Small correction on the NordVPN integration by someone who actually knows this stuff: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jbx0hKigypy-h40.html

When someone tells me something is safe because it is "all natural" I remind them that asbestos is all natural.

I'm glad you mentioned the hazardous waste aspect of these types of machines. People seem to gloss over not only the health dangers of the resin, but the by products of processing the prints.

I kept having trouble with my prints being upside down, I am so glad you showed me a solution in this video. Now I just have to figure out who keeps inverting my spoons...

I love my Elegoo Mars printer, but I did run into a pretty serious flaw 2 weeks into using it. The FEP film on the bottom of the print tray can get stuck to the LCD from suction when printing large parts. During one long print, I heard a pop and the display showed an error citing LCD issues. It turns out that the FEP film had gotten stuck to the LCD, and when the print arm tried to raise the print between layers, it actually yanked the LCD out of the machine by about a cm, which also destroyed the ribbon cable attached to the LCD. I returned the printer for a new one, and also found out that most people prevent this sticking by putting a thin layer of scotch or masking tape along the left and right edges of the LCD, so that the FEP can never fully stick. Since adding the tape, I haven't had another problem, but it's definitely something to be aware of.

Dealing with the chemicals sounds like a pain, but not very different from a number of other Maker media: woodworking (finishes, strippers, and some wood species' sawdusts are toxic), olde-tyme photography (various developers), working with metals such as antique clocks and jewelry (lead and other toxic metals), even dollmaking (ceramic dust can damage your lungs). My rules of thumb for any Making are: Find non-toxic alternatives when possible; strictly follow the safety instructions; read the warnings on the Material Safety Data Sheets; consider the impact on the planet as well has your home. Thanks for the very informative video!

Tom, glad you mentioned those resins are nasty, but really there has to be some emphasis that they are TOXIC in the monomer state. So when those are still liquid they are really toxic long term. I noticed many KZfaqrs under estimate that. Those acrylic resins become totally safe once totally polymerised but before being really cured they are really toxic.

the lines appear when the resin doesnt fully detach from the fep, you can change how much the thing lifts form the fep when it finishes a layer

Nice man! Excited to see you working with the Elegoo Mars! My fav resin printer at the moment.

"shito-box" just amazing

2:33 /* This printer, actually, prints all your parts upside down. But you can just flip them, once they done. */ Quite useful advice! :) Thanks, Tom!

The best tip I've ever used is to do the final cure with the part submerged in water. It prevents oxygen from reaching the part, which prevents the outer surface from curing fully.

EXTREMELY comprehensive video, thank you so much. I've been thinking about getting an elegoo mars, but after watching this, while I still like the concept, I think a filament printer will be a better option for me. Thank you for this thorough look into the product!

My experience with resin printers Has taught me that it is not so much the hardware but the resin and resin settings that contribute to great parts or failed parts.

Really depends on what you're trying to do. If your into miniatures and strength isn't the priority resin is the best way to go. I got into metal casting, and for making small detailed things like coins, resin definalty has advantages, like you don't need to sand, prime, paint, and sand again to get rid of layer lines. If your trying to make functional parts, FDM is the way to go, many more strong material choices. But resins are getting better and you are starting to see more options like, tuff resinsand even flexible resins.

Wow - this was great! I've got (2) Mars units and (3) Ender 3's in my "farm" and I was definitely concerned at what the verdict here would be. This video was straightforward, honest, and impartial. Also - thank you so much for responsibly discussing the safety piece. So many other content creators are glossing over it or dismissing it. One of the downsides of bringing these printers to the mass-affordable segment is that so many people are expressing their "opinions" on the resin and that "It's fine, it's never affected me." As you said in the video, it isn't a question of "if" there will be a problem, rather when that problem will arise. There are serious long term concerns if you don't protect yourself from exposure to absorption of the uncured material.

One of the reasons why Elegoo Mars stood out is that it was the first 1440p "very cheap" MSLA printer in a sea of 1080p ones (that many others YT channels reviewed). It doesn't sound like much, but the difference is very noticeable.

I came for the printer, now i want your sweater, thats so my style

I am absolutely in love with my resin SLA printer. I have an Epax X1 that is very similar to the Mars, it has a few ease of living items (factory bed plate leveling, no need to ever level it again, that type of thing), but both of them are light years better than an FDM printer for miniatures and high detail items.

You've answered all my questions re. resin printing plus informed me of a load of details I wasn't aware of. Thank you so much.

I just ordered an Ender 3 pro and was wondering if i should have gotten a resin printer since I plan to do a lot of minitures. After watching this video I'm damn sure I made the right choice. Didn't know there was so much hassle and toxicity to resin print

Thanks for this very thorough overview. I was curious but now seeing what is all involved, I dont think its something I want to get involved with right now! Keep up the great work!

With resin printers, you need to have a use for it. Like minis for example, your not going to get the quality and speed with FDM compared to resin. You CAN get good FDM minis but with the expense of time, where you could print a whole plate full in the same time as a single one. (Assuming the z height is the same) it has many advantages in that respect. For larger or strength required parts, FDM wins all day everyday. Resin is very brittle even tho it has a high tensile strength. For me I mostly print minis and arts and crafty things so resin is amazing. The details are epic, not having to sand as much (just supports) is absolutely worth the added expense over FDM for post processing. The wash set-up, I see non-issue with Ikea containers vs some ridiculously overpriced container system, like the forms station. There's no way you can justify spending that much money for what it does. There just containers... And you can print a mount to hold the plate in the bath. Which also is a great way to cut down on mess and gloves. I do agree they should supply a proper curing light but that would be added cost and it easy to source a cheap UV light setup. I simply transfer my plate onto amount and let it soak in a container without even using a glove, because I'm only touching the knob to unbolt the plate from the printer. I only wear when handling uncured prints or cleaning. Rubber reusable kitchen gloves are also a much better solution to wasting hundreds of gloves. The smell I also found varies per brand of resin and by the person. I personally am not slightly bothered by the smell. I smell way worse at work lol but that's my opinion (and many others) my gf HATES when I print ABS filament and says it stinks but has never said anything about the resin. Ultimately it depends what you wanna make/print. I personally like having both resin and FDM printers. Miniatures and small detail items are great in resin and larger prints in FDM. I recently made a Rick Sanchez mask and printed all in PLA and printed the eyes in resin as I KNEW the hole would be an issue with FDM or require some post processing. Where the resin eyes came out flawless. You can't really say one's better than the other when they both have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Careful shaking the resin, every brand I've used ends up leaking at the cap. I use a paper towel wrapped around the top whenever I shake it.

You should have far more subscribers than you do. Your channel is one of my go to's on 3d printing. I bought a Prusa MK3S after watching your videos on it and it was possibly the best choice. I even sat through hours (and hours) of your homemade Prusa. Thanks Tom. Much appreciated.

"Sample size: Two." ROFLMAO! That little quip was hilarious.

I'd love to see you extensively review the Prusa SL1 and the Curing/Washing machine. I think Prusa was trying to make the process as easy as possible (of course you still have to get resin in and out of the machine).

Little off topic but with plastic and resin printers being so common, I wonder why no home solutions for powder based printing. It sounds like it has some benefits like not needing to print supports and a lot of materials.

Disclaimer : "No SLA parts were fatally injured during the presentation of Nord VPN"

Free idea for resin printer manufacturers: make a compartment at the bottom of the printer for curing parts with the same UV LED.

Hi Thomas. I love your videos. Could you please film with a more wider depth of field next time you show printed parts? The DOF is so narrow that I just can't see the quality of the print very well. Keep it up!

Until recently, I have had ZERO interest in resin printing. Now, with the significant price drop, I am considering making a purchase. However, Tom hit on one thing I had never even considered: proper disposal of waste products. I don't know why I had not considered this. But I didn't until he mentioned it in this video. Does anyone know of a resource describing how to handle this part? Tom briefly touched on it but only indicated that he now had a tub of "hazardous waste". I don't like the idea of turning my home into a a hazardous waste storage facility. It would be good to know how to properly handle this material.

Years ago someone asked me about these higher quality one that uses 'liquid' and why didn't I own such printer that time for very detailed print quality. It is just too much hassle for me to use resin printer. Everything about the 'hassle' to handle a resin been discussed several times and I probably won't ever gonna touch resin printer anyway.

Looks like a nice, fair review. Thanks Tom!

I am looking hard at the SLA printers, I have an Anycubic FDM printer, and like the brand, but the Elegoo Saturn looks better than the Anycubic Mono X at a much lower price. The Anycubic has a slightly larger Z axis, but that's not worth a $330.00 premium. I hope to have an Elegoo Saturn in my future. Thanks again for the thorough reviews. Something about a German accent that lends credibility to anything technical. Keep up the great content!

Very thoughtful video, Tom. Thanks for that approach. I too find the fumes and the hassles of resin printing to be beyond my threshold of hobby enjoyment.

Great honest review. I know there is a lot of embuggerance using resin but I was happy to take the plunge on this fairly solid and reliable printer. Just wish I could find someone stocking the spare resin tank kits, as changing out is a complete pain!

Purchased one of these about 2 months ago. After stumbling through a few prints with clear resin, I found my groove with some Elegoo grey. The quality and precision are amazing. I've created prints with a resolution higher than my eyes can even see. As for your "lines" . . . I use a 12s ON-1s OFF exposure for (non clear) resins as the resin still hardens slightly after exposure. I don't have any lines that are detectable with out careful inspection or a magnifying glass.

Too late. Bought a Mars 2 weeks ago. The build quality really surprised me.... Very solid construction. Also, worked perfectly out of the box.

This is a case of "Horses for courses". FDM 3D printers have been a game-changer for me. I had fallen in love with CAD software, of all types. Having spent countless hours (I wasn't very good!), I could only admire my masterpieces (and bore my friends with them) on the screen. Now I can print my work out and take it with me to bore them at the pub, or over dinner! That's progress. I can live without the better quality of SLA, and avoid the hassle. Serious people will have a different view! "Horses for courses!" Thanks again for a top-class video.

Detailed yet concise summary of all the issues around resin printing. Good one! If you like the Mars you would really like the Photon or X1.

In Chitubox you can add and change the size, depth and location of any holes you want to add to the model.

Thank you. This is very nice review not only of the printer but what is to expect with Resin printing. Kudos!

After 3 years of FDM printing switched for small parts to SLA printing and I'm never going back to FDM. The dimensional accuracy and surface quality is outstanding. What comes resin smells I havent experienced it the same way as Tom. There are resins with very mild smell, almost odorless. Plant based resins which can be poured to sink. Tough resins outperforming PETG, ABS. Lot of choices here. For additional work required the end result is well worth it. FDM as a technology has reached it's top. Now it's the time of SLA.

This is a good video and does a good job of showing who would need a resin printer, albeit not overtly. If you just look at the prints you can tell that the two types of printing have different use cases. If I'm printing miniatures for tabletop gaming I'm printing them in resin. If I'm printing a sliced up stature of Spiderman that I plan on assembling and painting then I'm going resin. If I'm going to print parts bins to put into a storage container I'm going FDM. Same with printing terrain pieces or buildings for tabletop gaming. It's all about the level of detail you want and how much post processing you want to do (ie sanding, priming, sanding again, priming again, sanding again, painting vs cure, light sand, prime, paint) to get the detail you need. Good video.

Chitu Box has a feature in the menu for adding holes to the print and will even then add the removed hole "plug" to the print bed automatically so after printing you can just put the plug into the appropriate hole. Also, you should have 1 hole at the top and 1 at the bottom so that the resin can drain through the low one and air can enter through the upper.

I worked in a plastic shop for 15 years, and yes you'd must be aware of fumes and hazardous waste handling. Couple of tips 1# to save on ipa put your part in a Ziploc bag and use a ultrasound cleaner with water in it. Make sure the top of the Ziploc bag is sealed and no holes. That way there is no fire hazzard. Tip 2# use a uv lamp on the ipa for a hour or so. Then filter the ipa out. The resin is cured and you can throw away the plastic and reuse the ipa. Tip 3# build a fume hood an vent outdoors. Make a window adaptor similar to a window AC unit adaptor to run your hoses. Can use it also for painting too. Yes this resin printer can be used for making many things like for metal casting, lab equipment, jewelery and prototyping parts. I have had lots of hobbies, woodworking and metal working. Fixing old classic cars ect. ect. If you think working with resin is a big hassle then you need to take up knitting. Oh! go out and buy some finished AD&D models, they cost a small fortune. This is ware you really save money. Have you seen the prices lately.

If you have trouble with a hollowed model and not getting all the uncured resin from inside it, I’ve found a syringe with a coarse needle (1mm) filled with IPA is great for that.

One of the best ads I've ever seen! Now I'm really thinking about using it.

"...sample size: two." ROFL! Great video!

I love my Elegoo!! I've had more fun with it then my FDM printer! Sure it might smell but its not as bad as printing with abs. Plus its more reliable. But thats just my opinion... I enjoyed your review!

Give me one resin why I should start using this.

Great job on this video Thomas!!! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I've had my Mars for about three months now and I really love it!! (old, still working printer is a very stable reworked to the nines, AMX-AnetA8). and yes, each has it's purpose and both are very useful!!!

Tom: Holds skull. Me: Alas, poor Yorick!

I recently bought a elegoo mars printer and I LOVE it. My biggest issue is sometimes prints don't stick to the inverted base and you won't be able to see if your print stuck to the bed unless it runs for a while and clears the resin tub.

Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.

Way to much room for error with this technology in a household environment. You always produce great content with your incite. All inspiring!

There is an issue with the center curing more than the outer edges when you print a solid models like you have you won't notice this issue but when you start printing models where you have to fine-tune the burn time just right you have to get it as low as possible so that you don't fuse movable printing place links for example if you wanted to print the flexi butterfly this becomes a problem when I tried to fill the bed plate with multiple little butterflies the ones on the outside edge didn't cook enough and malformed but if I adjusted it upward the center fused a minor issue for most people but it is an issue you have to be aware of To greatly extend the life of the machine use Clear resin this allows you to use much much shorter burn times per layer and you can use your 0.1mm layer Heights Because of the near-perfect layer alignment and consistency that a resin printer gives you 0.1 layers look far superior and you still can't see the laser lights just enable anti-aliasing for the low resolution screen 1440p is actually pretty low resolution in this regard I have otherwise been extremely pleased with my ellegoo Mars although the newer machines with Matrix array LED's should work a lot better

I've been thinking about a resin printer, so I found this very informative. I print for fun and, to be honest, resin sounds like way too much hassle. And I wouldn't know how to dispose of the chemicals. I'll stick with filament for now. Thanks!

I've had one about 6 months and I've got it down to a fine art, its not as messy as people make out, i don't get any on my hands, i don't even need gloves, flick the model straight into a sonic bath for 5 minutes, wash the bed with a toothbrush and solvent whilst holding it by the large nut then sit it on a piece of paper towel, unscrew the bath and place it on another paper towel, put paper over the bottom lcd and loosen the grub screws on the bed "before" you place it back on the machine, (so it cant just drop like Thomas's did). level the bed, tighten the nuts, raise the bed, remove the paper and replace the tank, put the lid back on and turn the machine off. by now ya models just finishing cleaning so take ya it out the bath, at this point the flash comes of easiest while its still soft so clean it up now and then stick it under a uv nail hardener lamp for 10 minutes....job done, no mess

Thomas Your videos are just Amazing. I don't know why, but every time you upload I just can't help but watch. Keep up the good work Man! You are awesome!

So, if I do not have the space to place one anywhere other than my bedroom (sharing apartment with a friend), a resin printer would just be a no go? How bad are the fumes? Can it be solved with a bunch of open windows etc. or would you guys just say no to that? If so, my understanding is that most filament/FDM printers just aren't detailed enough for finer miniatures where detail is very important, which is what I'm mainly interested in printing. Is this supposition wrong?

Thanks Tom for another good video. I was considering getting into resin printing because of the great print quality and the opportunity to learn more about this technology. Your reaction to the fumes when you removed the cover was enough for me to change my mind. I really don’t think this technology is ready for hobbyists. The resins are too nasty and the machines don’t include proper fume venting systems. I’ve seen some FDM machines with better fume venting systems than any of the low cost resin printers currently available. I’m going to stick to FDM for now.

Wotrhy to note: chitubox does not notify you that your thumdrive is full. If there isn't enough space to save the print file, it will simply save the images up until the point it is full. When you print the file it will simply freeze at the point the file stopped saving. I had a print failat 78% and assumed it was some sort of power flicker as my power company sucks. I tried it again and it did the same thing. I resliced it after clearing space on the thumb drive and it printed fine

Thank you sir. We will be purchasing one because of the clean prints we’ve been using filament for last seven or eight years and are just getting tired of the Cleanup time before we send it to the Casting department

Its exciting how much resin printers have changed since this video. The resins are better the slicers are better the machines are better. Its great!

I just bought a Elegoo mars for making parts for models, scratch builds and such. not some thing I can use a FDM printer for, but I will most likely make some sort of contraption/box thingy-ma-bob I can stick the printer in too, and vent out the fumes to the outside.

if the washed IPA is now "hazardous waste" how do you dispose of it? No one seems to touch on that and I'm willing to bet people say "Don't put this down the drain, now look away while I put this down the drain".

ChiTuBox (The one i got with my Mars), actually has a "hole" feature you can use to make a square, round, or hexagonal hole into your hollowed prints to let the goo out and the Alcohol in. There's even an option to "Keep Hole", where it will make a separate body representing the hole it removed so if you like, you can glue the model back together. I don't know if a tolerance is built into that or not, but resin swells slightly as it cures so you could find that the hole needs some help to fit. (I haven't tried printing holes, only snap-fit parts, which worked with about 0.013" tolerance between them. I printed Hot Wheels car-sized rims with removable/swappable tires.) The advantage is that if you can be clean about it, you could use uncured resin as glue, and throw it into your curing station to get a good bond.

2:36 so thats what I’ve been doing wrong all the time 🙃

light off time is handy i tend to have it at 6.5 and during long prints i set to 15 seconds. this gives the uv and screen time to cool down between layers and stops the screen from getting burnt out. :) also to help removal of supports. after cleaning. before you cure the parts. use a hairdryer to heat up the supports then then should start to bend and you should be able to brush them off and not have bad pockmarks in the prints. just use an airbrush to dry the ipa of the parts before heating the supports.

Better review than design prototype test :P

Waiting for my Orange 30 tracking number from the Kickstarter. Will be using a sonicator with yellow magic 7 instead of alcohol and UV nail curing hood

I think if you are into printing models that have a lot of detail, a resin printer is a great way to capture all that detail. An FDM just isn't going to do it no matter how fine tuned you got it. The key thing is the size. You have a very small build area and while some companies are making Ipad sized resin printers, these smaller machines aren't near that. Maintenance - The LCD screen will fail thanks to the UV. The FEP will fail after enough use or accident. Though FDM's have parts that will need replacement. Smell - Just because you can't smell it doesn't mean nothing is in the air. Odor wise the Anycubic eco resin doesn't really smell terrible. It's closer to a generic plant stem. Anycubic's regular resin is low but not that low. I can still make out some of the odor after clearing the tank and not running for a few days. The eco stuff never stuck. Safety - No one says non toxic. I keep seeing this use for some resins like the plant based stuff by posters but the actual companies have never made that claim. Ease of smell and cleaning, sure but the never claim safe to handle with your bare hands until after curing. I agree with others, an FDM printer should probably be first because if they can't handle that, they can't handle a resin printer. If you are a painter/caster, someone working with similar chemicals that is an exception.This is business as usual. For me I take 5 to 10 minute between the clean to putting it under a uv lamp. I wear a mask and gloves but I think I've done more clean up with FDM with all the support and filament bits. Cleaning wise, beside IPA, there are some effective but less smelly and safer chemicals to use that are worth exploring. There is definitely an opportunity for a solid cleaning station that goes from the tank to the UV without ever being exposed. The Mars Pro might help address the fumes a little more but I feel like the fumes pop up after the print is done and the lid is off. I'm loving the mars right now. Will I feel the same in a year?

Before going to Resin printers you could also try FDM printing with smaller nozzles. I recently did this to get better details on a small functional part in PETG, and I was really happy with the result. This was on a stock Ender3 pro. This will for sure not come close to what a resin printer can do. But if you want more detail than what the default 0.4mm FDM does, just spend a couple of bucks on a smaller nozzle. Maybe an idea for a new video?

Resin printers are indeed totally worth it for that level of detail so long you hold your nose and don't breathe around it or your work. Of the product - for the display, there shouldn't be any issue with creating a UV-resistant backing plate to hot snot behind it to help with longevity, and the suggestion of a fan swap is nice to know because your first time using it is always going to be the safest; once it's full of resin, it's full of liquid death you should not inhale. The USB issue is easily solved with an extra USB extension lead and a 3D-printed part to retain the socket end.

The quality on this video is insane! I feel like I can see the details on these prints as if I was holding them. Awesome job. I did have one question. You said once the resin is mixed with the alcohol, it becomes hazardous waste. What do you do with it then since you can't put it down the sink? I use a resin printer at work (different brand) and they say you can do that. So now I am confused and what to make sure I am doing what is best xD

FWIW, the Prusa resins don't smell as strong (they do smell, and I have an open window near my SL1), and they don't burn or even irritate the skin. It's messy, but no worse than paint or glue. I like the vat pack container approach on the Mars. That's really smart. But, I really like the washing/curing station with the Prusa (it's not available separately, but it's a huge time and mess saver). If you can try out that system on-channel, you should. Yes, you pay quite a bit for all that, but I don't mind supporting Prusa.

I liked the configuration of having one hand with a glove and the other without :)

Thomas glad you made it home safe. Thanks for the info you give us.

Very good review... I have an Anycubic Photon myself and I really like it. Writing primarily to reinforce your warning about the toxicity of the liquid resin. I've been using the Elegoo resin exclusively for a few months now. Two weeks ago I was removing and print and cleaning it in IPA. Was wearing Nitrile gloves like I should, but at some point I wiped my forehead with the back of one of my gloved hands. I must have had resin on the glove, which transferred to my forehead. A few hours later, I showered and went to bed. Woke up the next morning with a blistered/scabbed over spot on my forehead, which grew to about twice its original size over the next few days. Two weeks later, the scab has slowly started to dissipate/heal. Long story short... Be careful when handling the liquid resin! It most definitely is harmful to living things, though some may have a higher sensitivity to it than others. Also, do wear dust mask or respirator when sanding or filing the resin. As I found out the other day, the dust is a very effective irritant for your respiratory system. Resin printers are great... Incredible detail and resolution. It's also a great feature to not have to wait weeks for your preferred online 3D printing service to deliver your parts, but do take the recommended precautions. You only get ONE life.

How do you dispose of the resin/washing alcohol? How many times can you use the alcohol to wash before you have to dispose of it?

Knowing nothing whatsoever about it, my wife arranged to get us a 3d printer for Christmas, and so I'm now trying to figure out what else I need to invest in to even use the dang thing. Knowing about the resin fumes is helpful, especially considering she also didn't factor in that we have zero space for this at all, let alone a ventilated space. So in making my list of things I need to get this up and going, sounds like some ducting is also in order. Fun! PROTIP: PLEASE DO THE RESEARCH FOR YOURSELF BEFORE BUYING SOMETHING LIKE THIS FOR SOMEONE ELSE.

I will stick to PLA and PET-G. For me resin is too much hassle and too dangerous just for DIY use. Eventually I'll just send my model to print somewhere. But I'd like to say that a sponsorship part was done very well in this video. I mean it didn't feel like it was forced placed sponsored content. Just announced and explained. Keep going forward! 👍

Hi Thomas! Been a fan for a long time :D Could you tell me what your main camera is? Que quality is amazing!

Thats Pteter Mckinnon Intro music!!! ;)

Greetings from THE FUTURE! I have about 7 years of *very* light experience with 3D printing, generally a couple of weeks at a time of intense printing followed by several months of not. I used to hate resin printers, but now, while I would still recommend a filament printer as someone's first 3D printer, I'm really kind of hoping I never have to go back to a filament printer. Sure, prints are more expensive (resin prints reportedly cost an average of twice what filament prints do), and there's cleanup involved, and they're a *lot* more fragile (less of an issue now with the prevalence of inexpensive "ABS-like" resins, but your average filament print is still much stronger within the printing plane than even the strongest resin prints), but... With a filament printer, there's a lot that can go wrong, and it all manifests with the same symptoms: parts fail to adhere to the bed, and the nozzle clogs. Print temperature too hot: nozzle clog. Print temperature too cold: nozzle clog. Wrong kind of filament: nozzle clog. Filament out: nozzle clog. Extruder gearbox failure: nozzle clog. Feed gear stripped: nozzle clog. Everything causes the nozzle to clog! With resin printers, there's less that can go wrong (they really only have 2 moving parts, and one is the cooling fan), and it's almost always pretty clear what it was. Parts not sticking to bed: insufficient first layer exposure, insufficient first layer count. Layer delamination during print: insufficient exposure time. Prints come out looking "chunky": too high exposure time, dirty or poorly-mixed resin. Parts come out looking "chalky": your alcohol is choked with old resin, you dirty dirty boy. And the problems are generally easier and cheaper to fix, too, because most of them are things you can do right there at your printer or slicing software. (I completely replaced the extruder on my old filament printer, twice, to no avail, before finally throwing in the towel and selling it to someone who wanted a project to work on.) In short, I have found resin printers to be, while generally more effort-intensive and a lot more expensive, a lot more reliably and a lot more reliably good, and the range of available resins these days largely mitigates a lot of the structural deficiencies they've historically had as well. It helps that my newest printer, a resin printer, has a 190x120x200mm build volume. A little over half what my old filament printer had, and enough for almost everything I've wanted to run off copies of so far.

I put my printers in a cabinet with dedicated vent system and located on the balcony. in the same time, i noticed that high quality resin doesn't volatilize much? almost no smell(just cost maybe 3 times more). whatever it is, i wear gloves and mask with carbon filter with vent on all the time. take it seriously

Hey thomas, thanks for the review, love it. But big question, whats that jacket? looks great! want one haha

Another top production by Tom. They say practice makes perfect, guess they´re right...

They've just announced a mars pro!

Good overview of resin-printing! Meshmixer does that hollow+holes combo (guessing 300ppl already wrote it tho)

Loved your review and content. Wondering if you could do a side-by-side comparison and review of the Anycubic Photon. It seems to be a direct competitor to the Elegoo Mars and is popular with people printing miniatures and artisan keycaps.

Mal paar Tipps: Du bist offenbar recht empfindlich, was Resinduft betrifft: Monocure 3D Resin Rapid riecht kaum und gilbt tatsächlich kaum nach. Nett von Monocure ist Monocure CMYK Set zum selbst Farben mischen. Zum Workflow: ChiTuBox ist ganz gut, bessere Supports setzt allerdings Prusa Slicer. ChiTuBox warnt nicht vor Saugglocken, das kann PreForm sehr gut. Also mein Workflow: Supports in Prusa setzen, das Ergebnis als STL in PreForm laden. Der zeigt Saugglocken oder problematische Teile beim Support an. Dementsprechend Löcher mit ChiTuBox machen, nochmal in PreForm checken und, wenn dann alles gut ist, in ChiTuBox slicen und ab dafür. Ich nutze übrigend den SparkMaker FDH und bin sehr zufrieden (bis auf die Qualität des Kaltgerätekabels. Das hat tatsächlich nen Kurzen.) Auch der Schalter wird von einigen bemängelt. Und noch einen zum Postprocessing: Isoprop ist wunderbar, wenn es nicht um transparente Drucke geht. Da ist tatsächlich ResinAway oder TEK 1969 (von Keytech) die bessere Wahl (allerdings sind das wirklich nur Nuancen). Allerdings teurer Stoff. Ein letzter Tip noch: Beste Waschergebnisse liefert ein Ultraschallbad. 5 Minuten und wirklich alle Reste, auch in ganz feinen Rillen, ist weg.

"when I was travelling to Earth..." ah yes, another martian

Thank you so much for your videos, you're very good explaining stuff and that's one of the reasons I recommend your channel when new people start 3d printing and have no idea where to start!!!! Again, thank you so much!!!!

I'm experienced with the peopoly moai machines. I actually find SLA printing to be much more fun because I don't have to worry about mechanical parts as much, heat sinks, nuts n bolts etc. failing. The liquid resin part is kind of annoying but that's just something that slows me down a little. In the end I think one just needs to do a lot of printing with these types of printers (in a garage or a room with a lot of ventilation) and then it will just become second nature like FDM printing is for Thomas. I recommend buying a UV lamp from peopoly or matterhackers. You can also use that lamp to cure the resin that is in the IPA, strain it out and then throw the cured resin away in its hardened form so that it is less toxic. I also recommend smearing dawn dish soap on the part after washing it in IPA. Then let it soak in warm water for a half hour or so. That gets the tackiness off quite a lot. Curing won't remove the tackiness ime. Also keep in mind that not all resins are created equal and some give off worse fumes than others. I also find CA glue to be way more toxic to myself. So it's not like high toxicity is a new thing that model makers have to be aware of ;) The peopoly resin is kind of like smelling permanent markers for too long, so definitely have to put it in my garage. But at least it doesn't make me choke or mess up my nose and throat. But that's just me.

Great video Tom. I’m sticking with FDM.

Looks interesting but I think, as you mentioned, that you have to think of the whole production 'ecosystem' and not just the printer with resin systems. For me I would want to build a fume hood with extraction to the outside as part of that ecosystem and logistically that's unfeasible currently.

There are two of the letter I in aluminium. Check the table of elements