Anything Photon Anycubic Photon 3D printer

[bootneck]

Very true, new machines, associated software and of course the resins will all come along in bigger, better and cheaper mediums as time goes on.  However, how long do you wait?  By the time the Saturn, or any similar device becomes avalailable, and affordable, there will be hints and rumours of an even better system; and that will go on ad-infinitum.   I am old enough to remember the original hype over copy printers for home use; before them, you had to take your copy down to the library to get photocopying done.   It was just the same then, do I go for this monochrome, one sheet at a time copy, or shall I wait for the prospective auto-sheet feeder version?  But wait, there is rumour of a colour printer being developed etc., etc.

Neither the Photon or the Eligoo are Silver Bullets, they are just affordable, entry level devices that we cut our teeth on.  I am already seeing FDM printer owners moving to the resin printers and can see us, me included, moving up to better quality printers as they become more readily available and affordable.   For the moment though, the Photon is a good learning tool for this 72 year old duffer on my pension.  Now, where did I put that manual? 

 

Mike

[nheather]

15 hours ago, bootneck said:

Very true, new machines, associated software and of course the resins will all come along in bigger, better and cheaper mediums as time goes on.  However, how long do you wait?  By the time the Saturn, or any similar device becomes avalailable, and affordable, there will be hints and rumours of an even better system; and that will go on ad-infinitum.   I am old enough to remember the original hype over copy printers for home use; before them, you had to take your copy down to the library to get photocopying done.   It was just the same then, do I go for this monochrome, one sheet at a time copy, or shall I wait for the prospective auto-sheet feeder version?  But wait, there is rumour of a colour printer being developed etc., etc.

Neither the Photon or the Eligoo are Silver Bullets, they are just affordable, entry level devices that we cut our teeth on.  I am already seeing FDM printer owners moving to the resin printers and can see us, me included, moving up to better quality printers as they become more readily available and affordable.   For the moment though, the Photon is a good learning tool for this 72 year old duffer on my pension.  Now, where did I put that manual? 

 

Mike

All true, but that wasn’t quite what I was saying.  The question was specifically about the Photon S.  I replied saying that the Standard Photon anniversary sale was excellent suggesting that there was no reason not to go for that but the Photon S is not on sale and pretty expensive - so if looking to spend that sort of money, rather than a Photon S I would look at the Saturn (and similar) due out this Autumn.

 

And I was never suggesting waiting years for new technology, just a few months.

 

Plus, for the record, I think the Photon deal was terrific value.  It was the that I was unsure about the printer that caused me to hesitate, it was that I was questioning whether I wanted to get drawn into any more 3D printers.  The only interest I have is printing wargaming figures.

 

So far I have spent £200 on an Anet A8 (utter waste of money), £200 on an Ender 3 (good printer) - but what have I actually printed other than curios, nothing.

 

If I did not have a printer at all, or even if I just had the A8 rotting on the shelf I would have jumped at the Proton.  But as it is I’m evaluating the actual need - plus I think the bed size is really marginal for 28mm AFVs.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

[Pouln]

11 hours ago, nheather said:

Now the 4K vs 2K is not that important in my opinion - in theory, 4K will mean finer detail but in reality I doubt you will be able to tell the difference.

Actually The dpi value for the 4k screen of the Saturn vs the 2k screen of the Mars (both Elegoo), is about the same as the 4K screen is much bigger than the other. So resolution is comparable between the two printers.

[nheather]

4 hours ago, Pouln said:

Actually The dpi value for the 4k screen of the Saturn vs the 2k screen of the Mars (both Elegoo), is about the same as the 4K screen is much bigger than the other. So resolution is comparable between the two printers.

Good point hadn’t thought of that.  Explains why in the reviews people were saying that they couldn't see any significant difference.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

[Schwarz-Brot]

One thing is sure - I'll get me a Saturn if money allows. Which shouldn't be a problem.

[FZ6]

On 8/22/2020 at 11:54 PM, nheather said:

The Saturn is by Elegoo, but I reckon there will be others similar, they are the next generation, which will use 4K monochrome LCDs.

 

It is the LCD that cures the resin and the current technology tends to use 2K colour screens, basically mobile phone screens.

 

Now the 4K vs 2K is not that important in my opinion - in theory, 4K will mean finer detail but in reality I doubt you will be able to tell the difference.

 

The biggest improvement is the specially made monochrome LCD.  The resin doesn’t need colour LCDs but the mobile phone screens available are colour.   What the dedicated monochrome screen offers is

 

1) much brighter so much faster curing times, less time to complete the print

2) bigger screen, so bigger build plate, means bigger models

3) allegedly more reliable.  The 2K colour mobile phone screens have a high failure rate when used in resin printers

 

The 4k monochrome printers will be more expensive, but maybe similar to Photon S money - that’s why I suggest not to buy a Photon S now, but wait a few months to see what the new technology is like.

 

The Photon standard deal is very good though, if there is any more European stock.  But I reckon that will become standard price for the 2K printers when the 4K ones get released.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

 

 

Thanks for the information here, it's really useful.  When there was talk of screens on here, I thought it was the touch screen to operate the printer that was being discussed so thought the quality wouldn't be a big deal but now I realise that the screen is used for the actual printing so I can see how a 4k screen would be benificial.

 

I think that the information in this thread is making me come to the conclusion that if I can get a photon as part of the deal, I'll get one but as I won't be able to print what I want until I've learned the software and designed the items I want to print and this will take time so I can potentially hang on until I'm getting ready to do this then see what is out there once I'm at this stage. If the Saturn is released soon then that would give me a bigger print area. However, I think at the current price, the wash and cure machine sure sounds like it's worth purchasing.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[Pouln]

According Elegoo, general availability of the Saturn (through Amazon) should be October this year. No mention about amounts vs expected demand.

[nheather]

13 hours ago, FZ6 said:

Thanks for the information here, it's really useful.  When there was talk of screens on here, I thought it was the touch screen to operate the printer that was being discussed so thought the quality wouldn't be a big deal but now I realise that the screen is used for the actual printing so I can see how a 4k screen would be benificial.

 

I think that the information in this thread is making me come to the conclusion that if I can get a photon as part of the deal, I'll get one but as I won't be able to print what I want until I've learned the software and designed the items I want to print and this will take time so I can potentially hang on until I'm getting ready to do this then see what is out there once I'm at this stage. If the Saturn is released soon then that would give me a bigger print area. However, I think at the current price, the wash and cure machine sure sounds like it's worth purchasing.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

Bear in mind the Saturn is going to be substantially more expensive than the Photon, because it is newer technology and bigger.  I still think the Photon is a viable consideration especially at the discounted price - I’d also guess that when the 4k printers come out in the Autumn that discount price may become the norm for 2k printers.

 

The real point I was making is that I wouldn't consider the Photon S right now because its price is too close to what the Saturn and other 4k printers will be.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

[Bozothenutter]

13 hours ago, FZ6 said:

Thanks for the information here, it's really useful.  When there was talk of screens on here, I thought it was the touch screen to operate the printer that was being discussed so thought the quality wouldn't be a big deal but now I realise that the screen is used for the actual printing so I can see how a 4k screen would be benificial.

 

I think that the information in this thread is making me come to the conclusion that if I can get a photon as part of the deal, I'll get one but as I won't be able to print what I want until I've learned the software and designed the items I want to print and this will take time so I can potentially hang on until I'm getting ready to do this then see what is out there once I'm at this stage. If the Saturn is released soon then that would give me a bigger print area. However, I think at the current price, the wash and cure machine sure sounds like it's worth purchasing.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

Hi Mark,

 

That is the path I'm following now.

Started messing with F360 first (finally!)

then started thinking about printing, quickly realised SLA printing is best for scale modelling.

I thought I'd cut my teeth on a budget printer first, so I would be able to make a better descision when upgrading.

Then the Photon offer happened, and my inner tinkerer took over......🤣

 

 

Still waiting for my wash&cure and resins though.

Took the precaution of ordering  spare screen and resin vat and FEP film, as sh*t happens.

 

Not a single print done yet, have been practicing levelling though.

 

impressions of the machine so far:

 

- it is a budget machine, and it shows.

  Fasteners are cheap and soft (i'm replacing mine with better quality ones)

  Machining/finishing was kept to a minimum, mating surfaces aren't always quite flat, some small burrs were present on some threads

  Fans are functional, cheap and loud, (will be replacing them with higher quality silent ones with higher CFM so they can be run slower)

  Wiring inside is loose, not unsafe loose, just untidy loose. (I might be adding zip-tie here and there)

 

But in spite of the above, for €150 I can't fault the build quality

  

[nheather]

Anycubic’s answer to the Saturn - The Anycubic Photon Mono X

 

 

 

Also, Anycubic are just about to release the Photon Mono 2K.  Basically a standard Photon but with a mono screen.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

[Pouln]

Ah great. Good that there is competition for the Saturn. I’m not surprised as there must have been a reason for them to sell the Photon at this very low price.

The reason is clear now. They are emptying their warehouses to make room for the photon Mono X.

[xvtonker]

On 8/7/2020 at 5:11 PM, bootneck said:

I've had my Photon for a couple of months and I find the results are as good as standard resin items that have been cast from a master mould.  I'm sure that I read somewhere that an aftermarket producer does this.  They design the master in CAD and then print it on the 3D printer.  Because of the long time to print, they then make a cast of the 3D item and then fast-cast, using the pour into mould method, to produce quantities of items quickly.

 

Getting back to resin 3D printers, here are some views of a 1:144 scale Jolly Green Giant/Pelican test print I did earlier. 

As can be seen, the surface is smooth and there are no grooves or lines.

 

 

Mike

Nice build Mike,

 

I'm hanging on until the new Elegoo Mars 2 Pro that's due for release next month. It's got a monochrome LED screen for longer life and faster printing.

 

XVTonker

[nheather]

1 hour ago, Pouln said:

Ah great. Good that there is competition for the Saturn. I’m not surprised as there must have been a reason for them to sell the Photon at this very low price.

The reason is clear now. They are emptying their warehouses to make room for the photon Mono X.

Not just that, they are about to release a standard photon with a mono 2k screen, will print a lot faster.  Rumoured it will be pitched at $250.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

 

 

[Pouln]

Ok, progress, I’d say. Not a big surprise actually.

[plasticguy]

23 hours ago, Bozothenutter said:

Hi Mark,

 

That is the path I'm following now.

Started messing with F360 first (finally!)

then started thinking about printing, quickly realised SLA printing is best for scale modelling.

I thought I'd cut my teeth on a budget printer first, so I would be able to make a better descision when upgrading.

Then the Photon offer happened, and my inner tinkerer took over......🤣

 

 

Still waiting for my wash&cure and resins though.

Took the precaution of ordering  spare screen and resin vat and FEP film, as sh*t happens.

 

Not a single print done yet, have been practicing levelling though.

 

impressions of the machine so far:

 

- it is a budget machine, and it shows.

  Fasteners are cheap and soft (i'm replacing mine with better quality ones)

  Machining/finishing was kept to a minimum, mating surfaces aren't always quite flat, some small burrs were present on some threads

  Fans are functional, cheap and loud, (will be replacing them with higher quality silent ones with higher CFM so they can be run slower)

  Wiring inside is loose, not unsafe loose, just untidy loose. (I might be adding zip-tie here and there)

 

But in spite of the above, for €150 I can't fault the build quality

  

I've got one since end of 2018.

Like you said, construction is very cheap, some parts need to be replaced and upgraded.

 

I put a 120mm fan on the top (exhaust) and a smaller one at the bottom to replace the loud and small chinese ones.

Now the louder sound people can hear is the eventual suction pop.

[Kushan_Farsight]

3 hours ago, plasticguy said:

I've got one since end of 2018.

Like you said, construction is very cheap, some parts need to be replaced and upgraded.

 

 

Aside from the 120mm exhaust and fan swapout, have you needed to replace any other parts? Vats? LCD screen etc? its interesting to hear from someone whos been regularly using theirs for the past 2 years! 

[plasticguy]

7 hours ago, Kushan_Farsight said:

 

Aside from the 120mm exhaust and fan swapout, have you needed to replace any other parts? Vats? LCD screen etc? its interesting to hear from someone whos been regularly using theirs for the past 2 years! 

I don't use it regularly, my longest print is 7 hours.

I made something more than 100 prints with it and used  more than 1 liter of resin.

I used to print little parts, not big ones and full bed, doing a lot of prototyping.

And I'm very carefull (maybe too much), so still using the original FEP (I purchased few weeks ago additional Elegoo ones, very useful) and the original LCD.

 

For the fan mods,

 

exhaust one, I used this mod: https://plastikjunkies.de/anycubic-photon-absaugung-raus-mit-dem-geruch/

 

 

 

inlet one, just put a Noctua 15mm deep:

 

 

 

Edit: oh, I nearly forgot.

I put Kapton tape all over the LCD perimeter.

It's the very first safety measure to use on the Photon.

Edited August 26, 2020 by plasticguy

[Bozothenutter]

17 hours ago, plasticguy said:

I don't use it regularly, my longest print is 7 hours.

I made something more than 100 prints with it and used  more than 1 liter of resin.

I used to print little parts, not big ones and full bed, doing a lot of prototyping.

And I'm very carefull (maybe too much), so still using the original FEP (I purchased few weeks ago additional Elegoo ones, very useful) and the original LCD.

 

For the fan mods,

 

exhaust one, I used this mod: https://plastikjunkies.de/anycubic-photon-absaugung-raus-mit-dem-geruch/

 

 

 

inlet one, just put a Noctua 15mm deep:

 

 

 

Edit: oh, I nearly forgot.

I put Kapton tape all over the LCD perimeter.

It's the very first safety measure to use on the Photon.

niiiiiice, noctua's are pretty silent too!

[Circloy]

On 18/08/2020 at 22:27, Circloy said:

Sitill waiting on mine - e-mailed them last night , no reply yet.

At least I now know it's just me

Got a reply Friday to say resin will be back in stock late September.

 

Could have been warned @ time order was placed so alternatives - anyone know of alternative sources?

[Bozothenutter]

not sure where to put this, but as this thread deals mostly with the Photon, i'll put it here...

 

been seeing a lot of these platform hangers, to let the resin drip into the vat, even downloaded an .STL.

the I thought there shouls be a less movement , spillage prone way.

Brainfart ensued and this is what I thought of:

 

why not mill two corners off the bracket, so you just have to release the locknut, remove from bracket, tilt 45deg and put back on bracket?

Some measuring ensued and it should work, as it leaves plety of 'meat' for guidance of the plate which is its original function.

 

I've put some markings on to show what i'm on about.

 

 

not everybody has a mill, but avise and a good file (or even an angle grinder) would get you there....

[Pouln]

Have you tried it and does it work with removing only 2 corners? 

[Bozothenutter]

35 minutes ago, Pouln said:

Have you tried it and does it work with removing only 2 corners? 

no, and there is a reason they are called brain farts........I should lay off the hard stuff.....

 

gonna have a lay down now......

[Bozothenutter]

On 8/26/2020 at 11:35 PM, plasticguy said:

I don't use it regularly, my longest print is 7 hours.

I made something more than 100 prints with it and used  more than 1 liter of resin.

I used to print little parts, not big ones and full bed, doing a lot of prototyping.

And I'm very carefull (maybe too much), so still using the original FEP (I purchased few weeks ago additional Elegoo ones, very useful) and the original LCD.

 

For the fan mods,

 

exhaust one, I used this mod: https://plastikjunkies.de/anycubic-photon-absaugung-raus-mit-dem-geruch/

 

 

 

inlet one, just put a Noctua 15mm deep:

 

 

 

Edit: oh, I nearly forgot.

I put Kapton tape all over the LCD perimeter.

It's the very first safety measure to use on the Photon.

This Padawan followed your example Master!

 

still need to shorten the bolts.

 

I will make some alu spacers the will be bolted to the base.

This makes clearance for the adjustable feet unneccesary, which means I can reverse the main board mount placing it out of harms way regarding spills.

will be doing the same with the top as you did , except for a bigger fan meaning I won't need the plate (just drill some holes) and adding some carbon filters.

Did you add extra holes for airflow?

Edited September 8, 2020 by Bozothenutter
added carbon filter link

[FZ6]

Just looking on the Anycubic Site and the sale seems to have been extended. They also have the new printers available for pre-order in October

 

Photon Mono - $209

Photon Mono SE - $349

Photon Mono x - $589

 

Just been comparing the specs below copied from the Anycubic website and I'm now considering the Photon Mono as a starter 3D Printer.

 

Technical Specifications

System :            ANYCUBIC Photon Mono X                            ANYCUBIC Photon Mono SE                        ANYCUBIC Photon Mono

Operation :       3.5 inch Touch Screen                                     3.5 inch Touch Screen                                   2.8 inch Touch Screen

Software :         ANYCUBIC Photon workshop                         ANYCUBIC Photon workshop                        ANYCUBIC Photon workshop

Connectivity :   USB                                                                USB                                                              USB

Technology:      LCD-based SLA                                              LCD-based SLA                                             LCD-based SLA

Light-source:    high-quality filament（wavelength 405nm） high-quality filament（wavelength 405nm） high-quality filament（wavelength 405nm）

XY Res.:            0.050mm 3840*2400（4K）                         0.051mm 2560*1620（2K                            0.051mm 2560*1620（2K）dd>

Z Axis Res.:       0.01mm                                                        0.01mm                                                         0.01mm

Layer Res.:        0.01-0.15mm                                                0.01 ~ 0.15mm                                             0.01 ~ 0.15mm

Printing Speed: MAX 60mm/h                                               MAX 80mm/h                                                MAX 50mm/h

Rated Power:    120W                                                           55W                                                              45W

Printer Size :     270mm(L)*290mm(W)*475mm(H)               220mm(L)*200mm(W)*400mm(H)                 227mm(L)*222mm(W)*383mm(H)

Build Volume:   192mm(L）*120mm(W）*245mm(H)          130mm(L)*78mm(W)*160mm(H)                    130mm(L）*80mm(W）*165mm(H）

Material:           405nm UV Resin                                          405nm UV Resin                                            405nm UV Resin

Net Weight:      ~10.75kg                                                    ~8.2kg                                                            ~4.5kg

 

A lot of the things I want to build at the moment are small so paying almost 3x the price for the larger printer is something I think I might be able to live without.  The mono SE has a similar spec but more robust looking case and larger touch screen. The main advantage of the Mono SE appears to be the substaintial increase in print time over the Mono. is that extra 3cm per hour worth $140? I'm guessing it is if you're doing something on a commercial scale it is but I might be able to live with the slower speed which is still over twice as fast as the standard Photon.

 

Cheers,

Mark

 

 

[ICMF]

I will preface this by stating, I am firmly of the belief that unless you are regularly designing your own parts or having items printed by a 3rd party print bureau already - and thus have a decent understanding of what you need, and why - you should not buy a 3D printer for scale modelling purposes.  They are tools, not appliances, so unless you want to start an entirely new hobby of using the tool, you'll just be wasting money on an underutilized lump of electronics.

 

That being said...

 

Those spec lists don't really cover the significant differences between the Mono and SE.  The biggest difference is that the SE adds dual linear rails, which should improve print quality.  It also adds WiFi, which isn't a big deal IMO, but I'm sure it will help lots of peoples' workflow.  It has a redesigned build plate that should be easier to level, although if you're using the printer properly, levelling is basically a one-time event.  The bigger touch screen doesn't matter.  The hinged/metal chamber vs bucket lid is going to be personal preference; the bucket makes levelling and cleaning up after spills easier but requires more space, while the hinged lid means a smaller footprint but it's harder to access behind the vat.  Extra speed is nice, but really doesn't matter for the home user; the faster printing will still feel too slow for your inner Verruca Salt, and the slower printer will be more than fast enough for your actual needs as a modeller.  The one possible exception here is if it makes a difference on diffusion/diffraction (the faster cure time may mean less light bleed?), which would increase accuracy.

 

TL;DR: the SE does have a bunch of upgrades/differences, but most of them are relatively minor, so the base Mono should be absolutely fine for most users.