I’ve had an AnyCubic Photon printer for a week now and I thought I’d share my findings on resin based printers vs FDM. I’ve happily owned a Prusa Mk3 for over a year now but this discussion is more about my experience with LCD-based SLA printing. This review is in no way a comparison between my Prusa and a resin based printer, the printing technology is entirely different and both serve their own purpose. I have however included some photos comparing the same print done across FDM and Resin to give you an idea of the insane detail that can be achieved.
Tl;dr At the bottom I’ve included some AnyCubic Photon specific comments
Grey - Prusa, Green - Photon
Pros
Cons
Insane print detail
Smaller print bed size
Clean surface finish
Learning curve, different resins cure differently and at different sizes
Limited moving parts reduce the risk of print failures
Toxicity/Handling
Cheaper reliable printers
Expensive consumables (resin)
Quiet
Smell
I that because an LCD resin printer has so many less moving parts than an FDM printer is one of the reasons the print quality can be so reliable. On FDM printers, errors can occur when too much or too little filament is extruded in place. Then the next time the extruder makes its pass it can’t bind correctly to the previous layer. With 3-axis moving at once this can increase the likelihood of imperfections or the extruder knocking into previous layers. With an LCD, the only movement is up and down. First the resin is cured, then lifted so there is space for more resin to flow beneath, then the next layer cures and so on. Layer separation can still occur due to complicated prints or incorrect exposure time but this is more quantifiable and less random.
Nevertheless it is quite nerve wracking waiting to see if the print turned out to be a success, the first chunk of printing is done in the vat and can’t be seen from the outside until it lifts high enough.
I have seen many comments about the amount of cleaning and prep time needed when using any kind of resin printer. For me this prep time is entirely negligible compared to the amount of hours I would spend sanding down an FDM print to get a smooth finish, while risking losing precious detail. My new workflow is as follows: When printing something for the first time I like to test it out on the Prusa to verify size and functionality, usually printing at 0.15-0.25mm layer heights for speed. Then moving on to the Photon for my final (more expensive) print. This is a great method of “prototyping the prototype” so I don’t waste precious resin on something I’m not sure will work. Larger prints I still prefer to do on the Prusa where detail and surface finish isn't the main goal.
Griffon Skull
Exposure settings are king when it comes to getting the perfect print, too long and the print can come out bloated and less detailed as light bleeds around the edges, too little and the print can separate in the vat. I’ve found 7-9 seconds best for my layers, with smaller layer heights requiring less time to cure. The type of resin also affects the curing time as translucent resins take less time than opaque. For my first print in solid grey I upped my exposure time from 8 to 9 seconds per layer (risky I know). When I pulled the Saru print off of the bed it looked terribly bloated and undefined, only after rinsing it off did I realise it had only been coated in a fine layer of uncured resin. If I had gone straight to a UV bath all that detail would have been lost. Although the detail is amazing I might try dropping the exposure down by a second or 2 to see if I’m missing out on anything. It does feel bad to experiment with such expensive materials but it’s the price we pay for excellence!
Even with a macro lens it's hard to see the layer lines on top
For anyone looking at industrial design I would definitely still recommend FDM for their size and cost efficiency. If you’re looking at doing miniatures or and kind of creative work I can’t recommend a resin based printer enough. Even though everyone says it, the detail you can achieve will blow your mind.
Anycubic Photon Specific Notes:
Initially I had issues with the Photon reading files from ChiTuBox but this was only because I had accidentally chosen the Photon-S profile. Each printer has its own printing file type; .photon and .photons.
I’ve seen a lot of people saying that you should immediately replace the provided USB with your own, so far I’ve seen no reason to do so but time will tell.
When I first received the printer the lead screw was surrounded by a blob of grease, I accidentally smeared this across the LCD panel when moving the resin vat. Best to avoid this at all costs to preserve the integrity of the panel.
I thought for the first 10 or so minutes that the smell was manageable but after that it started to get a bit overwhelming. On the PhotonS there is a carbon filter attached to help with this. Even though I kept the area well ventilated I made sure to put an air filter unit next to the printer in the hopes to eradicate any long term smell sinking in.
When printing the turtle traveller I also printed his lamp although this didn’t stick to the bed properly and instead the base of the printer. I find using more supports is best, it might use a fraction more material but this is preferred over redoing a print that drops off half-way through.
I hope people found this useful if they're on the fence about buying a resin based printer, I used to think I could get all the detail I needed from an FDM but I'm 100% sold on the idea after just a week.
I’ve had an AnyCubic Photon printer for a week now and I thought I’d share my findings on resin based printers vs FDM. I’ve happily owned a Prusa Mk3 for over a year now but this discussion is more about my experience with LCD-based SLA printing. This review is in no way a comparison between my Prusa and a resin based printer, the printing technology is entirely different and both serve their own purpose. I have however included some photos comparing the same print done across FDM and Resin to give you an idea of the insane detail that can be achieved.
Tl;dr At the bottom I’ve included some AnyCubic Photon specific comments
Grey - Prusa, Green - Photon
I that because an LCD resin printer has so many less moving parts than an FDM printer is one of the reasons the print quality can be so reliable. On FDM printers, errors can occur when too much or too little filament is extruded in place. Then the next time the extruder makes its pass it can’t bind correctly to the previous layer. With 3-axis moving at once this can increase the likelihood of imperfections or the extruder knocking into previous layers. With an LCD, the only movement is up and down. First the resin is cured, then lifted so there is space for more resin to flow beneath, then the next layer cures and so on. Layer separation can still occur due to complicated prints or incorrect exposure time but this is more quantifiable and less random.
Nevertheless it is quite nerve wracking waiting to see if the print turned out to be a success, the first chunk of printing is done in the vat and can’t be seen from the outside until it lifts high enough.
I have seen many comments about the amount of cleaning and prep time needed when using any kind of resin printer. For me this prep time is entirely negligible compared to the amount of hours I would spend sanding down an FDM print to get a smooth finish, while risking losing precious detail. My new workflow is as follows: When printing something for the first time I like to test it out on the Prusa to verify size and functionality, usually printing at 0.15-0.25mm layer heights for speed. Then moving on to the Photon for my final (more expensive) print. This is a great method of “prototyping the prototype” so I don’t waste precious resin on something I’m not sure will work. Larger prints I still prefer to do on the Prusa where detail and surface finish isn't the main goal.
Griffon Skull
Exposure settings are king when it comes to getting the perfect print, too long and the print can come out bloated and less detailed as light bleeds around the edges, too little and the print can separate in the vat. I’ve found 7-9 seconds best for my layers, with smaller layer heights requiring less time to cure. The type of resin also affects the curing time as translucent resins take less time than opaque. For my first print in solid grey I upped my exposure time from 8 to 9 seconds per layer (risky I know). When I pulled the Saru print off of the bed it looked terribly bloated and undefined, only after rinsing it off did I realise it had only been coated in a fine layer of uncured resin. If I had gone straight to a UV bath all that detail would have been lost. Although the detail is amazing I might try dropping the exposure down by a second or 2 to see if I’m missing out on anything. It does feel bad to experiment with such expensive materials but it’s the price we pay for excellence!
Even with a macro lens it's hard to see the layer lines on top
For anyone looking at industrial design I would definitely still recommend FDM for their size and cost efficiency. If you’re looking at doing miniatures or and kind of creative work I can’t recommend a resin based printer enough. Even though everyone says it, the detail you can achieve will blow your mind.
Anycubic Photon Specific Notes:
Initially I had issues with the Photon reading files from ChiTuBox but this was only because I had accidentally chosen the Photon-S profile. Each printer has its own printing file type; .photon and .photons.
I’ve seen a lot of people saying that you should immediately replace the provided USB with your own, so far I’ve seen no reason to do so but time will tell.
When I first received the printer the lead screw was surrounded by a blob of grease, I accidentally smeared this across the LCD panel when moving the resin vat. Best to avoid this at all costs to preserve the integrity of the panel.
I thought for the first 10 or so minutes that the smell was manageable but after that it started to get a bit overwhelming. On the PhotonS there is a carbon filter attached to help with this. Even though I kept the area well ventilated I made sure to put an air filter unit next to the printer in the hopes to eradicate any long term smell sinking in.
When printing the turtle traveller I also printed his lamp although this didn’t stick to the bed properly and instead the base of the printer. I find using more supports is best, it might use a fraction more material but this is preferred over redoing a print that drops off half-way through.
I hope people found this useful if they're on the fence about buying a resin based printer, I used to think I could get all the detail I needed from an FDM but I'm 100% sold on the idea after just a week.
Models used in my tests:
Turtle Traveller: https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-print-models/games-toys/game-accessories/turtle-traveller-3d-printable-character
Saru Head: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3529997
Loxodon: https://www.patreon.com/dcatabletop
Euro for Scale
Design | Create | Assemble
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