Two-minute assessment
Many people would not essentially consider 3D printing as an reasonably priced interest, particularly should you're trying to discover resin-based SLA and MSLA printers, however the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro proves you need not lay our a fortune to get a premium product.
Affordability is relative in fact, however you possibly can presently seize the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro for $260 / £230 / AU$640, which is greater than a good value to pay for the standard that you simply're getting, putting it in an analogous value band because the AnyCubic Photon Mono.
The Mars 2 Pro has a slighter bigger construct quantity than that of the unique Mars 2 printer, and a metallic resin vat relatively than the replaceable plastic model. Different variations exterior of value (with the unique Mars 2 out there for round $200 / £215) is the inclusion of an air filtration system and a rubber seal across the edges of the pink acrylic cowl, although we could not discover out there inventory for the unique Mars 2 on any Australian-based web site.
The printing capabilities for each printers are the identical on paper, so if you will discover the Mars 2 out there and you are not fussy about getting the next high quality machine then you possibly can anticipate the identical printing outcomes from both. 
The construct quantity, or out there printing area, is on the smaller aspect, not unusual for resin-based printers because the constructed plate needs to be totally submerged in specialised UV reactive resin to operate, however with bigger printers out there just like the Elegoo Saturn or the AnyCubic Photon Mono X you could be tempted to look elsewhere should you suppose the Mars 2 Pro will not present sufficient area on your prints otherwise you're trying to batch print for a small enterprise.
The area is greater than enough for printing smaller fashions although, and lots of bigger collectible figurines could be break up into sections to print if you do not have the area to maintain a bigger printer. In truth, its compact dimension and built-in air filter imply that it is a way more 'residence' pleasant choice than a bigger machine and could be arrange someplace like an workplace relatively than a devoted printing room. We might nonetheless suggest solely printing in a well-ventilated area (as resin is a poisonous materials), however the air filter can not less than give us some assurance relating to {health} and security.
There are a handful of small criticisms now we have in regards to the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro, however they are not sufficient to dissuade us from buying the printer given what number of professionals it has over cons. If you happen to're into tabletop miniatures or board video games, it is a unbelievable machine that can apply churn out high-quality and intensely detailed fashions with minimal fuss.
Design
If you happen to've seen the remainder of the Elegoo Mars household of 3D printers then you definately may really feel such as you're getting déjà vu whenever you have a look at the Mars 2 Pro. The design may be very acquainted, with a strong metallic black base, a textured metallic construct plate and a transparent pink acrylic hood to comprise fumes throughout the printing course of.
You are not anticipated to construct the printer your self fortunately, not like some FDM-style machines that require some meeting out of the field. As a substitute, the Mars 2 Pro is properly packaged and able to go after you peel off some defending movies from the LCD show and the hood.
You additionally get a useful instrument package included that incorporates an array of advisable tools to begin printing, equivalent to a metallic scraper for eradicating prints from the construct plate, a plastic scraper for eradicating any failed prints that adhered to the fragile FEP movie, a USB stick with load STL recordsdata onto, some latex gloves and disposable facemasks to put on for defense and paper filters to filter used resin again into bottles for storage.
Spec Sheet
These are the specs for the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro:
Operation: 3.5 inch Contact Display
Software program: Chitu Field
Connectivity: USB
Know-how: LCD-based SLA UV Photocuring
Gentle-source: high-quality filament (wavelength 405nm）
XY Res.: 50 Microns (2560 x 1620 pixels)
Z Axis Res.: 0.00125mm
Layer Res.: 0.01-0.2mm
Printing Pace: 30-50mm/h
Printer Dimension: 7.87" x 7.87" x 16.14" (20cm x 20cm x 41cm)
Build Volume: 5.08" x 3.15" x 6.3" (129mm x 80mm x 160mm)
Materials: UV Resin
Internet Weight: 6.2kg
You additionally get the required allen keys to regulate the construct plate throughout leveling, and some extras that had been absent in different merchandise just like the Elegoo Saturn – a alternative FEP sheet and a drip bracket that permits the construct plate to relaxation at an angle and drip insured resin again into the tank earlier than washing.
A frustration we had proper off the bat was the resin tank. It is constructed from strong metallic, a particular improve from the plastic fashion used within the unique Mars 2, but it surely's designed to be slide into place from the aspect of the machine relatively than positioned straight down like within the Elegoo Saturn. You will not spill any resin should you're cautious, however the FEP sheet constructed into the resin tank (the clear sheet that UV gentle shines by way of to remedy the resin) can stick with the floor of the show, making eradicating the tank a fragile course of.
One other challenge that appeared pertains to the rubber edge across the base of the acrylic hood, that whereas does make a really efficient seal throughout printing, is not mounted in place in any method and popped off every time we lifted the hood. An awesome thought in idea, however the precise execution was poor.
It is not all doom and gloom although. The place Elegoo likes to modify up its port location for its USB, the Mars 2 Pro has it on the entrance, on the decrease right-hand aspect, so you will not must awkwardly attempt to entry the rear or aspect of the printer to load a brand new file in to print.
The USB port is simply beneath the three.5-inch shade touchscreen LCD which proved to be pleasantly quick and reactive, and really straightforward to make use of. There are a bunch of languages to select from, however the whole lot is clearly labeled which ought to make issues simpler for an entire 3D printing novice.
The Mars 2 Pro can be straightforward to degree – all you want is a bit of paper and the provided allen keys. There are additionally directions supplied in a handbook which might be straightforward to comply with and undergo each step from setup and leveling to putting in the Slicing software program Chitu Field (as supplied on the USB drive), so you possibly can actually go from unboxing to printing your first file in lower than half-hour.
Options
A easy however appreciated characteristic on the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro is the inclusion of a 'Max Fill' line on the resin tank to stop spills when the construct plate is totally submerged, in addition to a 'lip' that acts as a spout when it's worthwhile to pour away the unused resin post-print. Resin-based printers are at all times going to be a messier affair than FDM-style machines, however we discovered that these helped to cut back the variety of spills and drips in our work space.
More intuitive options price mentioning are the built-in air filter system that pulls fumes from underneath the pink hood of the machine throughout the printing course of, lowering the chemical odor of the resin. If you happen to dwell in a studio or a small area then this lets you arrange the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro in a heavy-traffic space of your own home, supplied there's sufficient air flow.
With reference to security, the latex gloves and disposable masks are included for a cause. The Elegoo Mars 2 Pro makes use of 405nm UV resin which is a poisonous substance. If you happen to get any in your pores and skin, make sure you wash it off instantly, and no matter should you can small the resin or not, attempt to keep away from being within the neighborhood of the printer whereas it is operational. Fumes from the printing course of could make you sick, so open any home windows and clear up any spills with isopropanol alcohol.
The tools supplied is enough however you'd do properly to buy greater high quality instruments like a respirator rated for fumes and a razor window scraper to take away caught prints from the constructed plate.
We're additionally not sure if it is the air filter or the cooling followers however the Mars 2 Pro is a really noisy printer. If you happen to're behind a closed door then many of the noise shall be blocked off, however should you're within the room the place it is working you could discover the loud followers to be a nuisance.
The construct plate is held in place with a twist-style clamp for simple elimination, and its smaller dimension means you possibly can detach it from the Mars 2 Pro and join it immediately with the Elegoo Mercury Plus, a 2-in-1 wash and remedy machine. You will must buy this individually, however utilizing one will assist washing delicate prints with out eradicating them from the construct plate first.
One thing that may have been a pleasant addition is a magnetic flexplate system. Yow will discover these by way of third-party retailers like 3DJake they usually work by sticking a versatile sheet that covers the construct plate floor that may then be peeled away to straightforward detach any fashions which will have adhered too firmly.
The tech underneath the hood – or on this case, underneath the show – has modified throughout earlier iterations of the Mars household of printers. Within the Mars 2 Pro you are getting a strong UV lamp rather than the LED matrix that featured within the earlier Mars Pro, permitting for a quicker remedy.
A caveat to that is that these new screens lack a protecting glass layer like these seen in older Mars fashions, as a substitute being professionally taped immediately into the machine. There are clear indicators to not take away this tape whereas unpacking the printer, but it surely does really feel like a step down from having an simply replaceable sheet, particularly as you'd have to exchange the whole display if any leaked resin by accident cures on it.
Efficiency
The Elegoo Mars 2 Pro has a decision of 2560 x 1620 which equates to 50 microns, which really works out barely bigger than the unique Mars Pro at 47 microns. That is principally as a result of the Mars 2 Pro has the identical 2K decision stretched throughout a bigger construct plate, however the distinction is negligible and it is unlikely you may see any element misplaced to the bare eye.
Chitu Field is on the market to obtain from the provided USB drive and you will find that profiles are already out there for the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro and the software program may be very user-friendly – you probably have a pre-supported STL file you possibly can merely drag and drop onto the applying, with instruments to maneuver and rotate the print being clearly displayed. Chitu Field additionally permits for lots of optimizing when you're comfy with the fundamentals so now we have no complaints relating to the selection of slicing software program.
With Chitubox being really easy to make use of, we might advise you do not print the take a look at STL file already on the USB drive. The mannequin itself is serviceable as a benchmark, with some complicated particulars for the printer to Try but it surely's set as much as constructed immediately onto the constructed plate with no helps, which then proved to be virtually not possible to take away.
In truth, we really snapped the print after a number of minutes of making an attempt to shimmy the provided metallic scraper beneath the print, then counting on brute power and boiling water to detach it. If you happen to do want to give it a Try, buy the aforementioned flex plates or constructed your personal helps into the file.
We elected to make use of the Elegoo Water Washable resin with the Mars 2 Pro and noticed unbelievable outcomes. Usually, resin prints will have to be washed in isopropanol to do away with any uncured resin that could be clinging to the print, however we noticed no distinction in high quality between the usual resin and the water-washable selection which makes it interesting for anybody who cannot stand the pungent odor of alcohol (or in any other case cannot use it for {health} or private circumstances).
We tried a number of fashions to see how a lot fantastic element may very well be picked up utilizing zombie collectible figurines that had been sized for tabletop gaming, and the outcomes had been very spectacular. Even within the sections the place the recordsdata had been extraordinarily fragile equivalent to uncovered bone or sword blades, the Mars 2 Pro efficiently spat them out with none hiccups. You'll be able to even see the stitching within the clothes, and ultra-thin uncovered ribcages got here out cleanly in lovely element.
We solely had one print that noticed half-cured resin adhered to the PEF movie and that was straightforward eliminated with some isopropanol and a gentle paintbrush, and even then, that was seemingly all the way down to person error as some STL recordsdata needed to have helps manually added.
Beneath you possibly can see a washed mermaid print in addition to the supplied USB drive for scale that hasn't been sanded or in any other case completed, and the nets and fish are clear and really outlined. The scales on the mermaids tail are additionally visually detectable and sharp when seen underneath a magnifying glass.
These fashions all printed in a short time, properly underneath two hours for a full constructed plate of miniatures which shaves a while off older merchandise from the Elegoo line-up (and certainly, some cheaper merchandise in the marketplace from different producers), so whereas you do not have numerous free area for bigger prints, you may get quicker outcomes which might sway you if it's worthwhile to batch print.
In the end, dimension goes to be what sells you on the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro. It's miles from the smallest SLA printer in the marketplace, but it surely's quicker than most bigger printers and comes with some nice high quality of life options.
We think about you may be notably bought if you would like a printer for board recreation equipment and tabletop miniature collectible figurines as they're so small {that a} FDM printer do not be capable to obtain the fantastic element wanted, and never everybody has the luxurious of getting a big area out there for one thing just like the Elegoo Saturn. The Mars 2 Pro is ideal for attaining the sharp, minuscule particulars wanted and with a quick print pace besides. In all, there's quite a bit to like about this printer.
Purchase it if...
You hate the odor of resin
The Mars 2 Pro's built-in air filter can eradicate many of the pungent chemical odor related to resin-based printers, although be sure to're solely utilizing the printer in a well-ventilated space.
You want fantastic particulars in your prints
The Elegoo Mars 2 Pro can obtain some lovely element on prints, even when working with miniature fashions not a lot larger than a bottle cap.
You do not have numerous area
If you do not have the room for a bigger printer then you possibly can nonetheless convey your concepts to life with the Mars 2 Pro due to slicing software program that can help you break up your recordsdata into segments.
Do not buy it if...
You need to print massive fashions
Whilst you can print bigger recordsdata by splitting them up, should you're principally going to print large fashions you may need to spend money on a machine with a a lot bigger construct quantity.
You do not like resin
Utilizing UV curing resin is commonplace for SLA and MSLA fashion printers as it will probably obtain a lot higher element, however you probably have an aversion to the mess that comes with it, you would be higher off with an FDM fashion printer as a substitute.
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