The New Anycubic Phrozen Mono

IronMan1963 Feb 14, 2021

  1. IronMan1963

    IronMan1963 TrainBoard Member

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    Has anyone tried the New 2k ANYCUBIC Phrozen Mono? I have a Flash Forge Finder FDM printer but some of the stuff I am doing in Z and N scale are just not cutting the mustard. So I have been looking at some resin printers for my finer detail stuff. The Monos look like the way to go for slightly faster print speed and resolution. Any comments or suggestions on a sub $300 resin printer?
     
  2. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    I searched out reviews, and would suggest getting one of the 4K printers. Price is not that much different, for twice the resolution.

    All the 4K projector resin printers print great usable detail for Z, but only a few people have mastered making drawings for them. The biggest mistake I have seen, is people INSIST on drawing the whole model as one finished piece. That is a LAZY IMPATIENT FAIL in my opinion.

    You can never paint such a model with sharp lines in Z where if you painted individual parts like walls, windows, details etc. separately, the assembled model would look so much better. Also, look at the step lines on the sides of a locomotive shell. If they laid all the parts flat, there would be no step lines, you just have to glue everything together. Nobody says you can't make a frame with platforms and roof as one piece then glue the smoother flat printed sides, and ends on as separate pieces. Think outside the box, you are shooting for perfection, not mediocrity.

    The second biggest mistake is trying to use the resin printer to print everything needed to build the model. This is where ugly unsightly compromises slip in and ruin the models. Example: you draw up a locomotive shell and print oversized grab irons and cab sunshades so they don't break. This is where you should be using brass wire, etched brass, laser cut Polybak, etc. Use the right material for the job. Something scale and convincing. Mix and match materials, and trade your skills with someone who has etching skills, someone who has laser skills, etc. All these guys (Hobbyists AND small manufacturers) will trade with you what they do best for what you can do best. Those small manufacturers are always looking for some cool new detail that they can add to their kits to make them more appealing.

    I used to produce laser kits, but would trade stuff like wood flatcar platforms with a guy who etched me brass brakewheels, and another guy who cast white metal water spouts for 50,000 gallon water tanks, etc. Everyone wants to trade skills.
     
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  3. SLSF Freak

    SLSF Freak Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    The Anycubic Mono machines are good. I can't vouch for the Phrozen brand though, but I hear they're okay. Know there's a difference between an Anycubic Photon and Anycubic Mono - the Mono line represents the newer machines, faster print times, crisper results, longer life span on the LCD panel. There was a period where Phrozen had mono screens and Anycubic hadn't released theirs yet so you may see reviews comparing Phrozen Sonic Mini, for example, with an original Photon. The Photon would have been inferior at the time, but your question is about the Mono - much better machine. I own an Anycubic Mono SE, two original Photons, an Epax X10 and an Ender 3 FDM - I haven't used my Photons since getting the SE. (y) I have no experience with the 4K screens but if you get a larger machine, definitely recommend 4K so you don't lose screen resolution due to increased size of the screen. My Epax X10 is like this - bigger print area but so are the pixels because the screen is still 2K. Kind of a bummer.

    Mike
     
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  4. pwaka88

    pwaka88 New Member

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    The Anycubic Photon Mono /X/SE are on my radar. I am brand new with 3d printing. Been waiting for the right moment to jump in... seems like the monochromatic screens with the shorter exposure time is the way to go and giving that potential 4x lifespan.

    Only hesitation with a 4k screen would be finding a replacement one. I see the 2k screens readily available, maybe it will just take more time for the 4k replacements to become more common?

    Paul
     
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  5. SLSF Freak

    SLSF Freak Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Most likely. The reason these started off with the color screens a couple years ago was because that's what was readily available at the time. Now that they realize there's a new industry in this tech, they got the mono screens in production and soon nobody will accept less than 4K so I suspect that's next. I'm so thrilled with my SE - I almost wish everybody could cut their teeth on the old tech first so they can appreciate how much better the mono screens are. :ROFLMAO: Stuff that would take me hours I can do in an hour now, and some parts in 15 minutes and the print quality is better, too. I hope they come up with a better FEP next, or somehow figure out consumer priced CLIP printing for even faster and no layer line prints. And new materials - that could also be a cool addition to the tech.

    Cheers -Mike
     
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  6. Chris333

    Chris333 TrainBoard Supporter

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    Don't get caught up with the term "4K". Instead look at the pixel size of the screen in the machine you're looking at. An old Anycubic Photon (2k) has 47 micron pixels. That is ~540 pixels in an inch. A new Anycubic Photon mono X (4k) has a 50 micron pixel size. Or ~510 pixels in an inch. So in this case a newer "4K" printer has less resolution.

    A Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K has 35 micron pixels. A Phrozen Sonic Mighty 4K has 52 micron pixels. Both are "4K". The mighty has a bigger screen, but a print on it will be less detailed.
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2021
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  7. Chris Hall

    Chris Hall TrainBoard Member

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    I've got the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro, with a 2k mono screen and 50 micron resolution. So far I haven't printed anything detailed enough to worry about the 50 micron pixel issue, but the speed is the one thing I really enjoy, 3 sec exposure giving about 8-10 seconds per layer with lift added in.

    IMG_4350_Original.jpg
    These are some items I have printed for my stations, couple of rubbish bins, vending machine, ticket machine. tallest item is about 10mm, detailed enough that there are keypad imprints for the payment area. Takes about 20 minutes to print this set.
    IMG_4355.jpg
    Printed two cavalier King Charles spaniels as a test when I first got it, took about 1.5 hours to print these.
    IMG_4356.jpg
    Created a floor system for a Model Power building I had. Each floor has light fittings for LED's on the base, beds, rugs, dishes on bench tops. Had to print at an angle to get the floor to print flat and allow good support, downside is slight print lines for each layer. Took about 2 hours to print each floor.
     
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  8. Chris Hall

    Chris Hall TrainBoard Member

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    Oh, and an extra I can highly recommend is a wash and cure station, especially one designed for your machine, like the Elegoo Mercury plus or Anycubic Wash and Cure.

    Makes the post cleaning and curing treatment for resin prints so much easier and less messy.
     
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