If you were to buy an SLA printer today ?

[Alvaro Rodriguez]

On the resin cleaning topic, note denatured alcohol -that uses to be ethanol- works flawlessly with most of the resins out there (not saying that´s the recommended choice by some resin manufacturers actually).  No matter it had a low percentage of other ingredients -like IPA or even MEK-, uses to have zero adverse effect on the prints, quite the oposite.

 

Another option is acetone. Far more aggresive but works like a charm. Just ensure you to do not let you part into the acetone bath for too long. But that´s not a problem because the cleaning is much faster.

 

No matter the medium, a two baths cleaning uses to be the best, easiest and safest path for those without a curing station. That ensures the most of the uncured resin goes away with the first bath and the part comes pristine from the second. You can use acetone for the first and IPA or ethanol for the second (or both).

 

Regards!

Alvaro

 

[lesthegringo]

Great discussion on here, especially about the wash materials. I have finally committed to an AnyCubic Photon Mono X after seeing some good reviews on the web; I was tempted by the  Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K, but after finding that the filement based LulzBot Mini that I have is painfully restrictive due the limited build volume, I opted for Mono X. It's rare that I will need the size but when I do it will be be there.

 

I suspect that my order is suffering from the COVID blues, as despite ordering it from Amazon last week it still hasn't dispatched. I can only assume that there is a run on them just as there are with other hobby stuff. That means I'm filling some of the day by designing suitable replacement parts for a Tamiya Ferrari 312T4 to use as test prints for quality and to see what is and what is not possible. However the discussion makes me wonder about a few things, for example what, if any, spare parts would you pre-buy to make sure you were not left in the lurch. A replacement LCD screen and some FEP sheet come to mind, anything else? 

 

Cheers

 

Les

[Schwarz-Brot]

FEP is a must. LCDs do get dirty, scratched or simply die, but that is not a part I'd lay on the side. The Lighting units also might die over time, but again I wouldn't care about spares. Usually all spares can be ordered from china when needed. Only reason to have a spare at hand would be when printing comercially with quite a lot of printing. But in this Case I'd opt for more printers running simultaniously as cheap as they are and not bother with replacement parts.

[ICMF]

I agree.  FEP yes, LCD no.  A decent supply of isopropanol and resin.  And paper towels.  And gloves.  

 

I don't know if the Mono X comes with a screen protector; if not, I'd consider getting a tempered glass one for a tablet, and some Kapton tape to secure it to the printer - it will help avoid breakages and make cleaning up after spills easier/possible.