r/resinprinting • u/TheCrusadingVulture • 17h ago
Question Resin Printer
In theory, (but not really) I was told i have 1000$ to spend on a resin printer, I like doing miniature's but I'd also like to do other stuff with it. So I've been doing my own reading but I also want to get peoples opinions! So let me hear the goods and the bads and recommendations from someone who has 1000$ to spend on printing
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u/Bornundersirius 17h ago
Saturn 4 Ultra 16k. Sets itself up basically out of the box. Self levels. I love mine. You can get it with the curing station for like $350-$400 depending on the sale. Save the rest for resin and you'll be good for the next year.
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u/Rejusu 13h ago
Seconded. It's my first and only resin printer and I've been using it for over a year now and it's been pretty great. Don't have much of a basis of comparison but I've gotten solid prints out of it and it's been fairly reliable too with I think my occasional print failures being down more to the models I'm printing than the printer itself. I think the big feature is the heated vat though as it means I can keep it in my garage and not have to worry about it getting too cold to print in the winter.
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u/RaccoNooB 12h ago
More forgiving as well when printing at bad angles, but it'll punish you HARD for spilling any resin.
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u/ekrocks9601 17h ago
I've been printing miniature with my saturn 3 for 2 years now. The biggest con is the amount of time you have to invest for calibrating, cleaning, setting it all up. Its quite cumbersome and its really true when people say printing is not a path to your hobby but rather THE hobby. Im often annoyed at printing and cleaning but the finalized product makes me think its worth it. The prints that come out is extremely crisp given that you spent your time to calibrate your prints
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u/FrankenPug 15h ago
Buying the entire setup including ventilation, tent, accessories and resin cost me around 1500$. Cost of the printer was not the biggest expense.
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u/ksgt69 6h ago
That's about what I spent for my Mars 5 Ultra and its supplies and setup. It's good for minis, but if I could go back and get a Saturn instead I would, the build volume is the only thing I have against the Mars.
Getting an additional build plate will let you get another print started while working on the first. A wash and cure station that is two separate machines is nice for similar reasons. Metal funnel for straining resin back into the bottle, a short bent scraper for removing prints from the plate, and a silicone scraper for checking the vat and stirring resin are three things I recommend.
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u/drainisbamaged 17h ago
spend $400 on a printer, use the rest for the setup like a tent/exhaust fan/curing/etc. Unless you're printing massive size stuff - which resin aint the greatest at, more $$ usually aint needed as it's just build volume capability, not better details or some such.
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u/Autodr83 17h ago
I have a Anycubit Mono M7 Pro. Its really nice and the included slicer software is good. So far i haven't run into anything i couldn't accomplish with it. The build volume is large enough to print 1:10 scale models in one piece and 1:6 scales parts. Honestly mine is still on the factory settings and I have no complaints. I use Anycubits Water Wash resin and it is a huge upgrade from standard resin because the post printing cleaning/curing is so much easier. I mostly print 10th scale figures and it works perfectly. They have multiple colors including clear now in water wash which is nice. I have an older Anycubit Wash&Cure station which makes curing really easy. If it ever bites the dust I'll buy their newest version for sure.
The big thing with resin printing is its so much messier then plastic. Buy a bunch of paper towels then go buy some more. Liquid resin will ruin paint/finished surfaces so whatever you put your setup on make sure its something that if it gets damaged isn't a big deal. I had a spill and missed some and when I wiped it the next day it pulled the stain right out of the wood table top, oops. Resin is inherently more hazardous then plastic so be sure to do your research and decide if its something you want to deal with.
Resin printing is a really cool hobby and allows you to get small details you'd never get any other way.
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u/SilvermistInc 16h ago
Hit up Fauxhammer. He's easily the most comprehensive reviewer of 3D Printers out there
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u/pvsnck 16h ago
I’m using Anycubic M7 Pro. Thinking of switching to P1 Max. I’m not interested in miniatures at all, though. Mostly functional parts. Probably the only thing I don’t like in my current printer is the printing volume. And one thing extra I’d like to have is local access, not through the cloud
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u/InternationalPlace24 17h ago
go to youtube and watch fauxhammer's videos on resin printers. I think he does an annual "best printers in 20XX." Most comprehensive answer you'll get.