Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K

[James Costello]

We've started to have a serious look at a Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K - does anyone here have any experiences or any strong feelings about an alternative if you were to jump into the 3D printing pool today?

[samusi01]

Thus far mine has been working well. I do like the speed over its predecessor the Saturn 2. Mostly using Abs-like which seems a slight bit softer on the details than the usual 8k resin. Build plate has worked fine for me thus far. Cleanup with the resin tray included is so so… haven’t yet bothered to do a drip arm like on the Saturn 2 which I should probably do.

[Jesse6669]

We've started to have a serious look at a Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K - does anyone here have any experiences or any strong feelings about an alternative if you were to jump into the 3D printing pool today?

It's probably about as good as you're gonna find for "mainstream" consumer resin printers.  If you found a good deal I would say give it a shot.  I have a Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K and it's fine, I'm sure the Saturn Ultra is fine.  You're going to have a learning curve on any printer if you're new to 3D printing.  Give yourself at least a few months of trial and error learning the design software, how to use slicers and support models, changing FEP, managing a work flow with cleaning, curing, etc.  And there are hundreds of different resins to pick from.  Personally, I use Phrozen RPG resin since it's very flexible and captures fine detail well (I model in Z scale).  I've also had good success with a blend of clear and regular resins for "glass".  I've heard the ABS-like resin is good as well, but haven't tried it yet.
 

[timwatson]

I love mine but I have the 12k version. I do know there have been a few different software issues complained about.
Let us know how it goes.

[robert3985]

I'm also in the market for a top-of-the-line 10" high resolution printer and have decided on the Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K.

There are several things I really like about this printer.  First, it gets excellent reviews, except for the overly complicated build plate design which supposedly makes it difficult to clean.  On my present Anycubic Photon M3 Premium 10" 8K printer (which I think is one of the best desktop resin printers ever made) I regularly clean the build plate by leaving the resin raft on it when cleaning in my Wash & Cure.  I don't see any reason to not wash my prints the same way with the Elegoo Saturn 4...and if the print is too big to keep mounted on the build plate when washing, it would be very easy to just put the bare build plate in my Wash & Cure after I'm done washing my prints.

The tilt mechanism is a great way to get rid of half of the printing requirements on printers with standard non-tilting build plates.  It's an excellent way to simplify the whole process, and speed up printing at the same time.  Also, there doesn't seem to be any durability or maintenance problems with the tilt mechanism that I've read about, so I would say it's now a proven technology.

The heated vat is also another good reason purchase this machine, although I would like to see a heat adjustment rather than being stuck with only a 30C resin temperature as there are some resins that require a higher temperature to work.

There are several other bells and whistles on this machine that I like also...and a couple that don't matter to me.

And, I like the tilting cover.  I've become a convert after purchasing and using my big 14.7L Anycubic Photon Mono M7 Max.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[timwatson]

Seeing Bob’s post (speaking about build plates) I also have a wham bam magnetic build planet on my S4U. I love being able to switch them out. I have modified the machine gcode to allow for the gap.

[samusi01]

I'd highly recommend Elegoo's new wash/cure station. It's designed to fit (most?) of the larger projects... I typically print 89' flats on end, so the wash station nicely accommodates the build plate with 7" worth of items still attached to it.

[Jesse6669]

My $.02

Re the Wham Bam, I tried one and it's not for me.  In my case, the adhesive for the magnetic pad under the steel plate degraded over time from exposure to resin;  All of which was really frustrating because of several print failures before I discovered the issue.  After that, I found it's just not a big deal to remove the build plate assembly and pop off your models with a good tool (a paint pallet knife or plastic paint scraper).  If you want a higher volume production, get another build plate.  But maybe they have improved the formula of adhesive or magnetic pad since I tried (this was 2-3 years ago)? 

As for cleaning, I do that "manually" with 99% ISO alcohol.  I have a 2-stage manual process:  First step is drop the model (still on raft/supports) into a sealed plastic container (like you'd use for leftovers) half filled with "leftover" alcohol, and gently shake for about 30 sec.  Then step two is pop the model in an ultrasonic cleaner with fresh(er) alcohol.  I pass down the alcohol from final to the first clean.  Even the first stage ISO gets recycled by letting it settle out.  The ultrasonic cleaners I use are the el-cheapo ones on Amazon, like for wrist watches and such, usually about $20, and generally fall apart in a year or so.  Maybe a nice high-end ultrasonic cleaner would be a good investment at some point...

After washing, I let the model air dry (no curing yet) for at least 12 hours, preferably 24 or more.  Not exposed to UV.   After this, I cure with sunlight.  I'm not a high-volume printer though.   

I guess my point is you don't necessarily need a WamBam or wash/cure station, at least to start.  I got a wash cure station when I started and used it about 2 times to wash, and very infrequently to cure.  So, it just took up valuable table space and ended up being scrapped (donated to a local school).  Also, all of my models are N scale or smaller scale, and the largest N scale car I've done is a 50 footer, the "biggest" print I made was the foundation for a Z scale engine house 14 cm long.  So, take it for what you will.   

[James Costello]

Thanks everyone - got a printer bundle with a wash/cure station on the way.