Monoprice - 130994 Mini Deluxe SLA Resin UV 3D Printer With (120 x 70 x 200 mm) Build Area, Ultra High Resolution, LCD Touch Screen Display + Free 250ml Red Photopolymer Resin

Seriously, do not listen to the bad reviews. I was almost put off on buying this printer because of them, I am glad I bought it. Most of the bad reviews I have seen where completely caused by operator error. People who have no clue what they are doing and did not take the time to do their research. This is my first 3D printer and I am more than happy with the results. Have I had failed prints? Absolutely, but I adjusted some settings in the slicer and they came out just fine. The included slicer is lacking, I have to say, it is a very basic application. What I do is I use Chitubox to do my supports and raft, then I save it as a .stl file and slice it in Creation Workshop.

Pros: solid build, does print in fine detail when it works, build plate is brushed aluminum and gives a mirror/glass-like finished first layer. Cons: wrong dimensions advertised, software does not always add layers when slicing model, very heavy/unwieldy cover, difficult to use software, poor and incorrect information in owner's manual. First, just like others have reported, the resin included is grey, not the translucent red as advertised. The build plate is also smaller than advertised (download the manual, second to last page. I've been printing a little under a year. I picked it up quickly , starting on an Ender 3, then a Prusa mk3s and finally an Elegoo Mars. This printer was not like anything I've tried, and not for the better. The owner's manual has no information on the machine setup, only the software. Like any good Print Tech, I did some research, watched some videos and had it set up with ease. I loaded the software from the 500MB included thumb drive, followed the settings from the manual and loaded a test model: the Twisted Rook. Saved it. Sliced it. Loaded it onto the thumb drive. When I went to print it, there were no sliced layers (the display showed 0/0 layers). I double checked everything, reserved the model to the thumb drive and sliced again. (The software works by creating a save tag that loads the sliced model to the directory you've saved the tag in, replacing it.) Once it was done, I tried again. Success! It printed a very nice Twisted Rook. I tried many other models, but none would produce layers and the machine would not print. Pure frustration. I'm used to being able to troubleshoot anything. There is an option to connect to the printer remotely/wirelessly (So the model specific manual says), but after some more research, this was found to be false as well. This was a big disappointment, because the machine is a quality machine, but there isnt a reliable way to use it and the credibility of the company takes a dive when they don't include what they say they will, don't advertise the right dimensions, and dont supply a manual with accurate information.

Package arrived with a big hole in the side of the box but the printer looked undamaged. Unboxing and setup only took a couple minutes, software was easy to use. I did need to wipe down the FEP screen with IPA as it had residue on it, the LCD screen was pretty clean. My first patch of prints came out nice and I was pretty excited about the product. Since then I've failed two prints using all standard settings. I get build plate adhesion but then the print is usually twisted/distorted with resin tags hanging off of it. I heard a fan acting up at one point which required a power cycle. I wanted this printer due to the larger build size and 20 micron layer resolution but I'm regretting being an early adopter of this printer and not going the route of the Anycubic Photon which has good reviews. I'll update this review as I spend more time with the printer, but for now I can't recommend it. ****Edit/Update**** Updated to three stars - The nature of resin printing should allow for some failed prints without negatively impacting a review. The included software is not every good at automated support generation. I drained/filtered the resin vat and re-cleaned the FEP screen and I've had better luck with prints.

The hardest part was probably figuring out items in the software, but it's pretty straightforward: import stl, position item on print bed, configure supports, slice and save on usb stick. I see other reviewers complaining on here, but it's possible they weren't printing on a level surface, or had mismatched parameters with their resin type. Resins will advertise their exposure times and other parameters. These parameters must match up when you are configuring the slicing profile or else it may spend too little time curing the resin on each layer. I think people here are expecting it to be as easy and straightforward as FDM printers.