New Printer on its WAY!

[robert3985]

Got the new printer yesterday!  Quick service indeed.  I was expecting it sometime between the 7th and the 11th.

HEAVY!  I almost dropped it getting it through my front door on the way to my kitchen table.

However, after unpacking, it was considerably lighter and easy for me to take down to my print room after removing the box, the packing and all the internal packing, the resin vat and the build plate.

Luckily, it fits perfectly (after some re-arranging) on my old reloading bench, along with my 10" M3 Premium, and my Wash & Cure Plus, with even a bit of room left for handling the prints before washing & curing in front of the other two machines.

Photo (1) - Final position on my printing bench shows how BIG this machine is!


Photo (2) - I needed 22" from the front of the M7 Max to the wall to accommodate the lift-up lid.  My bench's depth just happened to be perfect for that!


Build Plate Leveling, LCD checking, networking and updating the firmware went flawlessly without a hitch!

Since I'll be using only one brand and type of resin for this machine in the near future, I'll be attaching and using the auto-fill feature after dinner, and making a Build Plate Level confirmation print, and then a R.E.R.F. print to get the resin calibration just right.

Then, l'll be printing the first large G-scale part on it, letting it print overnight.

Looking forward to tomorrow morning!

Incidentally, I am highly impressed with the features and build quality of this machine...as well as the well-thought-out configuration of USB stick location, on/off switch, wireless antenna, and power cord location.

Viewing additional reviews of the Anycubic Photon 7K Mono M7 Max, have further confirmed that this is THE large resin printer to get so far this year...and from my viewpoint, it appears to be way underpriced for its quality.  Maybe Anycubic thinks they'll recoup their investment with resin sales.  Oh, I bought 10 Liters of Anycubic ABS-Like Resin Pro 2 to go with it...which brought the per-liter price down to about $16.50...which is a helluva good deal!

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[garethashenden]

What is the washing situation with a printer this big? It doesn't look like the build plate will fit in the Wash & Cure you have, although I may be mistaken.

[robert3985]

What is the washing situation with a printer this big? It doesn't look like the build plate will fit in the Wash & Cure you have, although I may be mistaken.

If I fill my Anycubic Wash & Cure Plus completely up with 91% IPA, the build plate for the M7 Max...and ONLY the build plate, will fit with just a bit sticking out if I insert it on its edge.  I turn it over and wash again to get all the plate clean.  A second Wash & Cure Plus Wash Bucket with much cleaner Denatured Alcohol in it finishes the job.

However, the parts I'll be printing on my M7 Max are so large I have to take them off the build plate after letting them drain for a while, then wash them in two stages just like my build plate after removing the supports, the only difference is that the prints are shorter than the length of the build plate so I don't have to flip them and wash a second time.

When I bought my Anycubic Photon M3 8K 10" Premium printer over two years ago, I also purchased Anycubic's largest Wash & Cure...the "Plus"...and I was disappointed that the build plate wouldn't fit it like the little build plate on my small original Photon would in the first, small Wash & Cure I bought for it.   

However, since most of the parts I'm printing with my M3 Premium are very small and low, inserting the build plate into my Wash & Cure Plus, with the detail parts rafts still attached to it isn't a problem, which is good because the rafts are so small they would fall through the basket weave if I tried to wash them after removing them from the build plate.  Also, the 10" M3 Premium's build plate, being smaller than the 13.6" M7 Max's build plate, immerses fully so there's no need to flip it.

The two washes, the wash with "dirty" 91% IPA, then the second wash with much much cleaner Denatured Alcohol, works well for me with no "stickiness" whatsoever after curing.

Since my printing room is vented to the outside via my large, home-made spray booth sitting directly adjacent to my printing bench, fumes from IPA, Resin and Denatured Alcohol aren't a problem for me.  However, I would never consider setting up a resin printing operation indoors without proper ventilation to the exterior in a room that's easily closed off from the rest of the house in order to retain heat and localize fumes.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

 

[Sumner]

Enjoy the new printer Bob.  Looks like it will work well for you.

...... which is good because the rafts are so small they would fall through the basket weave if I tried to wash them after removing them from the build plate. .....

I print a lot of small items also and this fixed the problem of them falling though the basket weave.



I leave it in the basket all the time.

Sumner

[robert3985]

Enjoy the new printer Bob.  Looks like it will work well for you.

I print a lot of small items also and this fix the problem of them falling though the basket weave.



I leave it in the basket all the time.

Sumner

@Sumner - Sumner, that's an excellent suggestion.  I'll have to do that.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[robert3985]

Well...I've been having a good time getting to know my lovely Anycubic Photon M7 Max's capabilities and limitations.

First, since my whole reason for purchasing it was to be able to print G-gauge projects (I know...it's hard to believe I'd be delving in to G-gauge  )  I'm printing at 0.10mm because G-gauge details don't require a finer resolution than that...and it makes for MUCH faster printing.

I'm cranking my AA up to 16, with a Grey=2 and Blur=4 to smooth things up and to actually get greater "resolution" as well as smoothing using Lychee Slicer Plus subscription, which I am very pleased with also.

However, I am getting a consistent problem with my prints, and it's "pillowing" on the first few layers...basically looking like a decorative pillow puffed up around the support points.

From my research, it's evidently a common problem and one that "just happens", but I assume it can be minimized or hidden using positioning to put it where it is less likely to be seen.  I'm workin' on it, but if anybody here has their solution, I'd like to read about it.

Photo (1) - My largest volume G-scale print for this project, drip-draining after a successful run still on my M7 Max's build plate:


Although I love my M3 Premium, the same print took 13-something hours to finish.  Print time on the M7 Max was 3hrs 55mins, so I think that this printer's Intelligent Release 2.0 proprietary algorithms along with its "mechanical sensors" have definitely sped up my printing time...way up!

So, I'm very happy with it...my only wish is that it was at least a 20 to 30 micron resolution for printing parts that require fine details. 

I notice Anycubic still has these on sale for $749.99...with the notation that there are "...only a few left"...meaning they're probably going to upgrade this model with a higher resolution screen and maybe a ball-screw on the Z-axis. 

Also, I really like the auto-fill, which keeps me from running dry on my large-volume prints...very convenient and simple to use.  Since I'm running only one resin for my G-gauge items, having to clean/purge the pump and hoses isn't something I'm worried about.

Lastly, I also LOVE the last firmware's update which keeps the vat warmer on during the entire print, so the resin stays consistently where I want its temp to be during prints that take several hours.  Just excellent!

That's about it for today...time to take another print off of my build plate and throw it into my Wash & Cure!

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[AlwaysSolutions]

Sounds awesome so far.  On the pillowing, I don't know if you can with these models, but if you taper/chamfer those edges the supports are connecting to, you should be able to minimize the pillowing.  Think of it as providing the resin a ramp to slide off between layers instead of setting on top of a thick edge while the subsequent layers are curing.  Doing this, realize the original supports may not have enough purchase to support the entire weight of the piece, so beef up the insides with support after your chamfer ends so you get the support reinforced.  I'd try this on a very short sample model rather than do the whole print, just to see if that helps.

Cheers -Mike

[Sumner]

....
However, I am getting a consistent problem with my prints, and it's "pillowing" on the first few layers...basically looking like a decorative pillow puffed up around the support points.....

The only way I've found to minimize that or eliminate that is tilt the print somewhere around 45 degrees so that there is no flat surface facing the plate.  As was mentioned above by Mike you are still going to have to deal with a little bit of cleanup where the supports are attached.

Also in your case you then might only be able to print one of those prints at a time and it will take a longer due to the space the tilted print is taking up and the added height.  I usually find it well worth it but I'm not into production where time effects cost.

Sumner