AnyCubic最近向我们发送了他们华丽的Photon Mono X 3D 打印机和清洗和固化站(Wash and Cure station)来试用。这是我们第一次接触树脂(exposure )3D 打印(3D printing)，尽管我们*在灯丝/FDM 3D 打印机方面拥有丰富的经验。请放心(Rest)，这篇评论是独立的，在发布之前没有与AnyCubic共享。
我们用了几周时间使用 AnyCubic 的Photon Mono X，总的来说，我们发现它是一款出色的产品，但也有一些明显的缺点，主要与树脂打印所固有的挑战有关，而不是打印机本身。
结果：这台打印机很棒
它很大。很美丽。这是一台 MSLA(MSLA)打印机。这意味着什么？MSLA代表掩膜立体光刻。正如我们在关于3D 打印工作原理(how 3D printing works)的文章中指出的那样，“ MSLA打印机使用激光将液态树脂固化成固态塑料材料。通常，物体是从一桶树脂中‘拉’出来的，当它从材料中升起时，一层一层地形成。”
换句话说，它是魔法。
警告：你有(Got)一些学习(Learning)（和清洁(Cleaning)）要做
您需要一些时间才能精通Photon Mono X或任何树脂打印机。一旦您知道自己在做什么，使用这台打印机就很简单了，但到达那里可能会令人沮丧。
专家向我们保证，这种体验是普遍的。这是一种通过仪式，类似于在FDM打印机上直接打印第一层。唯一的区别是，如果您的第一层未能粘附在树脂打印机上的构建板上，则需要进行大量混乱的清理工作。
那是因为任何时候在树脂打印机上打印失败时，您都必须清洁所有东西(everything)。由于树脂是一种有毒物质，这意味着你会使用很多手套、口罩、纸巾、Windex和酒精。（注意：我们使用Everclear是因为它比异丙醇便宜，尽管我们不确定酒类商店的收银员是否相信我们。）但是，随着您的改进，所涉及的清理工作越来越少。
树脂(Resin)与细丝：有什么区别(Difference)？
树脂打印机可让您打印具有令人难以置信的精细细节的物体。如果你来自灯丝世界(filament world)，分辨率会让你大吃一惊。不管你认为它有多好，它可能会更好。
构建体积和打印速度
Photon Mono X的构建体积比当今市场上几乎任何其他消费级MSLA打印机都要大。此外，印刷时间完全取决于曝光时间和层数，而不(not)取决于每层固化多少材料。
您可以根据需要在构建板上填充任意数量的内容，并且不会影响您的打印时间。
产品质量与安全
Photon Mono X上的Z 轴(Z-axis)导轨可不是开玩笑的。它们优于我们见过的任何打印机上的直线导轨。直线导轨可防止您的打印件在打印时摆动，并且Photon Mono X(Photon Mono X)上没有明显的运动。Z螺丝很结实，没有明显的摆动。
此外，触摸屏反应灵敏且易于阅读，菜单直观。整体外观干净利落。
可选的安全功能足以保护您的眼睛免受紫外线照射并保护树脂免受阳光照射。事实上，我们将树脂在打印机中放在窗户旁边三天，并且没有树脂在阳光下固化。
清洗和固化您的印刷品
AnyCubic 的清洗和固化站完美地补充了树脂打印机。他们在一起看起来很棒。清洗站有一个内置的磁力搅拌器，可以搅拌清洁溶液，让您在不到五分钟的时间内清洁您的打印件。这几乎是毫不费力的。
打印后，您可以从床上取下打印件，也可以将床本身放入清洗站，减轻我们上面提到的一些清洁需求。
注意(Note)：您确实需要大量清洁(LOT)液，无论是酒精还是您选择的清洁液。清洁溶液进入一个带有卡扣式顶部的大塑料容器中。
要清洗，你设置清洗定时器，点击开始，你就完成了。小心处理未固化的打印件。它会很软且未完全固化，因此如果您不小心，很容易使打印变形。
要固化打印件，请将其放置在洗涤(Wash)和固化(Cure)站随附的转盘上。或者，您可以调整最顶部LED(LEDs)的角度，以将光线引导至打印件。
它就像清洗一样容易治愈。设置(Set)计时器，按下开始(Start)按钮，几分钟后，您的打印件就固化了。享受打印过程中奇怪、诡异的光芒。
AnyCubic 的 PhotonWorkshop
AnyCubic 的切片软件感觉不如Cura或Slic3r 精致(Slic3r)，但它确实有很多有趣的功能，诚然，我们还没有完全探索。您可以添加手动或自动支撑、筏板和排水孔。
PhotonWorkshop导航有点笨拙，学习如何正确放置支撑需要一些试验和错误。如果您没有充分支持您的打印，它会失败，然后您必须在下次尝试之前清洁树脂桶，因此了解支持如何工作至关重要。
将文件传输到Mono X非常简单。将文件(a file)上传到USB驱动器，然后将其粘贴到打印机中。巴姆(Bam)。打印时，您会在每一层的液晶显示屏上看到曝光的图像。(LCD)看起来很有趣。而且，AnyCubic有一个手机应用程序，您可以使用它来监控您的打印并远程启动它们。
维护 Photon Mono X
关于维护，我们希望树脂桶的倾倒口设计得更好。树脂(Resin)不能干净地倒出，使清理更加困难。此外，在打印时，树脂覆盖了构建板的顶部，而不仅仅是底部，因此在需要清理时，您必须清除两面的树脂。这很不幸，但我们不确定如何避免它。
另一个抱怨：很难在机器上不滴下树脂的情况下移除构建板。卸下构建板时，您必须跳舞。很难把它放在大桶上，这样树脂就不会滴到任何地方。一旦您始终获得良好的打印效果，这将不是什么大问题。
在某些时候，您必须将树脂倒回它进入的容器中，并且您必须清理构建板。这个过程并不像它可能的那样方便。理想情况下(Ideally)，您只需清理底板的底部和侧面。事实上，有很多角落和缝隙充满了树脂，它们都需要清洁。这有点像从洗碗机里拿出来的特百惠餐具。
我们怀疑这是一种设计折衷，以最大化打印面积，同时允许有足够的树脂用于大尺寸打印。此外，打印机不包含任何您想要拥有的漏斗或过滤器。
我们还尝试更改FEP表。FEP片材是树脂桶底部的薄膜。如果它变脏、划伤或刺破，则需要更换。作为树脂印刷的初学者，我们发现安装新的FEP片材非常简单。有很多螺丝要拧紧，但按照说明操作很简单。这就像改变和调整小军鼓的鼓面，声音也很相似！
最终建议
如果您希望事情可以轻松开箱(work)即用，那么树脂印刷可能不适合您。这不是对Photon Mono X的批评。
另一方面，如果您愿意花时间真正了解新技术的来龙去脉，那么，是的，我们绝对推荐 AnyCubic 的Photon Mono X 3D打印机。你会喜欢它（最终）。它可以打印在灯丝打印机上无法打印的东西。另外，它看起来(looks )很棒。
* 特别感谢FormerLurker帮助审查AnyCubic 的Photon Mono X 3D打印机。
Review of AnyCubic Photon Mono X 3D Printer
AnyCubic recently ѕent us their gorgeous Photon Mono X 3D printer and Wash and Cure station to try out. This was our first, ahem, exposure to 3D printing with resin, although we* have plenty of experience with filament/FDM 3D printers. Rest assured, this review is independent and was not shared with AnyCubic in advance of publication.
We spent a few weeks using AnyCubic’s Photon Mono X, and, overall, we found it to be an excellent product with a few notable downsides, mostly related to the challenges inherent to printing with resin and not the printer itself.
The Upshot: This Printer Is Amazing
It’s big. It’s beautiful. It’s an MSLA printer. What does that mean? MSLA stands for masked stereolithography. As we noted in our article about how 3D printing works, “MSLA printers use lasers to cure a liquid resin into a solid plastic material. Usually, the object is ‘pulled’ from a vat of resin, forming layer by layer as it rises from the material.”
In other words, it’s magic.
The Caveat: You’ve Got Some Learning (and Cleaning) to Do
It’s going to take some time to get to the point where you’re proficient with the Photon Mono X or any resin printer. Once you know what you’re doing, using this printer is straightforward, but getting there can be frustrating.
We’ve been assured by experts that this experience is universal. It is a rite of passage, similar to getting the first layer to come out right on an FDM printer. The only difference is that if your first layer fails to adhere to the build plate on a resin printer, there’s a lot of messy clean-up involved.
That’s because any time a print fails on a resin printer, you have to clean everything. Since the resin is a toxic material, that means you’ll go through a lot of gloves, masks, paper towels, Windex, and alcohol. (Note: We used Everclear since it’s cheaper than isopropyl, although we’re not sure the cashier at the liquor store believed us.) However, as you improve, there’s less and less clean-up involved.
Resin vs. Filament: What’s the Difference?
A resin printer allows you to print objects with incredibly fine details. If you’re coming from the filament world, the resolution will amaze you. However good you think it will be, it’ll probably be better.
Build Volume & Printing Speed
The Photon Mono X has a larger build volume than virtually any other consumer-level MSLA printer on the market today. Moreover, printing time is entirely dependent on the exposure time and the number of layers, not on how much material is cured per layer.
You can cram as much as you want onto the build plate, and it won’t affect your print time.
Product Quality & Safety
The Z-axis rails on the Photon Mono X are no joke. They’re superior to the linear rails on any printer we’ve seen. Linear rails keep your print from wiggling while printing, and there’s no noticeable play on the Photon Mono X. The Z screw is beefy with no visible wobble.
Additionally, the touchscreen is responsive and easy to read, and the menus are intuitive. The overall look is clean and sleek.
The optional safety features are more than adequate to protect your eyes from UV light and protect the resin from sunlight. In fact, we left the resin in the printer for three days next to a window, and none of the resin cured from the sunlight.
Washing & Curing Your Print
AnyCubic’s wash and cure station perfectly complement the resin printer. They look great together. The wash station has a built-in magnetic stirrer that agitates the cleaning solution, allowing you to clean your print in less than five minutes. It’s almost effortless.
After printing, you can remove the print from the bed or you can put the bed itself into the wash station, alleviating some of the need for cleaning we mentioned above.
Note: You do need a LOT of cleaning fluid, whether that’s alcohol or the cleaning solution of your choice. The cleaning solution goes into a large plastic container with a snap-on top.
To wash, you set the wash timer, hit Go, and you’re done. Be careful handling the uncured print. It will be soft and not fully cured, so it’s easy to deform the print if you’re not careful.
To cure the print, you place it on a carousel that comes with the Wash & Cure station. Optionally, you can adjust the angle of the topmost LEDs to direct light towards the print.
It’s just as easy to cure as it is to wash. Set the timer, press the Start button, and a few minutes later, your print is cured. Enjoy the weird, eerie glow of the print as it’s curing.
AnyCubic’s PhotonWorkshop
AnyCubic’s slicing software doesn’t feel as polished as Cura or Slic3r, but it does have lots of interesting functionality that, admittedly, we haven’t fully explored. You can add manual or automatic supports, rafts, and drainage holes.
PhotonWorkshop is a little clumsy to navigate and learning how to place supports correctly takes some trial and error. If you don’t adequately support your print, it will fail and then you’ll have to clean the resin vat before your next attempt, so it’s crucial that you learn how supports work.
Transferring files to the Mono X is a snap. Upload a file to a USB drive, and stick it in the printer. Bam. As it prints, you’ll see images on the LCD screen of each layer as it’s being exposed. It’s pretty fun to watch. And, AnyCubic has a phone app you can use to monitor your prints and start them remotely.
Maintaining the Photon Mono X
Regarding maintenance, we wish the resin vat’s pour spout were better designed. Resin doesn’t pour out cleanly, making clean-up more difficult. Moreover, when printing, the resin covers the top of the build plate, not just the bottom, so when it’s time to clean up, you have to clean the resin off of both sides. That’s unfortunate, but we’re uncertain how it could be avoided.
Another complaint: it’s hard to remove the build plate without dripping resin on the machine. You have to do a dance when you remove the build plate. It’s difficult to keep it over the vat so the resin doesn’t drip everywhere. Once you’re consistently getting good prints, this won’t be as much of an issue.
At some point you’ll have to pour the resin back into the container it came in, and you’ll have to clean off the build plate. That process is not as convenient as it could be. Ideally, you’d only have to clean off the bottom and the sides of the build plate. As it is, there are a lot of nooks and crannies that fill with resin, and they all need to be cleaned. It’s kind of like drying tupperware off when it comes out of the dishwasher.
We suspect this is a design tradeoff to maximize the print area while allowing for enough resin for a large print. Furthermore, the printer doesn’t include any funnels or filters, both of which you’ll want to have.
We also tried changing the FEP sheet. The FEP sheet is the film at the bottom of the resin vat. If it gets dirty, scratched, or punctured, it needs to be replaced. As complete beginners to resin printing, we found installing a new FEP sheet to be pretty straightforward. There are a ton of screws to tighten, but following the directions was simple. It was like changing and tuning a snare drum head, and the sound was similar, too!
Final Recommendation
If you’re someone who wants things to just work out of the box with little effort, then perhaps resin printing isn’t for you. That’s not a criticism of the Photon Mono X.
If, on the other hand, you’re someone who will put in the required time to really learn the ins and outs of new technology, then, yes, we absolutely recommend AnyCubic’s Photon Mono X 3D printer. You’re going to love it (eventually). It can print things that would be impossible to print on a filament printer. Plus, it just looks amazing.
* Special thanks to FormerLurker for help in reviewing AnyCubic’s Photon Mono X 3D printer.
