Anycubic or Elegoo ?

[Real Scooby]

Hello there

I am about to get my first resin-printer in the near future, so I wondered what you pro´s over here would prefer or suggest.
My plan is to use it for mostly printing spaceship-models, Hasbro Black Series scaled acc. and maybe some blasterreplicas.

My eye is currently at the AC Photon Mono M5s due the selfleveling printplate, the 12K display and the printspeed, but the building space 123mm x 218mm x 200mm sounds kind of small to me

What Elegoo or other alternative would you guys suggest

 

[Astyanax]

I've had the Elegoo Saturn 2 8K for over a year and I am still very, very happy with it. It is my opinion that the Anycubics and the Elegoos are very comparable, so I won't try to talk you out of the Photon M5.

The reason I'm mentioning the Saturn is because it has the same size build volume as the Photon M5. I have been very happy with that build volume, and though I rarely print miniatures, I'm printing prop replicas all the time. I was able to print an entire Jim Carrey "The Mask" prop in one step, and it came out beautifully! In some rare cases where I've had to split models up, I found PrusaSlicer to be easy and very precise in cutting and splitting. For blasters and lightsabers, it's generally ideal to print them in pieces anyway so that they are easier to paint and you can optimize the supports for less visibility. The only challenge is deciding the right slice points to minimize visible seams!

So my recommendation? Go for that Photon M5. You won't gain much by the next larger plate size UNLESS you want to be printing something that large somewhat frequently (helmets, 1:6 figures, larger statues, etc.). But again, those should really be printed in pieces anyway. The vast majority of downloadable 3D models have already been optimized (positioned or split) to fit on the 123 x 218 x 200 size. 12K resolution is a dream, of course...don't forget to set your slicer for that fine of a layer height!

My next printer purchase will be an Elegoo Saturn 3 Ultra, for the 12K resolution, wi-fi, and updated hardware. Auto-leveling is not important to me, because it is so easy and I have to do it rarely (takes 2-3 minutes). But the build volume is the same as its predecessor; I'm not going larger!

Bill

 

[masterjedi322]

I agree - Elegoo and AnyCubic are very similar these days.

Also suggest you check out Phrozen. They tend to be a bit more expensive than Elegoo and AnyCubic, but their build-quality is better, IMHO.

Sean

 

[JNordgren42]

I've been extremely happy with my original Saturn, it's worked like a champ with no issues. I just saw that the Saturn 4 Ultra also has a self leveling plate. From what I have seen AnyCubic is very similar, they tend to leapfrog each other back and forth in very small increments as new models are released but neither is ever way out ahead in any particular area.

 

[Duncanator]

I have a Photon Mono X that I have been very happy with. Sounds like you can't miss going with either one.

 

[flimzy]

I've got an anycubic. I got it because Formlabs resin was so expensive I wanted to see what a cheaper machine was like. I don't even turn the Formlads on any more. there way quicker, the resin is cheaper and with the water washable resins, I don't even need to buy tone of IPA anymore.
I don't think there much defiance between the makes. Be it Elague or Anycubic it all come down to using the slicer right. don't just buy the biggest printer out there. cut your model up and position the parts to reduce clean up. learn small and gradually go big as you learn. big prints lead to big failures as well as success's. But most of all have fun 3D printing is lots of fun.

 

[Astyanax]

FYI, Elegoo just released all the specs and prices on its Saturn 4 and Saturn 4 Ultra, with auto-leveling, AI camera status detection, and 12K res, plus some other goodies! Ships in June-July.

ELEGOO New Products

ELEGOO specializes in the research, development, and production of the most quality & affordable 3D printers, Arduino-based STEM & robotic kits, making technology easy-to-access for all the makers around the world.

us.elegoo.com

The prices are crazy low. I don't think I can hold back...

 

[13doctorwho]

I have an Anycubic 12k resin printer. I love it! The detail is beautiful. I use the water wash resin, so it's a lot less headache. How big a bed are you looking for? Mine has a 10.1 (diagonal) LCD screen. That's about 7"X4" and 8" high. That covers a lot of stuff. Bigger items have to be broken into pieces, but I'm surprised how rarely that comes up for me.

The only downside is you have to use their slicer because the printer takes a proprietary format. Again, this has never been a problem for me. It is actually way easier. You pick your printer from a pull down menu and it adjusts the printer setting accordingly. You can still change them for special situations, but so far I haven't needed to.

 

[StevenBills]

I'll throw my hat in for Elegoo. I have the original Mars printer, which still works great. Also have the original Saturn which is still pumping out prints like crazy and I have had zero issues with. I think I'm going to wait for another iteration of the Jupiter before I jump into another printer though. They just released the Jupiter SE a while back, but it's still a 6K screen for a fairly large build volume. We'll see how that gets updated in a year or two.

SB

 

[guabe]

I use both brands and I prefer Elegoo.

 

[agliarept]

switched from an anycubic mono x to an M3 max and am very very happy with it's performance. specifically being able to print much larger prints or multiples at a time, rather than splitting models/gluing/sanding/painting.

I would recommend you also look into the automatic wash and cure, as I didn't for the first half of the year and got pretty gnarly skin rashes from the improper cleaning. since, the automated cleaning/curig has been a huge life saver in time and personal skin care lol.

 

[Real Scooby]

Thanks for all your opinions

I stayed with my original plan and just hit the button for a bundle of the Photon M5 and the Wash/Cure machine via the official german AC store.
For the beginning its time to start searching for some files for the desired kits, while improving my skills to start creating on my own

 

[13doctorwho]

I got the bundle with the Printer and the Cure And Wash, and the Cure And Wash is great! I use water washable resin, so it's easy and less headache than the other cleaners.

 

[flimzy]

I have an Anycubic 12k resin printer. I love it! The detail is beautiful. I use the water wash resin, so it's a lot less headache. How big a bed are you looking for? Mine has a 10.1 (diagonal) LCD screen. That's about 7"X4" and 8" high. That covers a lot of stuff. Bigger items have to be broken into pieces, but I'm surprised how rarely that comes up for me.

The only downside is you have to use their slicer because the printer takes a proprietary format. Again, this has never been a problem for me. It is actually way easier. You pick your printer from a pull down menu and it adjusts the printer setting accordingly. You can still change them for special situations, but so far I haven't needed to.

Does it not work with Lychee slicer. I use that instead of Anycubic's, its great there always adding new machines.

 

[13doctorwho]

flimzy I'm not sure about the Lychee slicer. They may support it. AnyCubic puts out a proprietary format, but it's possible other slicers have cracked it. AnyCubic claims their printer is not compatible with other slicers.

 

[flimzy]

flimzy I'm not sure about the Lychee slicer. They may support it. AnyCubic puts out a proprietary format, but it's possible other slicers have cracked it. AnyCubic claims their printer is not compatible with other slicers.

I’ve been using it for over a year as it’s compatible with resin and FDM printers , it’s free, there is a paid version but the free one works great. It lets you play with all the parameters or there’s a fantastic ,” I feel lucky “button that work way better than it should.
It’s worth a try. I didn’t much like the slicer that came with the machine either.

 

[Real Scooby]

I did my first testprints today.
#1 was a failure as the object didn´t stuck to the riser plate from the beginning.
#2 was a set of 6 Star Wars Black Series scaled Gargoyle-heads for a later Jabbas dais project. These came out perfect in a little bit over 30 minutes
#3 again was a Black Series item, Boba Fett´s seat from BOBF. Took a litte over 3 hours and it came out "almost" fine with just a few downs here and there. Maybe someone of you pros could give me a hint what could have gone wrong.

As you can see, there is this crack on the outside, as well some smaller ones in the base below the "ladder". When it was high enough to see it, I noticed air was pressed out from the two smaller ones, when the riserplate went down.
Also, the Anycubic slicer told me to add supports, so I hit the button and even below the base plate was one created, but this one is not removeable, just the edges came off. I have to sand it down

 

[StevenBills]

Did you hollow out the model and add vent holes? That helps with saving resin as well as the suction forces that the plate exerts on the FEP as it pulls free. Also, it helps to angle your prints (I usually angle my prints at 45 degrees to the plate) so that there is as little surface area as possible being printed at one time. That also helps with the suction.

Good luck with the printing! It's definitely a learning exercise. Frustrating sometimes, but very fun overall.

SB

 

[Real Scooby]

As so far I am pretty happy with my purchase. 2 out of 3 prints come out nice and fine as they should. I have done a TBS scaled Boba Throne, Jabba throne parts and a GONK droid. Also a few "Beer-crate" battery storages, and a few other smaller items.
Right now I am printing parts for Bo-Katans Gauntlet fighter in 144-scale, files purchased from Gambody.

Anyway, after last session I noticed some minor amount of resin leaking from the VAT around one corner and halfway along the shorter side. I carefully cleaned up everything and startet examining the FEB foil. There is no actual damaged so I started to disassemble the frame in preperation to change the foil... but when unscrewing everything I noticed there where at least 2 screws on the outer frame as well as 3 on the inner that were NOT screwed on tight. Could this be the reason for leaking ? I screwed everything together again pretty tight and might give it a quick try later.

 

[JNordgren42]

As so far I am pretty happy with my purchase. 2 out of 3 prints come out nice and fine as they should. I have done a TBS scaled Boba Throne, Jabba throne parts and a GONK droid. Also a few "Beer-crate" battery storages, and a few other smaller items.
Right now I am printing parts for Bo-Katans Gauntlet fighter in 144-scale, files purchased from Gambody.

Anyway, after last session I noticed some minor amount of resin leaking from the VAT around one corner and halfway along the shorter side. I carefully cleaned up everything and startet examining the FEB foil. There is no actual damaged so I started to disassemble the frame in preperation to change the foil... but when unscrewing everything I noticed there where at least 2 screws on the outer frame as well as 3 on the inner that were NOT screwed on tight. Could this be the reason for leaking ? I screwed everything together again pretty tight and might give it a quick try later.

Yeah. loose screws in your resin vat are likely the cause of the leak. As a standard procedure with a new printer, I make sure all accessible screws are properly tightened. Especially anything on the Z-axis since a loose stepper motor or rail can cause some difficult to diagnose printing issues.