AnyCubic AnyCubic Photon UV Photon 3D UV Photicuring Ultra Precision 2K HD Masking LCD Printer with Smart Touch Color Screen, 2560 x 1440 Resolution

This was my first sojourn into the world of 3D, and I chose this as the print quality was touted as superb for this price point. They weren't wrong, the level of detail is outstanding. Using the device is extremely simple, though I prefer Chitubox for generating the slice .photon files instead of Anycubic's own Photon Slicer.The printers build quality is, overall, good. I disconnected the fan though, as it is noisy, and makes the room stink of resin. It's better IMHO to not have the fan at all, and since disconnecting it I have had no issues with resin odour at all whilst printing. I have not had Z-axis wobble as yet, though others have reported it and there are DIY fixes available if your prints suffer from it.Be prepared for your first half a dozen / dozen prints to fail. There is a learning curve. But, it's an easy one to climb, you just need patience and persistence ;)You can also look for open source software to deliver .photon files to the printer over a network, as the printer motherboard has an RJ45 socket on. I've yet to try this, but it's next on my Todo list. The USB stick supplied with the printer failed spectacularly mid-print on one model I had, resulting in 4 failed prints until I checked the .photon and found it had been corrupted by the USB stick. Buy your own, but no more than 4GB as they have to be FAT32 formatted.Being in the UK, one major niggle is the need to keep the resin warm - garage temperatures below 18 C yield iffy results, peeling layers or failed adhesion to the build plate. I've since added an electric heater and controller to mine to keep the interior of the printer at a cosy and constant 20/21 C at all times during a print, and I've had no problems ever since. I'd suggest Anycubic consider this as an optional extra perhaps - I fitted mine for around £20 total cost.Beware the 'LCD Screen 3 month warranty' though. Mine start showing dead spots/splotches, which resulted in tunnels in the 3D prints, literally after 3 months and a few days. Anycubic (politely) declined to replace it under warranty, but provided a link to a replacement part on Amazon. Fortunately the replacement was only £40 (apprx) so not too bad. So far, Anycubic support have been very quick, polite and helpful.Top tips:Nitrile (not latex) gloves. ALWAYS WEAR THEM when handing the prints. I don't. And I should.Two, clear plastic, alcohol baths - one 'dirty' one to soak away the majority of the fresh resin, and then another for a 'clean' wash to remove any persistent stuff. You will get through less alcohol in the long run this way. If you leave these baths out in nice strong sunlight (yeh, UK, funny) then the UV from the sun will turn resin into fluffy white gel. You can then let this condense and remove it from the alcohol to lengthen the lifespan of the alcohols usefulness.Wire mesh cake rack - to let the prints drip dry over a cloth.Silicon cake-mix scraper, ideal for gently removing residual resin from the print tray without damaging the FEP film.Cake icing turntable - if you want to spray your printsUV LED curing box (I made my own, but easier to buy one TBH) - again, referring to the UK and it's sunlight/UV reliability problem. You really want to harden your prints with good UV.Flat nosed, sharp snips/pliers, for cutting the supports off without harming the print itself.100ml Plastic Syringe, for transferring resin, alcohol and so forth.Silicon baking mat for standing resin-coated stuff on (makes it easier to clean off).Some good hand files, and 1200+ grit wet&dry sand paper for finishing your prints.Make sure hollow models have sufficient drain holes cut in them! Trust me, models will split apart and leak if they still contain uncured resin. It ain't pretty!Make sure your entire printer is level, and when you have it level check it and make it level again. It's the screen/tray area that has to be dead level.When you've done printing, rather than clean the FEP down with cloth (and risk scratching it), I syringe some clean alcohol into the resin tray, move the build plate to 'Home' and then raise it about 3mm. This lets the alcohol do all the hard work, and you can then pour it out into your 'clean' bath later, and use a soft cloth to dry up any residue before the next print. (I find really really really cheap toilet paper is ideal for this!)

I bought this printer as I also own an Anycubic Mega S which is also an awesome piece of kit and impressed with their build quality and ease of use.The Photon comes well packaged with lots of polystyrene to protect it from damage on its way to you.Once you have unboxed the unit you just have to attach the little PSU to the back and mount the Vat and Build plate to the machine. This is detailed in the instruction sheet supplied with the machine (this doubles as a calibration sheet). You will also have to fit the door knob.Calibration is fairly easy and is detailed on the sheet too and is carried out with ease using the supplied Allen key.You then simply fill the Vat with the resin (not supplied) to about 1/3 of the Vat volume.Then insert the supplied USB stick and browse to the test file and press print.The prints do take longer than an FDM printer due to the enhanced detail but are definitely worth the wait.I have included one print of a unicorn from my Mega S (rainbow filament) and one from the Photon (clear green)I do like both but you can see the smoothness and detail better with the Photon print.I have now ordered the Wash and cure to make my life easier with this lovely bit of kit.Pros. Great detail and lovely prints, Photon slicer software is quick and easy to use.Cons. Resin is fairly expensive compared to filament. Little bit messy to start with. Small print area compared to FDM printers.

First of all I am, or was, a complete noob at 3D printing but wanted something to print walls and scenery for models, warhammer & D&D etc. I did a little research and spoke to some people at work who have printers and I decided resin was the way to go.I found out that resin would give me a finished piece with more detail... The trade off is that resin does require carefull handling as well as cleaning. As I'm not phased by chemicals, I went for it.Out the box the printer is reasonabley heavy giving the impression of sturdyness. The instructions could be a little more detailed but a little time spent on you tube increased my confidence level in setting it up.If like me you are new to this kind of printing, after watching the videos and reading the instructions, you may have a sense of 'OMG it's going to explode if I get it wrong'. This is not the case. Use the paper method as described in the instructions and in most videos and all will be fine. One point to stress though, be careful with the film on the bottom of the resin tray.So, to print, the printer comes with a USB drive that has the slicing software (think of it as a printer driver) that needs installing on your computer as well as a ready to go file. Plug the drive into the side of the printer, select print and the file, add resin (about 1/3 full) and select go. What you get a a lovely cube on a stand (see photo above). The cube (and every other print) will need a wash and extra curing (see my review on the AnyCubic wash & cure) before it can be considdred trully finished.Once washed and cured, it can be left as it is with just the colour of the resin (see Rhino photo). The cube has been undercoated and sprayed with acrylic paints. Adhesion is very good and details pop out.The left over resin can be poured back into the container through a fine mesh filter (some disposable ones are supplied with the printer) and reused.Cleaning needs IPA cleaner and a lint free cloth and as long as the build plate and resin tray are spotless, the next print should have minimul problems.I did adjust the settings slightly due to advise gathered from the internet but as its all trial and error and I only printed small things first I wasnt too concerned.As to what to print, there are free 3D design packages to design your own or you can use Thingiverse to use free ones already designed (Rhino).My overall experience is very good and as I spend more time with the software, confidence builds.The only downside is the cleaning but 5 minutes and its all done.Very happy with the purchase

Bad printer not working no reteran amound los