3D Printers for Modelers?

[Odysseus]

Hi all,

I'm wanting to make the jump into 3D printing, and was hoping to get some advice. I was about ready to go with the Elegoo Mars 4 Max, but what I'm reading about the fumes put out by resin printers in general is concerning. I liked the smoothness that resin printers produce, and understand with some tweaking, the filament printers can get close to that.

I'd appreciate some feedback on what you have and show well you like it. I am concerned more with print quality than speed, and am trying to stick to a $400-$500 budget.

Thanks

 

[Hunk a Junk]

Go with the Mars. I have both a basic Mars and an Ender 5 Pro and I use the Mars on nearly every build now. I use the filament printer when I need structural elements that require some strength or rigidity, but for detail stuff its always the Mars. The fumes have never been an issue for me, but I may just not be sensitive to them. My man cave is in the basement and the printer is near my paint booth -- so I can always flip on the exhaust, if needed. Even if I need pieces with some strength (like thin antenna or blaster barrels, etc.) I use the ABS-like resin and it gives a little extra strength. The only thing about resin is needing to use IPA to clean the prints. It gets messy. If that's an issue for you, use water-wash resin. I'll probably make that switch eventually, but for now I'm just careful with the goo.

My 2 cents.

 

[Odysseus]

Go with the Mars. I have both a basic Mars and an Ender 5 Pro and I use the Mars on nearly every build now. I use the filament printer when I need structural elements that require some strength or rigidity, but for detail stuff its always the Mars. The fumes have never been an issue for me, but I may just not be sensitive to them. My man cave is in the basement and the printer is near my paint booth -- so I can always flip on the exhaust, if needed. Even if I need pieces with some strength (like thin antenna or blaster barrels, etc.) I use the ABS-like resin and it gives a little extra strength. The only thing about resin is needing to use IPA to clean the prints. It gets messy. If that's an issue for you, use water-wash resin. I'll probably make that switch eventually, but for now I'm just careful with the goo.

My 2 cents.

Thanks a lot. My cave sounds similar to yours, paint booth and all.

 

[StevenBills]

See this thread for more info: Sci-Fi modeling on Elegoo Mars -- Community support/tips

 

[Odysseus]

See this thread for more info: Sci-Fi modeling on Elegoo Mars -- Community support/tips

Ah! Thank you. I figured there was a thread, but my search didn't yeild anything like that (wrong terms).

 

[CosmicQuest]

Hi all,

I'm wanting to make the jump into 3D printing, and was hoping to get some advice. I was about ready to go with the Elegoo Mars 4 Max, but what I'm reading about the fumes put out by resin printers in general is concerning. I liked the smoothness that resin printers produce, and understand with some tweaking, the filament printers can get close to that.

I'd appreciate some feedback on what you have and show well you like it. I am concerned more with print quality than speed, and am trying to stick to a $400-$500 budget.

Thanks

My first and only 3d printer so far is the Anycubic Photon M3. It has worked well for me. There is a small learning curve but not bad. I use Sirayatech Simple resin which is water washable and barely has any odor. It also has worked well for me. It's been a fun game-changer for me to create things in tinkercad then export for printing. There are definitely tings I still need to learn to get better prints but so far, it hasn't been a big enough issue to delve deeper into it.

 

[TazMan2000]

A filament printer will never catch up to the resolution of a resin printer. Both are useful in modelling though. I use my filament printer to print out large objects and helmets where I need strength and light weight. Even though you can get more durable resins nowadays like PVC-like resin, I wouldn't use it to print out a wearable helmet. I've dropped filament helmets from 5 feet and they survived, but I don't think that a resin helmet would have. But you can't beat a resin printer for detail. With the resin printers getting larger now, it expands what you can print.

Keep in mind, my opinion above is referencing the home 3D printer market. There are commercial printers that can use different materials and technologies that can beat anything for the home market.

If you are going to buy only one printer, you have to ask yourself what you are planning on printing and see if the size and type of printer meets your needs. If your needs are mixed, perhaps you could split your budget to accommodate 2 smaller printers, one filament and one resin. Don' t forget to take in speed as a factor. If you're impatient as I am, I'd spend the extra bucks on a faster machine. Of course, sometimes there are trade-offs.

TazMan2000

 

[Odysseus]

My primary motivation is printing Bobovich Design's STTMP drydock files. This is a dream project, so quality will matter above all.

 

[TazMan2000]

Then you probably want to go with a resin printer and find a way to incorporate a framework to support the printed pieces. Generally, resin is brittle. Yes, there are less brittle types out there, like the PVC-like resin, but sometimes it is at the cost of sharpness of the prints.

TazMan2000

 

[Odysseus]

Then you probably want to go with a resin printer and find a way to incorporate a framework to support the printed pieces. Generally, resin is brittle. Yes, there are less brittle types out there, like the PVC-like resin, but sometimes it is at the cost of sharpness of the prints.

TazMan2000

Yep, I already have a framework in mind, something similar to the one Nemvia Production turned out several years ago.

 

[masterjedi322]

For modelers, I’d definitely recommend a resin printer.

I have an AnyCubic and Phrozen printer, and I’d lean toward the Phrozen models. AnyCubic tends to be less expensive, but I generally find my Phrozen printer to be of better build quality and yielding better prints.

Just my two cents…

Sean

 

[Odysseus]

For modelers, I’d definitely recommend a resin printer.

I have an AnyCubic and Phrozen printer, and I’d lean toward the Phrozen models. AnyCubic tends to be less expensive, but I generally find my Phrozen printer to be of better build quality and yielding better prints.

Just my two cents…

Sean

Thank you. Phrozen is a new brand to me. I'll look into it.

 

[basementdweller]

Resin printer, but don't skimp on a dedicated space with proper fume extraction and/or at least an air filtering unit + personal protection. It's not just smell. There are no actual health benefits to the stuff that smells nicer or water washable resin. Temperature control is good too for less failed prints.

 

[tsenecal]

I have owned both an elegoo mars and an elegoo saturn. any issues i have had with them has been something stupid i have done.

 

[TazMan2000]

Resin printer, but don't skimp on a dedicated space with proper fume extraction and/or at least an air filtering unit + personal protection. It's not just smell. There are no actual health benefits to the stuff that smells nicer or water washable resin. Temperature control is good too for less failed prints.

I can attest to that. I've had numerous print failures on my resin printer in winter. I turn on the in-floor heating and boom...no more issues. Because of the fumes, a lot of people put the resin printers in the garage since the fumes aren't healthy, which is fine for warmer climates, but you're probably going to have problems in colder climates, unless you devise some sort sort of heating and insulation device for it.

TazMan2000

 

[Astyanax]

I live in Southern California, and so my garage temps can go high and medium-low.

If the garage goes over more than maybe 105 degrees F, I stop printing, as the viscosity of the resin has become too thin and I would otherwise need a full recalibration.

In the winter, the garage can get in the low 30s, and so I simply use a cheap space-heater on a thermostat-controlled power plug to keep it at 75F. In fact, I have used it for over a year, and it makes a huge difference!



Notice the probe goes in the enclosure. I cut a little notch there, but it's not crucial.



I use it year-round for consistency! Some days it never comes on, and some it comes on constantly.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

You're in CA and it gets to 30s? I'm in Ohio and even when outside is around 20 degrees, the garage barely goes under 40. That's my concern, along with space in my garage, to where I would put a printer. It also gets extremely humid here in the spring through winter, but I think that's more of a concern with filament, though I'm sure it affects resin. I never cast anything in the garage, so IDK.

 

[JoelSG]

I've been using the Phrozen Sonic Mini 8k and I love it. It's my 3rd resin printer, every generation gets better, not just resolution, but also print speed, reliability, etc. It's a messy smelly process though.

Try to get a wash and cure station that can fit the entire build plate with the print still attached. That will streamline the whole process considerably.

As for the fumes, for my previous printers I made a cover out of an upside down plastic storage box. I epoxyed a 4 in dryer duct on the top, and had additional 4 inch ducting, plus a fan, that would vent out the fumes from my spray booth plus the printer. For some reason, I'm not able to smell the fumes with the Phrozen 8k unless I'm standing nearby, so I haven't been using the cover.

 

[publiusr]

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Heat treatment

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[Odysseus]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I will be setting up my resin printer in my garage with a grow tent and small space heater for cold days. It has room for the wash and cure stations as well.

One more question: once prints are cured, is there something I would need to coat the pieces with in order for acrylic paints to adhere? I presume any of the typical clear coats from Testor's or Tamiya would suffice.