Buy the Elegoo Mars 4 – DLP Here: https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2321615&u=3060349&m=104244&urllink=&afftrack=
Amazon: https://amzn.to/42AIfL6
Buy the Elegoo Saturn 3 Here: https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2351044&u=3060349&m=104244&urllink=&afftrack=
Buy the Elegoo Saturn 3 Ultra here: https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2351046&u=3060349&m=104244&urllink=&afftrack=
Buy the Elegoo Saturn 2 here:
Elegoo – https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2183265&u=3060349&m=104244&urllink=&afftrack=
Amazon – https://geni.us/ElegooSaturn2
Element Games – https://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/elegoo-3d-printing/elegoo-saturn-2-3d-printer?d=10279
Buy the Elegoo Saturn 8k here:
Elegoo – https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2183267&u=3060349&m=104244&urllink=&afftrack=
Amazon – https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=Saturn+8k&crid=15HYHP189M5R6&sprefix=saturn+8k%2Caps%2C223&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
So I finally have hands-on with the Elegoo Mars 4 – DLP printer. Elegoo’s competitor to the Anycubic D2 comes with a wider print area and a slower overall build volume. But with the price and quality of printers with a 10″ build plate over this tiny thing… does anyone even see the value in the sharp but rough DLP technology anymore?
Get any printer working easily with the Photonsters XP Range Finder – https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6023738 (watch my video for full instructions https://youtu.be/Gm0-z971tgY)
3D Printer Cleaning Mat: https://geni.us/3DPrinterCleaningMat
This Video is part of our series looking for the Best 3D printer for Miniatures; https://www.fauxhammer.com/top-10/the-best-3d-printer-for-miniatures-models/
Special thanks to the following Creators who provided models
Reavers – Creature Caster – https://www.myminifactory.com/users/Creature%20Caster
Link – Bionic3D – https://cgtrader.sjv.io/9gADAQ
Wolverine – Drafnir Studios – https://cgtrader.sjv.io/3eJyqv
Artis Opus FauxHammer Essentials Set: https://store.artis-opus.com/products/fauxhammer-mixed-brush-set-5-brush-deluxe
FauxHammer Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/fauxhammerblog
FauxHammer Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/PaintHub
FauxHammer 3D Printing Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/3dprintedminiatures
FauxHammer Discord – https://discord.gg/dPexM9SeN4
Best Airbrush For Miniatures: https://www.fauxhammer.com/top-10/best-airbrushes-for-miniatures-wargames-models/
Beginner Airbrush: https://www.fauxhammer.com/featured/best-beginner-airbrush-for-miniatures/
Affiliate Links to support us.
Element Games – https://elementgames.co.uk/wargames-and-miniatures-by-manufacturer/games-workshop/warhammer-40k/warhammer-40000-indomitus-english-?d=10279
Wayland Games – https://affiliates.waylandgames.co.uk/781-1-3-4.html
Forbidden Planet: https://forbiddenplanet.com/catalog/?q=Warhammer%20Imperium&sort=title&page=1&affid=FauxHammer&utm_medium=fp-share
Amazon – https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=Warhammer&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Website: https://www.fauxhammer.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/FauxHammerBlog/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FauxHammerBlog
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fauxhammerblog/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/fauxhammer/
Video Editing by VidPros: https://app.vidpros.io/r/J50Z26
Buy the Elegoo Mars 4 – DLP Here: https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2321615&u=3060349&m=104244&urllink=&afftrack=
Amazon: https://amzn.to/42AIfL6
Buy the Elegoo Saturn 3 Here: https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2351044&u=3060349&m=104244&urllink=&afftrack=
Buy the Elegoo Saturn 3 Ultra here: https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2351046&u=3060349&m=104244&urllink=&afftrack=
Buy the Elegoo Saturn 2 here:
Elegoo – https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2183265&u=3060349&m=104244&urllink=&afftrack=
Amazon – https://geni.us/ElegooSaturn2
Element Games – https://elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/elegoo-3d-printing/elegoo-saturn-2-3d-printer?d=10279
Buy the Elegoo Saturn 8k here:
Elegoo – https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2183267&u=3060349&m=104244&urllink=&afftrack=
Amazon – https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=Saturn+8k&crid=15HYHP189M5R6&sprefix=saturn+8k%2Caps%2C223&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
DLP is the gold standard for jelwers from what I can see in the Anycubic Photon D2 groups… I've only ever had DLP printers (I print figures, not rings and stuff like that) and I think that the business case is the following:
DLP: Small, highly detailed, non functional parts
LCD: medium prints, medium details, non functional parts
Filament: Large prints (larger than your large resin Wash & Cure station), low-medium detail, functional parts
Nothing beats DLP for small prints in economies of scale and hardware reliability (unless you got shipped a lemon, but that can happen with any printer tbh…). What I think is not that great about this Mars 4 is that it's like 6-7 months late to the DLP market, with nearly no advantages over the Anycubic D2 and actually 50 bucks more expensive… So, more of the same, late and more expensive…
I'd normally argue that a small machine is a great starter machine to find out if this is the hobby for you. Its quite a shock when you first get into it. The dream of just having a 3D file magically appear like a 2D inkjet but in 3D is just nowhere near there. There's so much extra messy processing work, I think its good to get that small starter machine and discover the hobby without a big financial investment. But the price of this completely excludes it from experimental first buyers. so no I've no idea who this is for. I've never used DLP so can't sing its praises. It doesn't appear to be the future if you look at new machines coming out. DLP is forever stuck in tiny machine land. There's obviously a big price to the projector that isn't true of LCD's that seem to just get cheaper and bigger. For me the future is around intelligent sensors that get the reliability of your printing up and bring the ease of use down. I also swear to the printer gods that I will never again buy another machine that doesn't have VAT heating built in. I'm sick to death of having to solve that problem myself printing outside in the dead of winter in the UK. Oof long rant just to say, nope, next.
You had mentioned "feeling like DLPs give you less issues;" this is one of the reasons DLP is desirable to me. I bought a super cheap Mars 2 Pro and Wash & Cure during a holiday sale but haven't taken them out of the box. I really just 3DP functional parts for projects I may be working on. I don't need crisp minis I want low maintenance, low fuss, and a wide tolerance. I like some of the capabilities resin has that aren't as easy to pull off with FDM. Hell, I barely have my FDM printer dialed in; I mean it's good enough for most of what I do but nowhere near what's probably reasonable. Learning 3DP was a pain; I ended up rounding off nozzles, letting blobs eat my hot end destroying thermistors, murdering some build tak plates, and wrecking some leadscrews. When I do make the dive into resin, I would much prefer a glass pane that will laugh at torn FEPs, a lamp I will never even consider the lifespan of, the quiet and fan-less design that will be nicer for use in a bedroom or office. Once I'm out; I'm out. I can imagine it will rival the screeches of my klipperized FDM bed-slinger running along at 120mm/s, and I sleep just fine through that, but still quiet is nice.
I've had a photon since 2019.
I wouldn't buy a printer this small again.
Yeah I've printed some huge things in parts on the photon but it's painful.
I get your logic for the price range. However, would you go for the original photon ultra? Its 285 usd. Would you even consider the photon d2 for 450 usd? Or what would you conclude from.comparing the 3 printers. Would the original ultra be outdated?
I'm assuming the power consumption is a lot lower on this printer compared to an equivalent LCD printer. That might be another reason to recommend it particularly with the rising cost of electric.
This comment is mostly to help appease the YouTube algorithm goblins.
Great video. Keep up the good work.
I am with you on the DPI/resolution conclusion – if you need a microscope to see the difference, what's the point?
But you have largely answered your own question, in that DLP is easier to use and (apparently) has less elephant's foot style exposure issues.
To a business who wants a printer that "just works", it's probably worth the extra $$$.
One word. Jewelry.
Tau / Gundam players may prefer DLP for those solid edges, but the build plate is so small, that everyone else may prefer a Mars 4 Ultra, maybe 🙂
The price point seems a bit steep @ first glance, BUT:
Considering that the exposure unit lasts on paper 10 times longer than that of an SLA printer, and that energy consumption is approximately 5-10 less than for an SLA printer, this comes into perspective. This kind of unit is perfect for someone, that prints a lot of 28-32 sized miniatures. And with a lot, I mean a hell of a lot.
Let's try some math here:
Say you can print 6 pre supported minis on this printer. Say there are roughly 1.000 layers per build plate at an exposure of 2s per layer. So each build plate uses up approximately 2.000 seconds of exposure time of the lifespan of the exposure units. That is roughly 35 minutes per print. Over the theoretical life-span of the exposure unit, that equates to roughly 34.000 prints or 200.000 printed minis!
Let's take an SLA printer with approximately double the print-bed size and a purchase price of 20% less, the Saturn 3: Let's also assume, that the print settings are similar concerning exposure times (which they are not, cause usually more exposure time is needed on an SLA than on a DLP unit). So we "only" get 3.400 prints out of this printer, but with twice the amounts of minis. So roughly 40.000 printed minis, before the exposure unit reaches the theoretical end of life-cycle time.
This means, that you would have to replace the SLA printer's screen 4 times before you would need to replace the DLP printer, to print the same amount of minis.
In other words:
Purchase price for the DLP-Unit + 0 screen replacements: 550€
Purchase price for a Saturn 3 + 4 screen replacements: 450 € + 4x 140 € = 1.010 € (not taking into consideration the time needed to actually replace the screens!)
So the investment per printed mini is at least double with an SLA printer. Add to that the reduced operating cost in terms of electricity, this becomes a very viable option for someone that prints a hell of a lot of minis (say a print shop).
For the average home user, that prints just for his own needs and maybe that of a a couple of friends, both are viable options, but such a person will most likely never reach the theoretical life-span of a DLP unit.
Maybe someone with a print farm could benefit on it because of:
– no cost for replacing screens when you have long prints 24/7
– much lower energy consumption in times of rising energy costs
– potentially faster printing in the future (future faster-curing resins could maybe benefit from dlp technology because no screen occludes uv energy transmission)
I think the build volume is an even bigger drawback than the resolution though. A build plate with double or triple the size can simply print more of the same models than this mars 4 can and you still get the opportunity of printing larger models. Also you might not have to split large prints into smaller parts which ultimately would save you time during preprocessing. It seems to be a niche printer.
If you don't care about the upfront cost and want a printer which is more ecologically friendly – you could buy this one and eco-resin
🤷♂
Alest for Europa. The 450 dollars is a good price compared to anycubic d2 sadly.
D2 is also 449usd unless you live in eu. Welcome to a 629usd
I Wonder why we have yet to get a mid size dlp printer. I would buy one if in a heart beat if they did
hi, right now I'm thinking about buying my first 3d printer, I decided on the choice between Anycubic M3 Premium and M5s. What to choose? the ability to print 12k is impressive, but is it so on the m5s? Maybe it's worth taking it with a reserve for the future, when it becomes clear with which resin to print in order to achieve good results in 8k or 12k? I've been sitting on YouTube for a month and watching all the materials of my choice, I've looked at all your reviews, but I haven't decided on buying a specific model. How soon will your review on m5s be released? I'm really looking forward to it, thank you
I'd love to buy a Uniformation DLP printer.
Bro, can you print 6" tall figures?
60 x 60 = 3600! That's 1 hour! 7500 seconds is over 2 hours. I know you say you are not technical but come on! What are six sixes? You undermine your credibility with such a schoolboy error.
Jewelry. The small build plate is plenty large for most projects. The sharp/clean results provided by DLP are more desirable. All LCD printers introduced artifacts to the print, these artifacts are more evident on flat surfaces printed perpendicular to the build plate. They are expressed in the form of vertical striations/lines running through the print surface. This has to do with inconsistency in the LCD pixel grid. I've used DLP machines in the past & these artifacts were pretty much non existent.
It only seems to be useful as a commercial tax loss……
Honestly, I can't remember if I ever used AA on my resin printers (Photon S, Mini4K and now GKTwo). And I have never seen any need for it. But I was always printing at 0.03 or 0.02 layer hight…
Yeah, I think the problem is it is competing against a 10 inch 12k screen printers with better build quality and addon features like the mono M5s. I think 2 years ago it would have been a massive hit but with how much the resin printers have improved it just falls behind. I mean I still want a DLP and if this was like a 10 inch 4k version at 500 I would probably buy it right away.
i was hoping an elegoo dlp would drive the price down more.
Comment to drive the algorithm. Keep up the good work
Helped me rule out the DLP. Maybe in the future when the cost inevitably comes down as it has with good mono screens now. Think I'm gonna go for the 4 (or maybe ultra) to replace my mucky old 2 pro
You finished the video asking why anyone would want such a minuscule difference that’s only visible under a macro lens… but that’s exactly the marketing for these 8k and 12k printers? The difference between 25um and 19um is not something anyone will see without a microscope, but it’s the only real selling point of the 12k machines. The big appeal is the ongoing savings. Replacing an 8k or 12k screen costs almost as much as the machine itself. Lasting 10 times longer is ten screen replacements you don’t have to pay for. At $100-300 per replacement screen? That’s a LOT of money.