Elegoo Saturn 3 Ultra 12K review — 3D printing made easy?! — GAMINGTREND

Resin printers have leveled up at an insane tempo over the previous few years.  We’ve acquired massive format printers just like the Jupiter SE 6K (Our evaluation) with its huge print quantity, the Neptune 4 Max with a fair LARGER print format, and the crazy-high decision on the Mars 4 9K.  What if we will discover a comfortable medium between massive and ridiculous, but in addition push the decision even greater?  That’s exactly what the Saturn 3 Extremely is seeking to do.  With a 12K decision, a big construct quantity at 218.88mm(L) x 122.88mm(W) x 260mm(H), and an enormous refresh of the long-running Elegoo working system, may this be the brand new flagship for resin printing?  Just one option to discover out!

Earlier than we dig into printing, let’s get a glance beneath the hood.  The Elegoo Saturn 3 Extremely has a ton of recent options, not all of that are apparent, that it has cribbed from different Elegoo printers.  Organising the system, I discovered one thing new round each nook.  Let’s unbox it.

Contained in the field, there’s a USB-powered charcoal air air purifier, a stack of paper funnels, additional wrenches and screws, two paper masks, a steel and plastic scraper, a pack of non-nitrile gloves, a license card for Voxeldance Tango, a USB stick, and the ability provide for the unit.

The obvious improve for the Saturn 3 Extremely is the 12K mono LCD. Measuring 10 inches and with a decision of 11520×5120, and an XY decision of 19×24μm, the hardened glass powers the masked stereolithography (MSLA), similar to any of Elegoo’s most up-to-date printers.  It does so with a COB (Chip on board) plus refractive mild supply, which is to say it has the identical angular reflection system that we noticed in use within the Jupiter SE.  On the again are two vents, although they don’t stick out and should not angled just like the Jupiter SE, however they make the most of the identical cooling construction behind the scenes.  Two copper tube methods and outsized cooling followers assist preserve the LCD and all the remainder of the internals cool, extending its life.

I used to be shocked to see the brand new vat that ships with the Saturn 3 Extremely.  As an alternative of the clear FEP that I’m used to seeing on all of my resin printers, this FEP is pretty opaque – if you see what appears to be like like a cloudy FEP, don’t stress. This new FEP known as nFEP, and studies are that it lasts longer, releases simpler than customary FEP, and by some means is cheaper than customary FEP movie.  This nFEP is comprised of PFA, or perfluoroalkoxy.  The tensile power of a typical FEP is round 24.3 mPa on common, whereas the nFEP pushes that to 29 mPa.  Which means the cured layer that was simply printed peels away from the print mattress simpler, with out flexing the floor as a lot.  Because the nFEP isn’t shifting as a lot, the layers shouldn’t stick as usually, and the layers shouldn’t shift as usually.  Proof is within the pudding although, so we’ll be testing this over time throughout a number of prints.

The opposite apparent change that I noticed was an enchancment to the Z-axis screw.  Using a dual-rail system with an outsized ball screw improves the steadiness and motion of the print meeting.  Along with being quieter, it’s additionally extra correct than earlier than – 0.01mm extra to be exact, leading to 0.01 to 0.2mm layer heights.  It’s arduous to think about 12K decision and layer heights that small, however even at greater print speeds (as much as 150mm per hour), the ensuing prints are extremely detailed, as you’ll see in our macro photos.

Coming from my Saturn 2, I used to be comfortable to see the brand new laser-etched construct plate on the Jupiter SE.  This has additionally made its option to the Saturn 3 Extremely.  I discovered that this eliminated the necessity for scuffing the plate for printing, with the added bonus of being simpler to take away prints from the plate after the actual fact.  That’s not the one trick the brand new plate has to supply.

The Jupiter Se makes use of a brand new 4 level leveling system as an alternative of the ball joint system current on the Saturn 2.  I make the most of a magnetized plate on my Saturn 2 and the pressure of eradicating that magnetic plate has sometimes ruined my leveling because it’s successfully held in place by a single level.  The 4 level leveling system on the Saturn 3 Extremely as an alternative actually solely articulates up and down, and rocks ahead or backward.  Because of this, as soon as I leveled the plate, it stayed leveled.  I’ve pushed and pulled on this plate fairly a bit and it hasn’t budged one bit.  It additionally attaches otherwise, sliding on to a jam nut held in place by a spin crank above.  It’s a mixture of the Jupiter SE and the Saturn printers, and made higher by the amalgamation of each.  I leveled the plate on digicam within the video above – see for your self.

The duvet on the Saturn 3 Extremely will get an aesthetic change, shifting to a smoked grey look slightly than the trademark vivid pink acrylic.  Apart from appears to be like, I requested Elegoo what enhancements this new hood brings.  They knowledgeable me that the brand new cowl blocks between 95 to 99% of all ambient UV mild, precisely the identical because the pink hood.  They have been fast to level out that no hood on the market will cease the solar, so blackout curtains are nonetheless extremely beneficial.  I do know some customers have reported resin curing of their vat whereas sitting idle, however I’ve but to have that have myself.

Opening up the OS for the primary time, I used to be happy to see an enormous improve.  The display screen is a coloration touchscreen that retains the simplicity of the earlier iterations, however provides a number of essential details about your prints to the combination.  The primary panel is Print, Instrument, and System, because it all the time has been.  Underneath Instrument, you’ve got handbook controls for the plate (together with a 50mm transfer possibility, thanks!), the zero to your Z-axis, tank cleansing, a display screen publicity adjustment, a tool self-test, and the grasp cease button.  The publicity take a look at will be accomplished as a grid, or with the Elegoo Know-how brand to make sure your system is working as supposed.

The Saturn 3 Extremely has a wi-fi whip to connect to the facet of the system, permitting you to ship recordsdata to your system remotely (at someplace between 6 and 8Mbps).  That’s extremely depending on the software program you employ — it at present works in Chitubox and Voxeldance Tango, however I used to be unable to search out the correct choice to make it work in Lychee Slicer.  What I wasn’t capable of get working nonetheless was distant firmware updates.  As an alternative, it throws up a generic error that doesn’t actually make it easier to diagnose the state of affairs, however suffice to say, it simply doesn’t work.  As an alternative you’ll be updating with a thumbdrive, as you all the time have.  Maybe the subsequent replace will convey that performance?

With the system arrange, and resin loaded within the vat, it was time to print.  Popping open your slicing software program of selection, every has the flexibility to obtain a profile for the Saturn 3 Extremely.  I may definitely print the Cones of Calibration V3, the included rook, or some other variety of take a look at prints, however these aren’t very enjoyable, are they?  No, as an alternative I printed a bust of Medusa from Loot Studios.  This mannequin is very detailed, stunning, and has a number of small bits just like the enamel on her snakes.  You possibly can see how Loot Studios showcases it and the opposite goodies on this bundle proper right here:

With a file sliced and loaded, we now get to see a brand new display screen for this OS replace.  With the sliced file loaded you’ll be greeted with a display screen displaying the file title, regular and backside publicity time, print peak, mannequin peak, a high-detail picture of the article being printed, the standing of the system, time elapsed, and time remaining are all displayed on this foremost display screen, in addition to whether or not you might be related to a file on a thumbdrive or if you’re streaming it out of your wi-fi connection.  Whilst you aren’t more likely to be making adjustments on the display screen earlier than permitting your print to proceed, you really can.

The resin I selected is a semi-transparent milky affair.  It’s additionally skinny and low cost.  I figured it’d be the second checkpoint for the Saturn 3 Extremely.  Can this flagship print straight out of the field with solely default settings and probably the most financial non-matched resin I may discover on Amazon?  Nicely, it seems the reply is an emphatic sure.

Whereas I admire the milky look that got here out of the print, it simply wasn’t very straightforward to learn element on it.  As an alternative I hit it with a darker grey primer, bringing out a metric ton of element.  Decide for your self!

I needed to ensure it wasn’t a fluke that I used to be capable of simply throw a file in and print it, so I printed a cube tower utilizing a typical 4K Elegoo resin, after which a Porg from Star Wars in a light-weight grey from Sunlu.  All of them have been washed, cured, after which primered to convey out their element, and it definitely did.  The standard was excessive, the sides have been sharp, and all of the items printed with no hitch.

I printed the cube tower in two halves after which printed the Porg sitting flat on the plate with none helps.  Each printed completely, and on the primary try.  The brand new nFEP and laser-etched plate mixture appears to be delivering in a approach that we’ve not seen, even in Elegoo’s different printers.  The truth that it dealt with resins of all qualities and viscosities with out doing something past the defaults is frankly astonishing.  I’ve leveled it as soon as once I did it on digicam, and that’s the final I’ve needed to contact it past loading recordsdata and having fun with the outcomes.  It appears like Elegoo has taken an enormous step ahead with this new OS, display screen sort, and different enhancements.  Might this be the final step earlier than we get automated leveling?  Put plainly, 3D resin printing will be difficult, messy, and difficult to get working accurately.  It’s good when someone makes all of it simpler.

Until in any other case said, the product on this article was supplied for evaluation functions.