A Week with the Anycubic Photon resin 3D printer

I’ve resisted getting a resin printer for years for a number of reasons (which I’ll outline shortly) but recently the Anycubic Photon printer went on lightning sale on Amazon at a price that was too tempting to put off any longer.

This 3D printer works quite a bit differently than my other printers which are known as FDM (filament deposition modeling) which deposit liquid plastic filament, one layer at a time onto a build surface. The main difference is print quality. A typical FDM printer can print from 300-100 microns (0.3mm – 0.1mm layer heights). The Photon can print 50-10 microns (0.05-0.01mm). So really fine details at super high resolution.

The Photon works using DLP (digital light projection) which basically has an LCD screen on the bottom (facing up), a tray of resin with a clear, film bottom (known as FEP) that allows the LCD display to project each layer up using an ultraviolet light instead of a regular LED you’d find on a normal LCD screen. This ‘exposure’ then cures the resin for that layer and then the build platform moves up a little to allow more resin to flow into the space and be cured on the next layer.

I’ve described this process for years as being something out of science fiction since your object literally grows out of the resin goo right before your eyes. Here’s a timelapse of a rocket being printed on the Photon (not my video) that shows you the process:

Here’s my thoughts after having it for a week.

First of all, my reasons for not having one sooner are as follows:

• Cost: this class of machine typically costs $3-4000 and Formlabs has one of the best in class machines with their Form 2. Cost also includes the consumables such as the tank film (FEP), the resin itself compared to FDM filament is 100x more expensive. The average price I’ve found for 500ml is about $40 on Amazon which is nothing compared to what you could print with a 1kg spool of filament on a FDM machine.
• Use case: I’ve never really needed high resolution tiny things printed – it always seems to be best for miniatures and jewelry making (casting). I’m not sure that’s really changed but after a decade in the FDM space, it was something new for me to try and explore further.
• Safety & mess: resin is toxic to handle and post processing requires gloves, chemicals and a well ventilated space to clean the models

It wasn’t for lack of trying though. To date, I’ve backed three different resin based printers on Kickstarter. The first, the Peachy, crashed and burned after some embezzlement issues. The second, the ONO (aka OLO) is still in progress after a number of years. The third, and arguably my best bet to get into ‘the resin game’ despite being burned previously is the Sparkmaker FHD which is expected to ship in the next month or so.

But, like I said, the price point on the Photon (on sale at least) was just too good to pass up. The Lightning sale price was $479 Cdn all in with 2 day Amazon Prime delivery.

While I waited for Prime to deliver the Photon, I watched this video a few times…it goes over the basics really well and answered most of my questions about printing with resin in general and the Photon specifically.

Of all the 3D printers I’ve bought/owned over the years (last count was about 23 different models), this was easily the best out of box experience so far. The box comes with everything shown here:

It comes almost completely assembled. The only thing you really have to do is add the door knob to the cover which takes 30 seconds. The user manual is one of the best I’ve seen with clear, easy to follow instructions with great photos.

The machine is a solid, powder coated metal box that reminds me of my MakerBot Mini. There is a bright, clear touchscreen display for controlling the unit. It does beep when you are navigating around but you can turn off the beep in the settings.

Unfortunately, my touchscreen has a piece of fluff or dirt in the middle (above the M in System) that seems to be sandwiched between the screen layers. Not bothered enough to return the unit since it still works fine, just a minor annoyance.

After following the bed leveling procedure (shown very well in the video above), I was ready to pour the resin in and try my first print.

The onscreen preview of the files to print is a really nice touch….no more guessing if it’s the right one.

I usually hate printing test cubes or ‘sample’ prints that come with new printers since that’s not what I bought the printer to make. So my first print was a Millenium Falcon model that was optimized for resin printing (hollowed and drain holes added).

The slicing tool for the Photon is fairly straightforward if you’ve used Cura or any FDM slicing tool before. One thing I’m still learning is the right amount of support structures to add. I’ve been using the auto-support function and it seems to work fairly well but it can be a little aggressive sometimes but you can easily add/remove any support as desired.

One thing I really like is the layer preview that is shown on the screen during the printing process. I just wish the text was easier to read since the cyan on white is hard to see since its quite small.

Once the print is finished, you get to put on gloves and remove the print bed from the printer and hopefully, the print will come off easily using the included plastic scraper. I’ve had good success printing directly onto the build plate without a raft but it can be tricky since it is on there quite well vs a raft that has more give but it will depend on the model.

The process is pretty easy – you just unlock the red knob and pull the plate out. I use a tray to remove the prints onto using paper towel or shop clothes. Then it’s off to the baths.

The post processing system I use is a hybrid of what I’ve seen online…everyone has a different way of doing it. I was trying to find a reliable source of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) higher than 91% and most of my local places were either sold out or had lower concentrations. In the video above, he mentions using methyl hydrate since it’s easier/cheaper to acquire where he lives (Australia). Turns out Canadian Tire has a 4L jug of it for $10. But I’ve also been using 91% IPA from Walmart.

My process has been to drop the print into a glass jar (easily obtained at Dollarama in various sizes with a lid) of IPA or MH and swish it around for a bit. Then I drop it in water and do the same. Depending on the model, it goes back into the IPA/MH bath for a bit and maybe gets cleaned with a toothbrush to get rid of all uncured resin. Some of my earlier prints suffered from white residue which seems to be due to curing before it was fully clean or dry.

I looked at a lot of options for curing the prints after cleaning which is required to harden the resin. You can do this simply by putting the print in direct sunlight for a while or you can buy/make a UV lamp. Fortunately, Amazon has a ton of options (look for UV Nail Lamp) that is normally used for curing gel nail polish. I bought this one because it has an open bottom, is USB powered and has timers on it. It doesn’t however, have an unlimited/ON button….the longest it can stay on is 99 seconds. It does the job just fine and it can be stood on its end to cure larger prints…I have a rotating platform that can spin the print around for even curing.

I can also just put prints on a mirror and it seems to cure all around quite well if it fits inside the lamp.

Here’s some photos of the prints I’ve done so far:

As you can see, the detail is insane. Probably the best benchy I’ve ever printed. I also printed the Anycubic test file which took nearly 6 hours but turned out fantastic. The rook particularly impressed me since the finish on the stairs and top turret look like they were laser cut in acrylic.

I also tried printing some buttons and dpad for my Odroid Go which turned out amazing.

So far, I’ve just been using the included resin from Anycubic (it comes with 250ml) but also bought some Elegoo resin due to its good reviews with the Photon as well as I read that it smells less than other resin brands (which is true). Green resin from both companies seems identical.

I have had a few failures…mostly due to running out of resin or having too small of a surface area to adhere to the build plate.

The downside to a failure is that it can sometimes leave free floating cured resin in the tank which could cause issues later. I also had a small piece adhered to the tank film – which if I didn’t catch, may have forced the build plate to press down on it and potentially damage the film and/or the LCD screen below it. So inspect the vat carefully after each print to ensure you don’t damage anything.

One thing I’m going to do is add an exhaust vent to the back and vent the printer out the window more efficiently. I’m currently running the printer in a spare room with the window open and it doesn’t seem to permeate the house like printing with ABS did. This is a replacement panel (printed on my Ender 3) for the back of the Photon that easily mates up with a dryer hose. I’m also going to use an inline fan to help it along. You could also connect it to a charcoal filter if you really want to clean it.

So far, I’m really impressed with the quality of everything about the Photon. From the unboxing to the printing, it’s been a great experience. I still have much to learn about tweaking the settings, different support structures and model orientation. But so far, the default settings have been working really well. I did change the slicer settings for the Elegoo resin based on a review (11s exposure time, 1s off time, 95s bottom exposure and 5 bottom layers). I’ve also discovered a more universal slicer, Chitubox, which I have yet to print with but you can hollow your models and add drainage holes (so that resin isn’t trapped inside a sealed print) from within the slicer so it’s worth looking further into.

I’m surprised how far the resin goes. My first thought about a 250ml bottle was that it didn’t seem like very much material for the price. But I’ve been printing everyday for a week and only just ran out of the initial bottle of resin. The objects are much smaller so there is that.

I wouldn’t recommend this printer to anyone that has a small place…FDM printers aren’t ideal for that either…but the Photon has a fairly loud fan and you will smell the resin in a small apartment or condo (although you could vent it like I’m planning on doing). You wouldn’t want to sleep in the same room as the printer when it’s printing either…I’m still surprised people do this with FDM but I guess if you don’t have another spot to use the machine you make do. A heated workshop or garage is a better place for this printer. Colder temps can affect print quality.

Time to go refill the tank with more resin.

UPDATE: Here’s some more print photos: