I think you hit the nail on the head here. We have reached the level of "good enough" when it comes to quality. The next generation of printer advancements will be about convenience and consistency. The various tidbits that we now have to go for in aftermarket addons or DIY solutions need to be solved now. Heated beds and air filters are already here in some printers. Next would be a convenient way to let the resin drip off the finished print, maybe the next-gen printer should have a printplate that automatically tilts to a side to let the resin drip off easier, or the plate is already formed and shaped a certain way to facilitate this. A plate with a detachable, flexible surface as we can get in aftermarket for almost every printer would be a sensible thing. As would be a way that allows the printer to detect if there are any bits of cured resin already in the vat that would harm the FEP or even the lighting unit if it crashes down into it. A more convenient way to transfer the resin back from the tank to the bottle would also be nice. And all the other dozens of little things that we now have to do "manually" that could be made easy by printers that take care of this. I'm absolutely certain that this would also be very attractive to people new to printing, especially if they watch channels like this one first and thus learn that resolution and printing speed ain't everything. What you want is a consistent print, clean air and ease of operation.
This, we've really hit the level of "good enough" that hopefully the next generation of Resin printers focus on all the things you mentioned. Honestly the real next big breakthrough in Resin printing won't be the printers themselves but will be whichever company first makes a non-toxic but useable Resin, then you can have it in peoples homes without having to worry about resin fumes etc. Currently that seems to be the major limiting factor on Resin Printers beyond space. However if that's even possible I have no idea.
@@luketfer It's fairly unlikely. There are a few resins that are at least food-safe when cured, but they are prohibitively expensive (think factor 5-20 to common resins), so no later than at the price tag this becomes a non-issue for hobbyist printing. Turns out anything that reacts to uv-light is also generally not very healthy. So unless we find a different way to cure our resin than uv-light, I guess that will not fly.
if the buldsize in x/y are buigger...14k would make sence...but in a standart size...no...and even then..i guess the minimum Z height will get to a limit.. since LIGHTbleed is a thing..a
@@BitplanebrotherYes. But all these things apply to the thoroughly cured resin. Even normal resin is fairly nontoxic (still nothing 'd hand my 3 year old, mind you) once cured, but there isn't a single resin that I know of that isn't highly toxic in liquid form. And concerning resolution, well, I already could only see a difference between 6k and 8k under a microscope. Yes, you can see the difference there. And under very specific circumstances and on particularly plain surfaces that have to be printed at an angle, you may see (or at least feel) the difference. For any normal miniature or structured print, I doubt the difference is that prominent. And then there is the light bleed you mention, but there are also things like the resolution the resin is capable of hardening at (yes, it's a thing, even resins that can handle higher resolutions have limitations to how precisely they can polymerize) and of course the time factor. Are you willing to wait five times as long for a z=0.01 print than you did for a z=0.05 print? Because we're still talking about speeds that mean you print 3-5 hours for a mini, on a fast printer. Are you willing to print for a whole day for a resolution increase you won't even notice?
Best reviews available. Most printers are getting to the point of being all the same, we need the precise to the point opinions of practical details that sets them apart.
He doesn't know or show how the heating function works, he doesn't know why a heavy, paneled UV lid is better (in most cases, on lower cost items) than a single-piece formed lid (hint, "crazing", look it up), he doesn't mention the plate levelling mechanism and why once it's set (either from the factory or by the user), the plate _may_ need to be adjusted once a year if someone dropped it a few times but probably not [hint: it's VERY secure], he sees that a full, new, 1000g bottle of resin doesn't overflow the resin vat (even though the vat can only hold 750ml up to the MAX line) but doesn't understand how it won't overflow if he sticks a full bottle on with some resin already in the tank (and loudly suspects that it will overflow) [answer to his "big mystery" - the resin stops flowing when the WEIGHT of the resin in the vat is >= to the WEIGHT of the resin remaining in the bottle, gravity doesn't increase the weight of s stationary object no matter how high above a lower object it is], and still, he did not mention a single print failure of any kind... If that's one of the "Best reviews available", and you need this moron to show you why "Most printers are getting to the point of being all the same" and you "need the precise to the point opinions of practical details that sets them apart" [which is true and a sharp observation] - well, he didn't [and can't] tell you, and faked the prints, too, [used the same prints on left and right comparisons at 14:46 for one blatant example]. No sane printer company should send this clown any free printers for review because his reviews are random blabbering for the most part, regardless of the actual qualities/faults of the printers. Nor should any sane [albeit corrupt] printer company even pay this clown to shill their printer, because his endorsement is a definite "no buy", based on his sloppy "reviews".
They could be better. I wish he and other reviewers would prime and drybrush the models. Models that look fine before paint can suddenly start showing jaggies once you start trying to give it some highlights.
@@tomyocom5886 Good catch , it's there at 14:46 exactly like you say... Come to your own conclusions about this "reviewer" - but at least this time he didn't use "his" blurry, crappy "Warhammer Resin"...
@@retromodernart4426 I love this guy, I think he just grabbed the next clip. I edit video and Blend instead of jump cut. old school......peeps probably know what that is and it crosses over well to 3d printing fine details. Faux just grabbed wrong clip and put it next to same model...I just pointed it out and like me he probably had glasses off..haha.... he still thinks it is a different model though.....
@@tomyocom5886 BS, and the excuse just makes it worse. Bottom line, what a sloppy faker, but you love who you love and like the saying goes, "Love is blind:...
Man, at this point i really want to start a petition for the brands to stop advertising the screen resolution and start using pixel size instead. It's just making customers do research to figure out if we have something precise, a quality revolution or just a standard pixel size on a bigger screen. I get that 8k, 12k, 14k sounds much better than 35 microns, 24 microns etc (especially for a customer buying their first printer and dont have much knowlege) but still..
It's making informed customers do the research. The average person who's just looking to get a printer is who they're targeting with the marketing talk.
Thanks to your videos I decided to upgrade my elegoo saturn 1 to the Uniformation GK two and I still waiting the printer...when I saw the title of this video I feel bad for a second but after actually saw the video Iam still thinking that I take the better decition
Ross this is another fantastic video. Yours are quickly becoming the best on RU-vid for no nonsense, to the point reviews. This thing is a hard pass. Really appreciate the things you cover in your reviews. They are EXACTLY the things I look for when making a buying decision. Happy New Year!
I can only imagine how much the replacement screen for a printer like this is going to cost. They already sell an 8K replacement screen for nearly $200 USD. With such a high resolution, you're going to be shelling out even more for such a consumable in return for increasingly diminishing returns in print quality.
Thank you for your professional review and advice. About Heating System: What causes printing failure in a cold environment? In a cold environment, the resin's slow fluidity prevents it from returning to the center of the resin vat in time, leading to printing failure. Heating the resin is an effective method to improve fluidity and ensure successful printing. Should we maintain continuous resin heating? No, based on our experiments, printing failures are primarily related to the adhesion of the first layer to the platform. Successful adhesion of the first layer allows the printing screen (maintained at 40°C during printing) to provide adequate heat for subsequent layers. Continuous heating systems are unnecessary and may cause damage to the LCD and other electronic components.
Hoping the GK2 just continues to keep things as they are with the 8k screen and tool up/volume up to keep bringing there printer price down. Why mess with it when it's checks all the boxes so well. Just wish the price was somewhat cheaper
GK2 might be close to worth it if they put in a proper light source instead of the obsolete, cheap, crappy "UV LED matrix" with the plastic "lenses", and got rid of the LCD and LED heater under the screen and went with an in-vat heater. If you care about print quality price/performance an 8K Whale3 SE or Ultra, is way better right now (pseudo 14K LCD who knows, can't tell from this crappy review).
Excellent breakdown of the positives and negatives associated with this printer. The way you present your observations with examples and clear definitions has made me an immediate subscriber. Thank you for your work!
Thank you ross, your review is always fair enough. I have used their whale3 ultra, and I think this heating system is effective. Their heating system creates a suitable printing temperature environment before printing, which is helpful in the cold winter.
I still have and use an Anycubic photon mono 2k, and i think the print quality is perfectly good enough still, the only reason id ever upgrade is for the quality of life features and for a larger print size. I think companies should just stick to 8k and put all the extra money saved into quality of life things and build quality.
9:17 a lot of these little issues I can deal with but I would go insane if it kept deleting my files 😢 EDIT: this would make sense if it was like a printer queue, where it clears out as jobs finish, but idk seems weird on a 3D printer
The problem is, he didn't mention one "little detail" - the file can be printed from either the WiFi, USB or from the 8GB memory on the printer. So, when you print from Wifi, the print gets loaded into the printer memory and prints from there. Doesn't touch your file on the PC. When you print from the USB, it prints off of the USB stick. Nothing gets deleted on the USB stick. When you upload the file from the USB to the printer memory, you then remove the USB stick and print it from the printer memory, nothing on the USB gets touched. Whether or not the printer deletes the file from it's own (printer) memory afterwards is kind of looking a bit different now, right?
@@retromodernart4426 Yeah that makes sense, sounds similar to a paper printer queue or something but not a huge deal unless printing from only memory is your workflow
just came across your video, while looking for plastic printers for gift cards, it was awesome!!! never used one or seen this before. now after seen that would love to start make 3D models of superheros .
I have a 4k printer and a 12k printer and print quality is somewhat similar between the two. Of course the 12k printer is better, but the difference isn't as dramatic as you might think. I doubt I would be able to tell the difference between 12k and 14k.
I really want to get into 3D printing however a "high end" marine tank & cabinet purchase several years ago still gives me pause. The aluminium extrusions that made up the base was literally held together with whichever self-tapping screws were available - many unfit for purpose & several even rattled due to incorrect gauge. The pvc plumbing (overflow > filtration > return) was also replaced as the thread pitch was an unknown to plumbing outlet Reece. I'm really hesitant because many 3D printer reviews give me a similar vibe, eg: the heater setup. Apologies for the long post.
@@NobodyInTraining Sorry mate. My reference was rather vague now I re-read it. I was referring to a marine fish tank & stand. It was just a drawn out way of saying, "I've a few dubious experiences purchasing experiences from Chinese manufacturers whom aren't under the thumb of western companies looking to maximise profits. The printer reviews give me similar vibes" Damn! This is drawn out, too ;)
looks like a interesting printer to jailbrake and rewrite its functions for. like the heating always on during the print. en installing a different screen, and resin supply thing. I think im gonna order one.
They need to stop making the screens wider and start adding pixels the short direction. 12k and 14k still only have 5120 pixels in the short direction. I want more width!
While you are correct that the heater should run while the printer is running, resin layers curing keeps the vat warm, have you never tested this? I have a Fermintation belt on my Saturn 2 connected to a thermostat controller, I keep it at 78f, the rooms ambient temperature is 56F, when I come back a few hours later the thermostat reads 88f. As long as the resin starts warm it will keep it's self warm with each layer. Try it out.
Thanks for a great honest review. Wtf the heater doesn't rule during the printing. The resin fill looks way scary. You are right about way to many little fuckups.
The cold winter weather reduces resin fluidity, leading to first layer printing failure. Preheat the resin using a heater before printing to ensure optimal temperature for successful first layer printing. During UV curing, generated heat should maintain resin within an appropriate temperature range, ensuring fluidity and successful printing.I believe this represents the correct design idea！
I really like that resin you use… I hate that MicroCenter is the only place I can quickly buy it but all they have is their own brand and everything I print comes out looking almost transparent compared to your prints.
I would have to assume that the level that the bottle sits has enough tolerance for the displacement of the build plate, so that it does not overflow; otherwise that would be a massive oversight that could have easily been diagnosed and fixed by simply lowering the nozzle of the bottle to the desired level.
Possibly, but I’m not testing it for the reasons I said, the lowest point if the bottles lid was well above the max fill one, in which case the max fill line is Bs and that’s another small detail oversight by Nova 3D
You review the video very nice, thank you! But I think this printer is underrated and the price is very good 😊 When printing minis you may not be able to see 8k vs 14k quality differences, but when you use this printer to print jewelry and you use 30 micron support - this pushes this printer to another level 👌
Well, higher resolutions will come in handy for larger print volumes but I think for the size we are seeing here 8 to 12k is likely as high as you need the PPD to be. Which is how I wish SLA printers were marketed. by their effective pixel density and their size.
Just like TVs, we've surpassed the resolution barrier where pixels are now smaller than the human eye can discern. A particle smaller than 25 microns cannot be detected by the human eye unless it is refracting light (effectively increasing it's visual size). So it's really irrelevant once you are in sub-25 micron resolution territory, and especially a 5-7 micron difference between axes is completely irrelevant without solid magnification. The ONLY reason to increase the "K" resolution will be to keep
I wish manufacturers would use the pixel size instead of the meaningless k number. Yes meaningless because a Phrozen Mini 8k has far better pixel density than their Mega 8k. As to sticking to no more than 25um, I have no argument with you if all you are printing are desktop minis. But I am a manufacturer and want results with tolerances as low as +/- 10um. That is what I get from my CNC milling machine and lathe. I only get +/- 30 to 40um accuracy with my mini 8k and mighty 12k so am limited in what parts I can print as opposed to machine.
I wish manufacturers would stop with the whole ‘K’ thing. I want a massive , fast printer. I dont care beyond 4-8 k Give me a 22”-32” inch screen. Large rapid protoyping is what i want
Resin printers should list their resolutions at X pixels per millimeter and Z pixels per millimeter, along with Y pixels per millimeter. This way, things would be much more clear. I have an old printer from a year or three ago. I don't need a large print volume. I print small things. The prints I'm getting are DAZZLING. Why should I pay attention to these crazy new feature lists? Tell me. I demand to know.
I just found out about just how important temperature control is in printing. I have a spare bedroom I converted into my gaming storage and manifactorum. Sadly, I forgot that I closed off the vents in that room because I only ever pop in and out so I was not cooling it in the summer. OOOOPPPSSS Needles to say I popped a heater in there for printing because I keep it warmer than I like it during the cold months.
@@FauxHammer I want to say that FauxHammer thoroughly answered every point in my comments here, and even more, in a very satisfactory way, in a popular forum when questioned similarly by someone there regarding this video. Much appreciated, FauxHammer! Liked and subscribed 🙂
Thanks for the review! Will stick to my mars4max. Was looking for an upgrade, but apart the saturn3/pro, nothings come to mind. I will wait for the next improvment from elegoo.
From my limited understanding, it sounds like Bambu changed the game by doing really clever software implementation. I'm not sure how that translates to resin printing, but I would be excited to see them innovate on it.
I’m still a beginner, so forgive me for a dumb question. Why do we talk about rectangular pixels but not non-cubic voxels? Like shouldn’t I be testing my Mars 4 U at 19x19x19 instead of 19x19x50?
Thanks for this video, I was going to buy a Saturn 4 ultra," then when looking for post processing kit I stumbled on the Nova stuff and though that looks gucci, so had a look at their other products and found this printer. When I seen it, I thought "COOL, internal heater and resin top up, this must be the dogs danglies"... Now I know this is janky, and I'm going back to the Saturn 4 ultra, but I'll stick with the Nova curing unit, it looks quite gucci.
Thanks Ross. I was looking at this printer but turning the heater off when you print? Useless! Heating is not that important to me as I can control the (tiny) room temp easily, but if that doesn't work right what else is wrong? Nice review 👍
You really don't know that, do you, he didn't show how the heater actually works, it doesn't just turn the heat on and turn it off when you enter and exit that menu - he just said. How it really works, is it turns on the heater and moves the build plate up and down into the resin, stirring and warming it and the build plate, too, until the build plate and the resin are at the set temperature. The printer is enclosed with that "very heavy lid" as he mentioned - which is good insulation. Once it reaches temp. you start the print, and it works fine with none of those striation problems like GK2 had until they decided to move the heater down below the LCD to age it and the crappy UV LEDs faster. But that's ok, Rossy don't know but now you do...
@@retromodernart4426 If you watched the video you'd hear him say "Yeah, that's right. The heater does not function whilst the printer is printing" I'd say that shows Ross does know how it works - or doesn't
@@ausfoodgarden We'll never know from his video, because he never mentioned and didn't show what the heater and printer does between turning it on and leaving that menu , in addition to just heating while that menu is active. If he would have showed the actual heater function with the "stirring" (he knows how to do timelapse of course), and let it heat the resin to the temp he selected, measured the resin temp in the vat and temp of the build plate (IR thermometer is handy for this for people who are serious about printing), let it print with the "heavy lid" on, and measured temps during print, then showed the result (using the real print that just printed in the heater test), that would have been a real review of that function, whatever results were - instead of a typical Fauxhammer media video production (dramatic and shallow like 3D printing soap operas)... So unless someone saw all this demonstrated somewhere else, all they know from this video is the heater doesn't work when printing and nothing at all else about it. Somehow, after all that, all the prints he showed here looked great, and far better than anything he printed with his "favourite resin on his favourite printer"...
The cold winter weather reduces resin fluidity, leading to first layer printing failure. Preheat the resin using a heater before printing to ensure optimal temperature for successful first layer printing. During UV curing, generated heat should maintain resin within an appropriate temperature range, ensuring fluidity and successful printing.I believe this represents the correct design idea！
7:20 wouldn't the room on top have been calculated so that the volume of the building plate doesn't cause a spill ? It looks like the automatic refill would stop around the max line .
Unfortunately, Anycubic also immediately started implementing this type of screen and the same type of heater on the M5s 'pro'. So most likely we won't see anything innovative from them competing with gktwo this year either.
The pixel density is as high as it needs to go already. What we need now are things like safer UV resins and better software, which are the hard parts. So we'll probably be getting 20k printers before you know it!
Question I use my Creality LD002 H and R just for gaming mini's is there any reason to move more to the newer printers. I see the newer printers for busts and statures more than anything. I have never seen anything more than 4k either where I am. The review was great by the way.
Vat heaters are not needed so long as the resin is warmed when you start it as the curing reaction generates heat. Just stick the bottle between your thighs or behind your computer fan vent while you are getting your slicing and stuff ready and it should be warm enough to pour in and go.
Help me please My question is, what is the difference between expensive printers on the market like Shining 3D, Prusa and printers under 1000 dollars? For example, Wiiboox has a 7K printer named Light 380S for $2,600 and Sonic Mighty Revo, which is a new printer from phrozen, for $1,000. The size of the LCD is much larger, but it is 7K phrozen has a smaller size and is 14K Are the details very different?
Very good review, i really want to purchase a New 3d printer in 2024, but all that resolution confusion, and the fact that every single manufacture has it´s own opinions of 8 or even 12 k resolution should look like and how that should work put´s me of actually buying one : (
You'll quickly find with printing that aiming for the elite will only disservice you. I learned a long time ago the attitude of "I'm happy with that" is more than enough
I never could understand who greenlights these products "yep all that makes sense to me, send it out!" It truly is baffling. Bambu and Elegoo, make something like the GK2 for a more consumer friendly price please.
Having the vat stand proud of table when you put it aside is not great in my books. I often need to clean some stuck on stuff on the membrane with a wooden cappuccino spoon and then if the membrane is not directly on top of the table top the first thing it does is to poke a hole in it.
I would advise a different approach. You should use the vat clean function to cure the a thin film of the whole screen area. then instead of pushing down with a scraper, push up from below with your finter in one corner - the whole piece and anything else that was stuck will come away much easier
The side image seems better...on....all the prints. Consistently the images seem better looking at the front when you print them sideways... Which is weird...
So how do you deal with resin waste in the UK? I've been curious for quite some time, but because it's such a limited use thing with resin printing, I couldn't find any information on how to deal with it here, near Bristol.
I am looking for a printer that can be used to print small functional parts under modeled addons for my train models, that also need to be dimensionally correct. I am currently using a mars 2 pro but am looking for an upgrade. What would you suggest? I am not really on a budget, but would preference something around 500 dollars, if the more exspwnsive ones aren’t vastly better. Thanks in advance.
Shouldn't printer manufacturers know that we need the vat resin heated, not the air in the print chamber? Is this just as a case of doing what's easy, or do they really not know what needs to be heated? Is it too hard to put the power connector and network port at the back, and put the power and USB in the front? Can we have covers that don't require another few feet above the printer to open? Have you seen Elegoo's ridiculous lid on their new Jupiterr? Is it too much to have an native language editor? Why is "manual control" not properly capitalized to match the other menu items? This just feels like a poorly thought out design.
I'd rather heat the air because then everything in the chamber is at ambient, so things like thermal expansion of the printer parts are more uniform and you don't have a cold plate cooling the resin in the vat when it dips in.
The cold winter weather reduces resin fluidity, leading to first layer printing failure. Preheat the resin using a heater before printing to ensure optimal temperature for successful first layer printing. During UV curing, generated heat should maintain resin within an appropriate temperature range, ensuring fluidity and successful printing.I believe this represents the correct design idea！
@@FauxHammer Maybe firmware could enable it to some degree. Once the resin is pre-heated the resistive heater may not need to run at very high watts to maintain it, especially considering the act of printing also generates heat. I think it'd be well within the wattage limits of a standard outlet.
It's not nuclear waste. People go a bit overboard on how toxic it is, you can touch it if you want, it's just sticky and difficult to clean off and the fumes stink but in my experience not dangerous. I'd say mechanics using engine oil every day are at more risk.
man, that lid really screams out for "mount a handle dammit", and while im sure its easy to DIY one, you shouldnt HAVE to, it should just be Part of the build
