and sacrifice a little bit of detail to avoid the mess and hazards of resins, so I tend to think you made the right choice. I don't print miniatures, but I do like to print small things with detail, and I'm very satisfied with the Ender 3 Pro. (Quick edit:) Oh, and I should add, printing with filament gives you a TON more choices both in colors and materials. Resin printing has a lot of catching up to do in that regard.
I think if you are into printing models that have a lot of detail, a resin printer is a great way to capture all that detail. An FDM just isn't going to do it no matter how fine tuned you got it. The key thing is the size. You have a very small build area and while some companies are making Ipad sized resin printers, these smaller machines aren't near that. Maintenance - The LCD screen will fail thanks to the UV. The FEP will fail after enough use or accident. Though FDM's have parts that will need replacement. Smell - Just because you can't smell it doesn't mean nothing is in the air. Odor wise the Anycubic eco resin doesn't really smell terrible. It's closer to a generic plant stem. Anycubic's regular resin is low but not that low. I can still make out some of the odor after clearing the tank and not running for a few days. The eco stuff never stuck. Safety - No one says non toxic. I keep seeing this use for some resins like the plant based stuff by posters but the actual companies have never made that claim. Ease of smell and cleaning, sure but the never claim safe to handle with your bare hands until after curing. I agree with others, an FDM printer should probably be first because if they can't handle that, they can't handle a resin printer. If you are a painter/caster, someone working with similar chemicals that is an exception.This is business as usual. For me I take 5 to 10 minute between the clean to putting it under a uv lamp. I wear a mask and gloves but I think I've done more clean up with FDM with all the support and filament bits. Cleaning wise, beside IPA, there are some effective but less smelly and safer chemicals to use that are worth exploring. There is definitely an opportunity for a solid cleaning station that goes from the tank to the UV without ever being exposed. The Mars Pro might help address the fumes a little more but I feel like the fumes pop up after the print is done and the lid is off. I'm loving the mars right now. Will I feel the same in a year?
I've been thinking about a resin printer, so I found this very informative. I print for fun and, to be honest, resin sounds like way too much hassle. And I wouldn't know how to dispose of the chemicals. I'll stick with filament for now. Thanks!
This is a good video and does a good job of showing who would need a resin printer, albeit not overtly. If you just look at the prints you can tell that the two types of printing have different use cases. If I'm printing miniatures for tabletop gaming I'm printing them in resin. If I'm printing a sliced up stature of Spiderman that I plan on assembling and painting then I'm going resin. If I'm going to print parts bins to put into a storage container I'm going FDM. Same with printing terrain pieces or buildings for tabletop gaming. It's all about the level of detail you want and how much post processing you want to do (ie sanding, priming, sanding again, priming again, sanding again, painting vs cure, light sand, prime, paint) to get the detail you need. Good video.
Thomas, curious to know what you think about the printer after a few months. Also I see the Mars pro is coming out in a month. Any thoughts on waiting for the new version vs buying this one.
Waiting for my Orange 30 tracking number from the Kickstarter. Will be using a sonicator with yellow magic 7 instead of alcohol and UV nail curing hood
Just a heads up they just announced the Mars pro today on twitter runs I believe $300 has the USB moved to the front and they added a charcoal filter to it and a few other updates to the unit.
HELP! Just got a Elegoo Mars and can’t find any ipa alcohol anywhere to clean the resin tank any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated thanks in advance.😀😀😀
What if you left the resin waste water out in an open container to evaporate down? Once reduced to something more solid (or goopy), could you just toss it into the trash?
Will a resin printer lose it's mind during a print like my filament printer? It seems like, due to the simpler mechanics of the process, the resin printer would be way more reliable during printing and if there's problems it would be more chemical with the brand of resin used?
15:31 The LCD on my Orange 10 failed after just a few bottles of resin. I don't know if it was the uv that caused it but it was totally dead. Cost me $20 to get a replacement and install it myself.
Hi Thomas, I'm very torn between this and the SL1 - I can afford both, but naturally the Elegoo Mars I can afford a LOT more resin to go with it. Are you considering a comparison video at all?
Where did you get that led!!! Ive taken apart a 20W UV flood lamp and im currently doing the electronics to fit it into my DIY UV chamber, i wish i had that!
I like to buy a 3D printer and I was wondering what is your suggestion for a beginner. What printer to get at a about $500? To make tools or things around the house. Something that can be upgrade with time. Any suggestions will be great.
Can you reuse the left over resin? I'm trying to figure out what's more cost effective to sell 3D printed stuff online, Resin or regular 3D filament prints.
I will stick to PLA and PET-G. For me resin is too much hassle and too dangerous just for DIY use. Eventually I'll just send my model to print somewhere. But I'd like to say that a sponsorship part was done very well in this video. I mean it didn't feel like it was forced placed sponsored content. Just announced and explained. Keep going forward! 👍
I've had one about 6 months and I've got it down to a fine art, its not as messy as people make out, i don't get any on my hands, i don't even need gloves, flick the model straight into a sonic bath for 5 minutes, wash the bed with a toothbrush and solvent whilst holding it by the large nut then sit it on a piece of paper towel, unscrew the bath and place it on another paper towel, put paper over the bottom lcd and loosen the grub screws on the bed "before" you place it back on the machine, (so it cant just drop like Thomas's did). level the bed, tighten the nuts, raise the bed, remove the paper and replace the tank, put the lid back on and turn the machine off. by now ya models just finishing cleaning so take ya it out the bath, at this point the flash comes of easiest while its still soft so clean it up now and then stick it under a uv nail hardener lamp for 10 minutes....job done, no mess
I've had a Prusa FDM printer since 2017 and an Elegoo Mars since July. Both do great and both have their + and -. The quality from the Mars prints are amazing; if you understand and can deal with the negatives then the resin printer is great. If you don't have the right environment then the Mars isn't a good choice. I have mine vented outside and other safety measures in place. Tom, do you have an Prusa SL1 review unit coming up? It'd be really interesting to see a comparison, especially with the price, features and technology differences.
Tom, For me personally I have a hard time dealing with the smell and all the safety precautions involved with the technology. I have a anycubic photon and am planning to put it up for sale. I am considering maybe going with the prusa sl1 with the washing curing station as it would be less messy and alot easier to deal with.
The SL1 is going to have I'd say 90% of the same draw-backs as the Photon/Mars. The Prusa is a much "safer" print, with all of air-filters and such. The included post-print station is handy, but doesn't get you away from the gloves, smells and safety issues. If you're having problems with your Photon, I'd heavy consider the SL1 choice before dropping like $2k.
Definitely for sure. The biggest thing Is the smell. I would have to install an air infiltration system. And thats going to cost more. I ordered the prusa mini and I'm going to experiment with 2.5 nozzle for my smaller stuff. Thanks for your suggestions I appreciate it.
My printer is going through the process, but I don’t have a finished product....some random soft chunks left over at the end, nothing printed or stuck to the lift.....any suggestions?
Not for me but I can see applications that others would like. I think the SL1 is a better option but at a price and still with risky handling properties. I'll stick to FDM and work with small nozzles for higher resolution in the rare cases I'd need it.
Not contesting the hazardous waste line, but just wondering aloud. Can't you just evap the IPA and cure what's left, then drop the dust into the trash? Speculating as someone who hasn't ever S'd an LA, but if IPA interfered with curing, then I'd imagine it'd ruin the integrity of a lot of prints just to wash them before curing.
Here is what I would like to see tested: can you do "print in place" mechanical things in a resin printer like you would on an FDM printer? All in one gear assemblies and the like.
Vielen Dank für dein Video. Mich interessiert wo Du die "Bath packs" bezogen hast. Verwendest Du dann für jede Farbe ein eigenes Pack? Ist die Lagerung / Aushärtung dann kein Problem? Liebe Grüsse
I think that resin printers are a lot of hassle and are for people who have a lot of experience with 3D printing. I think that a person could get a resin printer after getting an fdm printer.
Thank you sir. We will be purchasing one because of the clean prints we’ve been using filament for last seven or eight years and are just getting tired of the Cleanup time before we send it to the Casting department
I’m considering purchasing one, but the fumes are a concern. Would I be able to store/print in a garage with the Elego mars or any resin printer? I’m wondering if it would be too hot for the printer or the resin as the garage is not insulated
Small correction on the NordVPN integration by someone who actually knows this stuff: ruclips.net/video/WVDQEoe6ZWY/видео.html
Are you doing a video on building that uv light?
Nice Hoodie, what brand is it if I may ask?
@@Tabaskuh Naketano
vpn are a scam anyway. You naughty youtuber.
ID on that sweater?
When someone tells me something is safe because it is "all natural" I remind them that asbestos is all natural.
And Uranium. And Ricin. And botulinum toxin. And…
Oil, coal and gas are too...
Probably the most polluting than everything else.
It's cheaper than my first FDM printer was... Oh dear. Why do I feel you have made up my mind for me? Am I really that weak?
Also Nightshade, Hemlock, poison ivy, poison oak, many/most toadstools, etc... Face it, nature just wants to kill us.
Don’t forget poison mushrooms. They are natural and plant based doesn’t mean anything either.
I love my Elegoo Mars printer, but I did run into a pretty serious flaw 2 weeks into using it. The FEP film on the bottom of the print tray can get stuck to the LCD from suction when printing large parts. During one long print, I heard a pop and the display showed an error citing LCD issues. It turns out that the FEP film had gotten stuck to the LCD, and when the print arm tried to raise the print between layers, it actually yanked the LCD out of the machine by about a cm, which also destroyed the ribbon cable attached to the LCD. I returned the printer for a new one, and also found out that most people prevent this sticking by putting a thin layer of scotch or masking tape along the left and right edges of the LCD, so that the FEP can never fully stick. Since adding the tape, I haven't had another problem, but it's definitely something to be aware of.
I saw the tape mod on some random review video; sure it's saved me from having this issue. Good info for new buyers for sure though.
I tried to order an Elegoo Mars printer last week but they were all sold out. I just checked again and they're in stock. I should receive the printer on Tuesday.
I'll make sure and use some tape so I don't have the FEP film problem. Thanks for warning us.
Do you guys know which resin will produce the strongest parts? I'm hoping to print robot parts.
@@ddegn I've been using their Gray ABS-Like resin, and it's pretty strong. I'm not sure that it's as strong as ABS, but it's definitely stronger than the translucent resin I've used.
@@delsydsoftware I just checked my order and I had included a bottle their Gray ABS-Like resin. I'll be able to test it out when the printer arrives. Thanks for reply.
Wow, that's pretty bad. At least, you were able to return it.
I'm using an Anycubic Photon which works just like the Mars (afaik), now I'm a little worried. Gonna google if that's also an issue with the Photon.
I'm glad you mentioned the hazardous waste aspect of these types of machines. People seem to gloss over not only the health dangers of the resin, but the by products of processing the prints.
Resin is made out of urethane which only low VOC can be use in california.
I kept having trouble with my prints being upside down, I am so glad you showed me a solution in this video. Now I just have to figure out who keeps inverting my spoons...
Until I saw this video, with its amazing solution, I was fixing the upside-down problem in Photoshop. It works, but Tom's idea is so much better!
There is no spoon
@@TheFujin YES!!!
Dealing with the chemicals sounds like a pain, but not very different from a number of other Maker media: woodworking (finishes, strippers, and some wood species' sawdusts are toxic), olde-tyme photography (various developers), working with metals such as antique clocks and jewelry (lead and other toxic metals), even dollmaking (ceramic dust can damage your lungs).
My rules of thumb for any Making are: Find non-toxic alternatives when possible; strictly follow the safety instructions; read the warnings on the Material Safety Data Sheets; consider the impact on the planet as well has your home.
Thanks for the very informative video!
That is a great philosophy....👍
Wtf are you talking about? When do you use lead in metalworking?
@@BradfordNeedham Yeah, that's not really metalworking. It's also not toxic unless you eat it.
Tom, glad you mentioned those resins are nasty, but really there has to be some emphasis that they are TOXIC in the monomer state. So when those are still liquid they are really toxic long term. I noticed many RUclipsrs under estimate that. Those acrylic resins become totally safe once totally polymerised but before being really cured they are really toxic.
the lines appear when the resin doesnt fully detach from the fep, you can change how much the thing lifts form the fep when it finishes a layer
Nice man! Excited to see you working with the Elegoo Mars! My fav resin printer at the moment.
Really depends on what you're trying to do. If your into miniatures and strength isn't the priority resin is the best way to go. I got into metal casting, and for making small detailed things like coins, resin definalty has advantages, like you don't need to sand, prime, paint, and sand again to get rid of layer lines. If your trying to make functional parts, FDM is the way to go, many more strong material choices. But resins are getting better and you are starting to see more options like, tuff resinsand even flexible resins.
The best tip I've ever used is to do the final cure with the part submerged in water. It prevents oxygen from reaching the part, which prevents the outer surface from curing fully.
Could you describe your setup a little please?
But water is made up of.... nevermind fam
There is an issue with the center curing more than the outer edges when you print a solid models like you have you won't notice this issue but when you start printing models where you have to fine-tune the burn time just right you have to get it as low as possible so that you don't fuse movable printing place links for example if you wanted to print the flexi butterfly this becomes a problem when I tried to fill the bed plate with multiple little butterflies the ones on the outside edge didn't cook enough and malformed but if I adjusted it upward the center fused a minor issue for most people but it is an issue you have to be aware of
To greatly extend the life of the machine use Clear resin this allows you to use much much shorter burn times per layer and you can use your 0.1mm layer Heights
Because of the near-perfect layer alignment and consistency that a resin printer gives you 0.1 layers look far superior and you still can't see the laser lights just enable anti-aliasing for the low resolution screen 1440p is actually pretty low resolution in this regard
I have otherwise been extremely pleased with my ellegoo Mars although the newer machines with Matrix array LED's should work a lot better
One of the reasons why Elegoo Mars stood out is that it was the first 1440p "very cheap" MSLA printer in a sea of 1080p ones (that many others YT channels reviewed). It doesn't sound like much, but the difference is very noticeable.
what does 1400p mean im new to this
@@paulhunter123 These printers use repurposed LCD screens (like the one on your phone). 1440p resolution > 1080p resolution.
My experience with resin printers Has taught me that it is not so much the hardware but the resin and resin settings that contribute to great parts or failed parts.
"shito-box" just amazing
I predict a renaming coming up.
How about PizzPrint, or LiquidCrap?
Elegoo illegal-o
Ahahahahaha, everytime he said it!
chi tu bed
My cat uses it. But we don’t own a sla printer.
EXTREMELY comprehensive video, thank you so much. I've been thinking about getting an elegoo mars, but after watching this, while I still like the concept, I think a filament printer will be a better option for me. Thank you for this thorough look into the product!
2:33 /* This printer, actually, prints all your parts upside down. But you can just flip them, once they done. */
Quite useful advice! :)
Thanks, Tom!
I was about to flip my printer upside down, I'm glad I heard this brilliant advice! xD
😆🤣😆🤣
Until recently, I have had ZERO interest in resin printing. Now, with the significant price drop, I am considering making a purchase. However, Tom hit on one thing I had never even considered: proper disposal of waste products. I don't know why I had not considered this. But I didn't until he mentioned it in this video. Does anyone know of a resource describing how to handle this part? Tom briefly touched on it but only indicated that he now had a tub of "hazardous waste". I don't like the idea of turning my home into a a hazardous waste storage facility. It would be good to know how to properly handle this material.
Careful shaking the resin, every brand I've used ends up leaking at the cap. I use a paper towel wrapped around the top whenever I shake it.
I'd love to see you extensively review the Prusa SL1 and the Curing/Washing machine. I think Prusa was trying to make the process as easy as possible (of course you still have to get resin in and out of the machine).
It shouldn't be to difficult to design a system that keeps light out of the resin/printing area yet still lets us top-up & remove the print safely. I think designers need to stop copying each other & obsessing over appearance as this is the Enemy of Well Designed Invention.
I am absolutely in love with my resin SLA printer. I have an Epax X1 that is very similar to the Mars, it has a few ease of living items (factory bed plate leveling, no need to ever level it again, that type of thing), but both of them are light years better than an FDM printer for miniatures and high detail items.
Little off topic but with plastic and resin printers being so common, I wonder why no home solutions for powder based printing. It sounds like it has some benefits like not needing to print supports and a lot of materials.
Years ago someone asked me about these higher quality one that uses 'liquid' and why didn't I own such printer that time for very detailed print quality. It is just too much hassle for me to use resin printer. Everything about the 'hassle' to handle a resin been discussed several times and I probably won't ever gonna touch resin printer anyway.
Hi Thomas! Been a fan for a long time :D
Could you tell me what your main camera is? Que quality is amazing!
Purchased one of these about 2 months ago. After stumbling through a few prints with clear resin, I found my groove with some Elegoo grey. The quality and precision are amazing. I've created prints with a resolution higher than my eyes can even see.
As for your "lines" . . . I use a 12s ON-1s OFF exposure for (non clear) resins as the resin still hardens slightly after exposure. I don't have any lines that are detectable with out careful inspection or a magnifying glass.
If you have trouble with a hollowed model and not getting all the uncured resin from inside it, I’ve found a syringe with a coarse needle (1mm) filled with IPA is great for that.
With resin printers, you need to have a use for it. Like minis for example, your not going to get the quality and speed with FDM compared to resin. You CAN get good FDM minis but with the expense of time, where you could print a whole plate full in the same time as a single one. (Assuming the z height is the same) it has many advantages in that respect. For larger or strength required parts, FDM wins all day everyday. Resin is very brittle even tho it has a high tensile strength.
For me I mostly print minis and arts and crafty things so resin is amazing. The details are epic, not having to sand as much (just supports) is absolutely worth the added expense over FDM for post processing.
The wash set-up, I see non-issue with Ikea containers vs some ridiculously overpriced container system, like the forms station. There's no way you can justify spending that much money for what it does. There just containers... And you can print a mount to hold the plate in the bath. Which also is a great way to cut down on mess and gloves.
I do agree they should supply a proper curing light but that would be added cost and it easy to source a cheap UV light setup.
I simply transfer my plate onto amount and let it soak in a container without even using a glove, because I'm only touching the knob to unbolt the plate from the printer. I only wear when handling uncured prints or cleaning. Rubber reusable kitchen gloves are also a much better solution to wasting hundreds of gloves.
The smell I also found varies per brand of resin and by the person. I personally am not slightly bothered by the smell. I smell way worse at work lol but that's my opinion (and many others) my gf HATES when I print ABS filament and says it stinks but has never said anything about the resin.
Ultimately it depends what you wanna make/print. I personally like having both resin and FDM printers. Miniatures and small detail items are great in resin and larger prints in FDM.
I recently made a Rick Sanchez mask and printed all in PLA and printed the eyes in resin as I KNEW the hole would be an issue with FDM or require some post processing. Where the resin eyes came out flawless.
You can't really say one's better than the other when they both have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Hi Thomas. I love your videos. Could you please film with a more wider depth of field next time you show printed parts? The DOF is so narrow that I just can't see the quality of the print very well. Keep it up!
must use all aperture... need moooore bokeh :D
@@АлексейА-й3н bokeh man bad
Thanks for this very thorough overview. I was curious but now seeing what is all involved, I dont think its something I want to get involved with right now! Keep up the great work!
So, if I do not have the space to place one anywhere other than my bedroom (sharing apartment with a friend), a resin printer would just be a no go? How bad are the fumes? Can it be solved with a bunch of open windows etc. or would you guys just say no to that?
If so, my understanding is that most filament/FDM printers just aren't detailed enough for finer miniatures where detail is very important, which is what I'm mainly interested in printing. Is this supposition wrong?
In Chitubox you can add and change the size, depth and location of any holes you want to add to the model.
You've answered all my questions re. resin printing plus informed me of a load of details I wasn't aware of. Thank you so much.
if the washed IPA is now "hazardous waste" how do you dispose of it? No one seems to touch on that and I'm willing to bet people say "Don't put this down the drain, now look away while I put this down the drain".
I just bought a Elegoo mars for making parts for models, scratch builds and such. not some thing I can use a FDM printer for, but I will most likely make some sort of contraption/box thingy-ma-bob I can stick the printer in too, and vent out the fumes to the outside.
Wow - this was great! I've got (2) Mars units and (3) Ender 3's in my "farm" and I was definitely concerned at what the verdict here would be. This video was straightforward, honest, and impartial.
Also - thank you so much for responsibly discussing the safety piece. So many other content creators are glossing over it or dismissing it. One of the downsides of bringing these printers to the mass-affordable segment is that so many people are expressing their "opinions" on the resin and that "It's fine, it's never affected me." As you said in the video, it isn't a question of "if" there will be a problem, rather when that problem will arise. There are serious long term concerns if you don't protect yourself from exposure to absorption of the uncured material.
What’s your ventilation system like? And do you rent a property to hold all your resin printers?
@@asive7612 I run a negative pressure cabinet for my resin units that vents outside. The cabinet is in a negative pressure room where all my other FDM printers reside. Makeup air comes from an intake on the opposite side of the house.
Chitu Box has a feature in the menu for adding holes to the print and will even then add the removed hole "plug" to the print bed automatically so after printing you can just put the plug into the appropriate hole.
Also, you should have 1 hole at the top and 1 at the bottom so that the resin can drain through the low one and air can enter through the upper.
I recently bought a elegoo mars printer and I LOVE it. My biggest issue is sometimes prints don't stick to the inverted base and you won't be able to see if your print stuck to the bed unless it runs for a while and clears the resin tub.
FWIW, the Prusa resins don't smell as strong (they do smell, and I have an open window near my SL1), and they don't burn or even irritate the skin. It's messy, but no worse than paint or glue.
I like the vat pack container approach on the Mars. That's really smart.
But, I really like the washing/curing station with the Prusa (it's not available separately, but it's a huge time and mess saver). If you can try out that system on-channel, you should. Yes, you pay quite a bit for all that, but I don't mind supporting Prusa.
Too late. Bought a Mars 2 weeks ago. The build quality really surprised me.... Very solid construction. Also, worked perfectly out of the box.
I felt like I was cheating. I'm still tweaking my Prusa. With the Mars, I just needed to understand support placement. I've had two failed prints. One was on my support placement and the other was just something went wrong.
I put my printers in a cabinet with dedicated vent system and located on the balcony. in the same time, i noticed that high quality resin doesn't volatilize much? almost no smell(just cost maybe 3 times more). whatever it is, i wear gloves and mask with carbon filter with vent on all the time. take it seriously
You should have far more subscribers than you do. Your channel is one of my go to's on 3d printing. I bought a Prusa MK3S after watching your videos on it and it was possibly the best choice. I even sat through hours (and hours) of your homemade Prusa. Thanks Tom. Much appreciated.
Before going to Resin printers you could also try FDM printing with smaller nozzles. I recently did this to get better details on a small functional part in PETG, and I was really happy with the result. This was on a stock Ender3 pro.
This will for sure not come close to what a resin printer can do. But if you want more detail than what the default 0.4mm FDM does, just spend a couple of bucks on a smaller nozzle.
Maybe an idea for a new video?
There are two of the letter I in aluminium. Check the table of elements
😂
Leave em alone lad ;)
light off time is handy i tend to have it at 6.5 and during long prints i set to 15 seconds. this gives the uv and screen time to cool down between layers and stops the screen from getting burnt out. :) also to help removal of supports. after cleaning. before you cure the parts. use a hairdryer to heat up the supports then then should start to bend and you should be able to brush them off and not have bad pockmarks in the prints. just use an airbrush to dry the ipa of the parts before heating the supports.
Wotrhy to note: chitubox does not notify you that your thumdrive is full. If there isn't enough space to save the print file, it will simply save the images up until the point it is full. When you print the file it will simply freeze at the point the file stopped saving. I had a print failat 78% and assumed it was some sort of power flicker as my power company sucks. I tried it again and it did the same thing. I resliced it after clearing space on the thumb drive and it printed fine
ChiTuBox (The one i got with my Mars), actually has a "hole" feature you can use to make a square, round, or hexagonal hole into your hollowed prints to let the goo out and the Alcohol in. There's even an option to "Keep Hole", where it will make a separate body representing the hole it removed so if you like, you can glue the model back together. I don't know if a tolerance is built into that or not, but resin swells slightly as it cures so you could find that the hole needs some help to fit. (I haven't tried printing holes, only snap-fit parts, which worked with about 0.013" tolerance between them. I printed Hot Wheels car-sized rims with removable/swappable tires.) The advantage is that if you can be clean about it, you could use uncured resin as glue, and throw it into your curing station to get a good bond.
then how to do dispose of the alcohol after you wash the prints...
How accurate is dimensional tolerance / stability on a resin printer? Detail is one thing, accuracy is another. Can I paint tiny functional mechanical parts?
Great honest review. I know there is a lot of embuggerance using resin but I was happy to take the plunge on this fairly solid and reliable printer. Just wish I could find someone stocking the spare resin tank kits, as changing out is a complete pain!
I am looking hard at the SLA printers, I have an Anycubic FDM printer, and like the brand, but the Elegoo Saturn looks better than the Anycubic Mono X at a much lower price. The Anycubic has a slightly larger Z axis, but that's not worth a $330.00 premium. I hope to have an Elegoo Saturn in my future. Thanks again for the thorough reviews. Something about a German accent that lends credibility to anything technical. Keep up the great content!
How do you dispose of the resin/washing alcohol? How many times can you use the alcohol to wash before you have to dispose of it?
Just leave it sit outside with the top off... evaporation will take care of it for you. just don't leave it in the rain.
After 3 years of FDM printing switched for small parts to SLA printing and I'm never going back to FDM. The dimensional accuracy and surface quality is outstanding. What comes resin smells I havent experienced it the same way as Tom. There are resins with very mild smell, almost odorless. Plant based resins which can be poured to sink. Tough resins outperforming PETG, ABS. Lot of choices here. For additional work required the end result is well worth it. FDM as a technology has reached it's top. Now it's the time of SLA.
Can you put the isprpopyl alcohol jug in full sunlight, so that the alcohol evaporates, and the remaining resin bits cure to little pellets?
Resin printing at time seems interesting, but it's such a hassle compared to FFF... i'd need to have some kind of booth with outdoor air evacuation, a curing station, so many consumables, washing station, gloves, alcohol, waste disposal, plus the cleanup when you inevitably spill something...
Perhaps we're better off waiting for cheap SLS printers? although they are very wasteful, and the fine powder is probably super bad for your lungs...
Yeah you can leave it out or talk to your local chemical waste facilities to see if they will take it. They probably would. Just never dump this stuff down a drain.
Yes resin printing pretty much requires a station. I don't know if you need a hardcore ventilation like Tom has but I would not do this in some tiny little room where fresh air can't be made available. Though maybe you should ask yourself if you should even being doing FDM then.
Waste disposal, what are you doing with supports, failed prints, and just the general debris?
SLS printing?
That's just as dirty. The fumes given off by a high powered laser. Properly cleaning the powder off prints requires a good sized station. With Resin, you shake it a few times in a bottle of IPA. They are developing resins where you just use water and dishsoap. If you handle it properly all the mess you make are from drips of the cleaning liquid in a pan plus the paper towels...
By all means if you don't have the space or want the responsibility, resin printing isn't for you at the moment. Still how far off from FDM is it really?
@@DesignIncase Hello, thanks for your insights. It's not that i don't have the space, but weighting the pro and cons make me want to spend my money and time elsewhere... Sure i'd be glad to print super high quality stuff from time to time. But honestly, i'm not in jewelery, casting, or figurine making. At the price, i considered it, but as a hacker, i think i'd get more use of a laser cutter (yes, it also requires fumes extraction ^^) or simply spend time on my cnc to learn how to use it properly :)
If it wasn't for the waste management, i might have considered it, since costs are low now. But i don't even know if my local waste management facility would know where to put this...
About how far from FFF, there still is an undeniable gap between both, plus the fact that high quality FFF prints means much longer print times, whereas resin printing is much less impacted, as layers are exposed in one go independantly of the surface of the layer (for MSLA at least)
But i wonder how often we really need super detailed prints for our hoby prints...
I worked in a plastic shop for 15 years, and yes you'd must be aware of fumes and hazardous waste handling. Couple of tips 1# to save on ipa put your part in a Ziploc bag and use a ultrasound cleaner with water in it. Make sure the top of the Ziploc bag is sealed and no holes. That way there is no fire hazzard. Tip 2# use a uv lamp on the ipa for a hour or so. Then filter the ipa out. The resin is cured and you can throw away the plastic and reuse the ipa. Tip 3# build a fume hood an vent outdoors. Make a window adaptor similar to a window AC unit adaptor to run your hoses. Can use it also for painting too.
Yes this resin printer can be used for making many things like for metal casting, lab equipment, jewelery and prototyping parts.
I have had lots of hobbies, woodworking and metal working. Fixing old classic cars ect. ect. If you think working with resin is a big hassle then you need to take up knitting.
Oh! go out and buy some finished AD&D models, they cost a small fortune. This is ware you really save money. Have you seen the prices lately.
I came for the printer, now i want your sweater, thats so my style
have an opportunity to buy 3 for 120 each 2 years later. Im gonna do it. what do you think? I have an ender 3 pro currently
Very thoughtful video, Tom. Thanks for that approach. I too find the fumes and the hassles of resin printing to be beyond my threshold of hobby enjoyment.
I just ordered an Ender 3 pro and was wondering if i should have gotten a resin printer since I plan to do a lot of minitures.
After watching this video I'm damn sure I made the right choice. Didn't know there was so much hassle and toxicity to resin print
From a detail perspective, a resin printer certainly wins hands down. But you can get still get some pretty nice prints from FDM printers like the Ender 3. There are a LOT of tips out there on RUclips for doing this, if you haven't discovered them yet already. Personally, I'm willing to put in a little bit more effort in my settings and sacrifice a little bit of detail to avoid the mess and hazards of resins, so I tend to think you made the right choice. I don't print miniatures, but I do like to print small things with detail, and I'm very satisfied with the Ender 3 Pro. (Quick edit:) Oh, and I should add, printing with filament gives you a TON more choices both in colors and materials. Resin printing has a lot of catching up to do in that regard.
Detailed yet concise summary of all the issues around resin printing. Good one! If you like the Mars you would really like the Photon or X1.
I think if you are into printing models that have a lot of detail, a resin printer is a great way to capture all that detail. An FDM just isn't going to do it no matter how fine tuned you got it.
The key thing is the size. You have a very small build area and while some companies are making Ipad sized resin printers, these smaller machines aren't near that.
Maintenance - The LCD screen will fail thanks to the UV. The FEP will fail after enough use or accident. Though FDM's have parts that will need replacement.
Smell - Just because you can't smell it doesn't mean nothing is in the air. Odor wise the Anycubic eco resin doesn't really smell terrible. It's closer to a generic plant stem. Anycubic's regular resin is low but not that low. I can still make out some of the odor after clearing the tank and not running for a few days. The eco stuff never stuck.
Safety - No one says non toxic. I keep seeing this use for some resins like the plant based stuff by posters but the actual companies have never made that claim. Ease of smell and cleaning, sure but the never claim safe to handle with your bare hands until after curing.
I agree with others, an FDM printer should probably be first because if they can't handle that, they can't handle a resin printer. If you are a painter/caster, someone working with similar chemicals that is an exception.This is business as usual.
For me I take 5 to 10 minute between the clean to putting it under a uv lamp. I wear a mask and gloves but I think I've done more clean up with FDM with all the support and filament bits.
Cleaning wise, beside IPA, there are some effective but less smelly and safer chemicals to use that are worth exploring. There is definitely an opportunity for a solid cleaning station that goes from the tank to the UV without ever being exposed.
The Mars Pro might help address the fumes a little more but I feel like the fumes pop up after the print is done and the lid is off.
I'm loving the mars right now. Will I feel the same in a year?
Looks like a nice, fair review. Thanks Tom!
I'm scared this will make my dogs sick if I do it in the art room with ventilation when the dogs are in the front room. Will they be OK?
I've been thinking about a resin printer, so I found this very informative. I print for fun and, to be honest, resin sounds like way too much hassle. And I wouldn't know how to dispose of the chemicals. I'll stick with filament for now. Thanks!
What is it used for? And why is there other versions that seem to be the same. Mars, mercury, Saturn etc
This is a good video and does a good job of showing who would need a resin printer, albeit not overtly. If you just look at the prints you can tell that the two types of printing have different use cases. If I'm printing miniatures for tabletop gaming I'm printing them in resin. If I'm printing a sliced up stature of Spiderman that I plan on assembling and painting then I'm going resin. If I'm going to print parts bins to put into a storage container I'm going FDM. Same with printing terrain pieces or buildings for tabletop gaming. It's all about the level of detail you want and how much post processing you want to do (ie sanding, priming, sanding again, priming again, sanding again, painting vs cure, light sand, prime, paint) to get the detail you need. Good video.
Thomas, curious to know what you think about the printer after a few months. Also I see the Mars pro is coming out in a month. Any thoughts on waiting for the new version vs buying this one.
Waiting for my Orange 30 tracking number from the Kickstarter. Will be using a sonicator with yellow magic 7 instead of alcohol and UV nail curing hood
Just a heads up they just announced the Mars pro today on twitter runs I believe $300 has the USB moved to the front and they added a charcoal filter to it and a few other updates to the unit.
HELP! Just got a Elegoo Mars and can’t find any ipa alcohol anywhere to clean the resin tank any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated thanks in advance.😀😀😀
What if you left the resin waste water out in an open container to evaporate down? Once reduced to something more solid (or goopy), could you just toss it into the trash?
Great sponsor but who makes your jumper?For me the downsides out way the quality. Definitely need a dedicated space for these.
Will a resin printer lose it's mind during a print like my filament printer? It seems like, due to the simpler mechanics of the process, the resin printer would be way more reliable during printing and if there's problems it would be more chemical with the brand of resin used?
15:31 The LCD on my Orange 10 failed after just a few bottles of resin. I don't know if it was the uv that caused it but it was totally dead. Cost me $20 to get a replacement and install it myself.
Hi Thomas, I'm very torn between this and the SL1 - I can afford both, but naturally the Elegoo Mars I can afford a LOT more resin to go with it. Are you considering a comparison video at all?
Where did you get that led!!! Ive taken apart a 20W UV flood lamp and im currently doing the electronics to fit it into my DIY UV chamber, i wish i had that!
Link in the video description 😉
I like to buy a 3D printer and I was wondering what is your suggestion for a beginner. What printer to get at a about $500? To make tools or things around the house. Something that can be upgrade with time. Any suggestions will be great.
Ender3
Free idea for resin printer manufacturers: make a compartment at the bottom of the printer for curing parts with the same UV LED.
YES! I spent 60 hours printing a curing enclosure with a tevo tornado
Can you reuse the left over resin? I'm trying to figure out what's more cost effective to sell 3D printed stuff online, Resin or regular 3D filament prints.
Just a heads up! Their Pro model comes out for $300 in November, and has a bunch of improvements.
I will stick to PLA and PET-G. For me resin is too much hassle and too dangerous just for DIY use. Eventually I'll just send my model to print somewhere.
But I'd like to say that a sponsorship part was done very well in this video. I mean it didn't feel like it was forced placed sponsored content. Just announced and explained. Keep going forward! 👍
I've had one about 6 months and I've got it down to a fine art, its not as messy as people make out, i don't get any on my hands, i don't even need gloves, flick the model straight into a sonic bath for 5 minutes, wash the bed with a toothbrush and solvent whilst holding it by the large nut then sit it on a piece of paper towel, unscrew the bath and place it on another paper towel, put paper over the bottom lcd and loosen the grub screws on the bed "before" you place it back on the machine, (so it cant just drop like Thomas's did). level the bed, tighten the nuts, raise the bed, remove the paper and replace the tank, put the lid back on and turn the machine off. by now ya models just finishing cleaning so take ya it out the bath, at this point the flash comes of easiest while its still soft so clean it up now and then stick it under a uv nail hardener lamp for 10 minutes....job done, no mess
Thank you. This is very nice review not only of the printer but what is to expect with Resin printing. Kudos!
I've had a Prusa FDM printer since 2017 and an Elegoo Mars since July. Both do great and both have their + and -. The quality from the Mars prints are amazing; if you understand and can deal with the negatives then the resin printer is great. If you don't have the right environment then the Mars isn't a good choice. I have mine vented outside and other safety measures in place.
Tom, do you have an Prusa SL1 review unit coming up? It'd be really interesting to see a comparison, especially with the price, features and technology differences.
If the liquid is toxic how do you get rid of it?
Tom,
For me personally I have a hard time dealing with the smell and all the safety precautions involved with the technology. I have a anycubic photon and am planning to put it up for sale. I am considering maybe going with the prusa sl1 with the washing curing station as it would be less messy and alot easier to deal with.
The SL1 is going to have I'd say 90% of the same draw-backs as the Photon/Mars. The Prusa is a much "safer" print, with all of air-filters and such. The included post-print station is handy, but doesn't get you away from the gloves, smells and safety issues. If you're having problems with your Photon, I'd heavy consider the SL1 choice before dropping like $2k.
Definitely for sure. The biggest thing Is the smell. I would have to install an air infiltration system. And thats going to cost more. I ordered the prusa mini and I'm going to experiment with 2.5 nozzle for my smaller stuff.
Thanks for your suggestions I appreciate it.
So what do you do with the toxic ipa after you rinse the fresh prints if you can’t pour it down the sink? I sure hope people aren’t doing that!
Sorry for this offtopic question, but which hoodie are you wearing in the video? It looks awesome, want to buy it ^_^
Thank you! Really weird to be asking a 3D printing RUclipsr about his wardrobe (looking at you 3DPrintingNerd), but that thing is awesome...
Hi! Im considering buying this printer. What do I do with the chemical waste? Thank you! Great video 😁
My printer is going through the process, but I don’t have a finished product....some random soft chunks left over at the end, nothing printed or stuck to the lift.....any suggestions?
Not for me but I can see applications that others would like. I think the SL1 is a better option but at a price and still with risky handling properties. I'll stick to FDM and work with small nozzles for higher resolution in the rare cases I'd need it.
2 questions: how much ventilation do you need? I’ll be doing this in my basement which is finished. Also where do you dispose of the liquid?
Not contesting the hazardous waste line, but just wondering aloud. Can't you just evap the IPA and cure what's left, then drop the dust into the trash? Speculating as someone who hasn't ever S'd an LA, but if IPA interfered with curing, then I'd imagine it'd ruin the integrity of a lot of prints just to wash them before curing.
So besides being dangerous for health, whatever resin I use leaves hazardous waste for the enviroment?
Here is what I would like to see tested: can you do "print in place" mechanical things in a resin printer like you would on an FDM printer? All in one gear assemblies and the like.
Vielen Dank für dein Video. Mich interessiert wo Du die "Bath packs" bezogen hast. Verwendest Du dann für jede Farbe ein eigenes Pack? Ist die Lagerung / Aushärtung dann kein Problem? Liebe Grüsse
I think that resin printers are a lot of hassle and are for people who have a lot of experience with 3D printing. I think that a person could get a resin printer after getting an fdm printer.
Thank you sir. We will be purchasing one because of the clean prints we’ve been using filament for last seven or eight years and are just getting tired of the Cleanup time before we send it to the Casting department
I’m considering purchasing one, but the fumes are a concern. Would I be able to store/print in a garage with the Elego mars or any resin printer? I’m wondering if it would be too hot for the printer or the resin as the garage is not insulated
Is 3d printing with a machine like this viable to do in a garage with the door closed? (Opening door to air out before entering)
Random but uv lights isn't what burns you from the sun, that's inferred light. UV light can be blue or a purple color or even white