Price check on Anycubic

[MILWcoastdiv]

Hi guys, this resin printer on Amazon seems dirt cheap, is it line with other printers?  Anycubic seems popular around here from what I can tell

Thanks,
Mario

 ANYCUBIC
Photon Mono 4, Resin 3D Printer with 7'' 10K Mono LCD Screen, Stable LighTurbo Light Source and 70mm/h Fast Printing, Print Volume 6.04'' x 3.42'' x 6.49''
4.24.2 out of 5 stars (150)
400+ bought in past month
Price, product page$159.99 List Price: $239.99List Price: $239.99
Exclusive Prime price
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FREE delivery Tomorrow, Jun 21
Add to cart

[Scottl]

I have the Mono 4K, it has been great and very reliable.

[Sumner]

What type items are you interested in printing?

It is about the same build volume as my first printer and I now wouldn't consider something that small of a build volume unless I was going to print smaller detail pieces, not buildings or anything wider than about 3 1/4 inches.  I got my current printer (Photon M3) for $208 (no longer available) and it has a print volume of 162x102x180mm (6.5x4X7 inches) (WDH) which has worked way better for me and now would want something at least that size or larger.

Do you plan on also buying a wash-n-cure station?  I wouldn't be printing myself without one.

Getting everything you need for resin printer isn't inexpensive but if your needs are there it can pay for itself in what it can print for the layout.  Same with Filament printers.  I have both and have printed items that aren't commercially available and if they were would of probably totaled over a couple thousand dollars and no there are thousands of free print file up on the internet.  I have more than a couple hundred myself on thingiverse.

https://www.thingiverse.com/sumner/designs

Sumner

[MILWcoastdiv]

Thanks Sumner, yes I think that volume is a bit small but for now I want to tinker with tie strips and shipping containers
I think I can still use my  filament printer for bigger items

Thanks,
Mario

[Chris333]

That is a Prime price not a Anycubic price. The printer is $239

-33%

Prime Member Price
$159.99
This price is exclusively for Amazon Prime members.

[robert3985]

That is a Prime price not a Anycubic price. The printer is $239

-33%

I'm on the Anycubic site and the $239 price for the M4 is a bundle price ("Entry-Level Bundle")...which includes a basic Wash&Cure3 and 2 bottles of random resin.  The price of the printer alone is $149

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Chris333]

Then I guess that tells you what I think of Prime. 

[robert3985]

Hi guys, this resin printer on Amazon seems dirt cheap, is it line with other printers?  Anycubic seems popular around here from what I can tell

Thanks,
Mario

 ANYCUBIC
Photon Mono 4, Resin 3D Printer with 7'' 10K Mono LCD Screen, Stable LighTurbo Light Source and 70mm/h Fast Printing, Print Volume 6.04'' x 3.42'' x 6.49''
4.24.2 out of 5 stars (150)
400+ bought in past month
Price, product page$159.99 List Price: $239.99List Price: $239.99
Exclusive Prime price
Tomorrow
FREE delivery Tomorrow, Jun 21
Add to cart

@MILWcoastdiv - Mario, This is indeed a good deal and will give you good results for N-scale with a 17micron X 17micron square pixel on the LCD...which is an incredibly fine resolution. 

HOWEVER, after several years of printing with top-of-the-line Anycubic UV resin printers, it has become evident that the LCD screen pixel size is not everything when it comes to having a good printer.

The first thing is that although pixel size on the LCD IS important, what's really most important (as far as print quality is concerned) is the voxel size in the resin vat on top of the release film which is where the liquid resin gets cured a bit, then ripped off of said release film.  Since the UV light that is emitted by LEDs inside the machine goes through a collimation protocol before going through the LCD, then a glass protective layer, then an LCD protection layer, then air, then through the vat's release film before focusing on the uncured resin adjacent to the release film...the effective blob of light that comes through the LCD's pixel is much larger and fuzzier when it becomes a voxel.

But, the smaller the pixel, the smaller the voxel.  AND, the better the collimation of the light, the smaller and sharper the voxel will be...and the sharper your print will be.

So, you want the best light collimation protocol you can get for the price you're willing to pay, and the lowest priced printers don't have the best light collimation protocols...including the $149 Anycubic Photon M4...which means even though it has 17micron X 17micron pixels at the LCD, when the light finally gets to the resin, the voxels will be less defined than if the light was emitted from a machine with a top-of-the-line light collimation protocol...which costs more.

Also, a more advanced Anti-Aliasing (AA) algorithm...or program...which is a combination of your slicer software communicating correctly with your printer's firmware...can produce prints that appear both sharper and smoother (much less layer lines) than with a basic machine that doesn't have this added capability.  This is especially apparent on curved surfaces combined with small sharp details such as rivets on a curved tender side. You want a smooth curved surface but you don't want your small details to be blobby...or the opposite...layer lines on the smooth surface but with defined small details.

You might also want a machine that offers wireless connectivity for easier monitoring of your printing progress, easier firmware updating and other convenience features.

And, you might want print & resin monitoring, noticeably faster print speed and other more advanced features.

The Anycubic Photon Mono4 Ultra offers all of these additional print quality and convenience features for not much more bucks.

If I were thinking of purchasing a smaller printer, the Anycubic Photon Mono4 looks like a good deal at $249.00, especially with the basic Wash&Cure 3 and 2 KG of random DIY Color Mixing Resin...but, I don't have any use for the DIY Color Mixing Resin, so I would have added a 3KG bundle of ABS-Like Resin Pro2 ($58.30) for a total of $307.30, and I want more features in my printer, both for convenience and for better prints as I've outline above.

So, I would spring for the Anycubic Photon Mono4 Ultra, bundled with the Wash&Cure 3, with an additional 3KG bundle of ABS-Like Resin Pro2 (I use grey) for an extra $67...end price being $374.30

I would also purchase either now or in the near future, an extra LCD, at least one additional resin vat (I would get the vat for the Anycubic Photon Mono4 with FEP film), an extra build plate, extra release film and a 2-pack of AirPures and some extra charcoal filters.

One thing to know is that the ACF release film that comes with the Mono4 Ultra allows for much faster printing, but...it can make for odd streaking on some surfaces and it increases print blooming (especially on tall prints).  For ultimate quality, I would use NFEP release film...or FEP for slightly less speed, minimizing blooming on tall prints...which is why I recommended an extra resin vat with FEP film...so you can choose between ultimate speed, or ultimate quality (can't have both).

Hope this helps some...

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Erock482]

I have owned anycubic and now elegoo machines. I have found I much prefer the Elegoo Saturn 3 I've had for a few years now. And for my next machine will likely buy another one.

For the size and price you're looking at, you might want to compare to the Elegoo Mars 4 Ultra https://us.elegoo.com/products/elegoo-mars-4-ultra-msla-resin-3d-printer-with-9k-mono-lcd

[GGNInNScale]

I have had a Mono2 for coming up 2 years.  I have used up about 6 or 7 FEP films- several hundred thousand layers printed (I have lost track).  I almost always print at 30um steps, even though it really extends the build time.  I have two build plates so I can run "continuously" when I get the bug.  I second the "buy a rinser-curer system" statement.
I get 99% isopropyl at Ace Hardware- on sale it is about $24 per gallon.  I cycle my old stuff into a second poly container, and use it as a first few dips to get the resin off the model and build plate.  Then, go into the real washer tank.  Another thing- try to move your parts around on the build plate when you are in the final scene development, so that you use the majority of the FEP film area.  I clean the build area about every 10 or 15 prints, using a 10 setting in the AnyCubic control system.  Seems to work, and does not burn up a huge amount of material.  I design in TinkerCad mostly, as I have used AutoCad for decades- pretty easy to do most things with design details down to about 100um minimum.  Realistically, I try not to form something smaller than about 300-400um as it is a crap-shoot as to 1) can I see it; 2) can I see it at three feet; 3) is it just engineering overkill...??

Whatever you get- have fun!

[MILWcoastdiv]

Wow that's a lot of good info, thanks.  That's the exact info I was looking for.  I do have access to Form Labs washer and cure station but for the price you mentioned I would probably buy it at a package deal.  I haven't checked on prices up until lately, I assumed because of the t#####s I thought printers would be un affordable but they seem cheaper than ever now.

Have a great weekend all and thanks again
Mario

[John]

AC must have a lot in a us warehouse.   They blow them out periodically