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Overview of Anycubic Photon Mono X
3D Printer has been taking each and every maker or hobbyist’s workspace by storm, it also has become one of the must haves when it comes to fabrication and prototyping. As 3D Printer is being utilized almost in all aspect or field, be it toys, house, bridges, food, biomedical, etc. The demand for intricate and high-quality print increases together with the number of applications of 3d printing is continuously.
And in line with that, since high definition is our topic, let’s get in to resin printing, which obviously gets into our minds when print detail is in the talks. We’ve already come across with several brand of resin 3d printer. But the one that stood up as one of the best is the Anycubic Photon Mono X 3D Printer that came out on 2020 that has made a name in resin 3d printing field and is still continuing to have it until now.
Anycubic has been one of the top brands in terms of 3D Printing, particularly in resin printing. From their photon 2k series, to the latest 4k series, they’ve been consistent in terms of the quality you can get versus the price you pay.
In this article, we will go through the unboxing to printing to help you decide whether or not this resin printer is worth the money, Let’s see it now!
Unboxing & Assembling of Photon Mono X
As simple as it seems outside, the inside packaging is designed very well. They used plastics (for corners), cardboards, foam to secure the printer. In general, they did great on the packaging to protect the machine inside.
Inside, the acrylic casing, it was filled with foam to avoid any shock, or bumps that can cause your machine to malfunction.
The package also includes quick start guide, wrenches, rubber gloves, filters, spatula, WiFi antenna, print plate, power adapter, and the resin vat.
Overall, the packaging design can endure all of the external problems it can encounter during the shipping, It is a guarantee that Photon Mono X 3D Printer machine will be shipped to any part of the world without any problems. Just a quick side tip though, we suggest that it would be easier for you to unpack the printer if you are going to open the box from the bottom, But, be sure to do it carefully to avoid any breakage in your resin printer.
Building Volume
With a Z-axis height of 250 mm and an 8.9 inch display, the Photon Mono X can hold roughly four times as much content compared to its predecessor Photon S. You can bring your imagination into reality with such size, and the large build volume of the Anycubic Photon Mono X is also ideal for printing multiple parts.
Monochrome Screen of Anycubic Photon Mono
The use of monochrome displays has recently taken a leap forward with average layer cure times cut from 6 seconds down to about 2. These swift curing periods can be achieved due in part by the light permeability that is present on these newer LCD screens, which allows for greater intensity passes through compared to when previously used RBG panels were utilized
and therefore faster drying time too!
With the Anycubic Photon Mono X, you can now print at speeds of up to 60 mm per hour when using 0.05mm layers! This is three times faster than any previous Anycubic MSLA printer and it also has an affordable price tag too–perfect for small businesses that need fast production rates without spending huge sums on equipment costs first glance.
Also, monochrome displays usually have a longer lifespan, with over thousands of hours of use possible before needing replacement.
High Resolution
The Photon Mono X features a 4K (monochrome) LCD with 3840 x 2400 pixels. This translates to an XY resolution of 50 microns.
XY resolution is the main factor that determines how fine your prints will be. The smaller XY resolutions are, like 35 microns on a 4K MSLA printer with an screen size of 40″,the more pixels you need to achieve this level and smaller voxels (and finer print quality). The difference between 35 and 50 microns might be almost impossible to tell with the naked eye, but for some specialist applications, it could matter.
Mono X Design
In terms of the mechanical design and its aesthetics, It was designed to look professional and industrial-ish as it can be, with the yellow acrylic laser protection cover, it perfectly matches with the textured metal black base.
The inside part of the Anycubic mono x has a silver pantone, which matches well with the black and yellow combination. In addition to it, We would like to point out and give Anycubic a thumbs up for the dual z-rail guide which contributes well to the stability of the print bed z raise movement, This is one of the best improvement the Anycubic has.
Next is the aluminum resin vat (marked with a maximum level), uses a standard FEP film which is tucked in the vat. We love how it can be easily put in its stable place well, adding to its fixation point is the set of hand screws that serves as a lock on the sides of the vat.
Going to the base of the printer which is equipped with 2 exhaust fans located at the back part, it helps in dissipating the fumes during printing, but still, we suggest that you must operate your machine near a window to prevent the smell of the fumes.
On the right side panel of the base, you can access the power switch, power input and USB slot. So it is better to place the machine on the part wherein you can still access the right side of the machine.
Lastly, the print bed is big, it lives to the hype of its print volume. The print bed is made out of metal, which is kind of heavy, but the weight itself will not have a problem with its performance, thanks to the dual z rail that makes it more stable.
Slicing Software
With the Mono X, you have only two options for slicing: Anycubic’s Photon Workshop and Lychee.
PhotonShop has some cool features, like a lettering function that lets you label prints and other gimmicky options. For example there’s Face Generator which attempts to turn images into 3D models with varying degrees of success!
On the other hand, Anycubic claim that they are working with ChituBox to support the Mono X (and other Photon printers) in a future update.
APP CONNECTIVITY
Anycubic claims that user is able to monitor printing progress and remotely adjust settings with an internet connection. Connectivity comes by way of WiFi module for maximum convenience! Indeed, I did not use this function at all.
Printing Result of Anycubic Photon Mono 3D Printer
Having a 4K resolution monochrome LCD alone does not guarantee that you will have a decent and high definition print that will capture all the intricate details that you need in your print.
In general, it will still depend on the mechanism and the design of the machine, in which the Anycubic Mono X did great. This machine didn’t fail to deliver the desired output we want to have. We have attached some of the print results we got from our test. See the images below.
For us, It passed all the criteria in terms of small intricate printing details. We used the settings provided by Anycubic, but if you are going to have a wide range of resin brand to use, there is a community compiled standards for different types of resin brand for printing. It includes, bottom layer specs, layer height, exposure time, etc. which was used for benchmarking to standard settings for printing.
Printing Safety
The Anycubic Photon Mono X uses 405nm UV resin, which you need to handle safely when in an uncured state so as not get injured by it. Always keep your Photon Mono X in a well-ventilated area and always use protective gear like gloves when handling the product. If you spill any of this curing agent on surfaces, clean it immediately with 99% isopropyl alcohol to avoid inhaling fumes or getting resin stuck inside airways that can lead do irreversible damage over time such as lung irritation etcetera!
Pros and Cons of Mono X Resin 3D Printer
In every review that we do, we make sure that we include a highlight of pros and cons of the product we are reviewing. We’ve listed below the major key points to look out for in purchasing a machine. Below is a summarized Pros and Cons of the Anycubic Mono X resin 3D Printer.
Pros
- 4K resolution high-definition printing, perfect for hobbyist to professional miniature printing.
- Big print volume, which can suit your small-scale mass production of an object/miniature.
- Robust and sturdy mechanical design
- Dual Z rail guide for stability.
- User-friendliness
- Price to print volume ratio; this is an important aspect to look at when purchasing a machine, as the price of mono x is worth it with the print volume it comes with.
- Packaging is designed properly, which ensures safe delivery anywhere.
Cons
- No power loss resume print
- Much better if the cover is a hinge type, can easily access the mechanism inside for a better ease of use.
- Removal of print from print bed is not easy for large format prints.
Specification
- Build Volume: 192 x 120 x 245 mm
- Layer Height: 10+ microns
- XY Resolution: 50 microns (3840 x 2400 pixels)
- Z-axis positioning accuracy: 0.01 mm
- Printing Speed: 60 mm/h
- Bed-Leveling: Semi-automatic
- Display: 3.5-inch touchscreen
- Third-Party Materials: Yes
- Materials: 405 nm UV resin
- Recommended Slicer: Anycubic Photon Workshop
- Operating system: Windows / macOS X
- File types: STL
- Connectivity: USB, WiFi
- Frame dimensions: 270 x 290 x 470 mm
- Weight: ~10.7 kg
- Boxed size: 365 x 380 x 580
- Weight (packed): ~14 kg
Conclusion
To sum it all, If you are planning to buy Anycubic resin 3D Printer, I highly recommend this, it will serve your purpose well, from high-definition printing, bigger print volume to user friendliness.
All is worth the price for this machine. One more thing to look at is the online community that Anycubic boast. It is one of the most active user group you can find in any resin 3d printer. If tech support might take a while, there will always be a place to look at for concerns, troubleshooting and printing tips,and you can always get latest updated information or contest from their community.
I can conclude that Anycubic Mono X is designed to have one of the most up to date features a large resin 3d printer can have. In addition to these cutting-edge features, it also has a simple and easy to understand interface that will make your experience seamless from unboxing to printing, thus, this machine will be one of the 3D Printers you will encounter to be an out of the box ready to print machine.
