The Anycubic Photon is a stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer widely known for its efficient way of printing models, patterns, prototypes and many parts using a multilayer process.
The layer by layer method is known as a photochemical process whereby light makes monomers and oligomers to connect and create polymers.
The polymers formed during this process are made up of a three-dimensional solid, which is commonly referred to as 3D.
Certain features set Anycubic Photon 3D apart from other 3D printers. Firstly, it is a DLP printer, which means to print objects, the UV light radiates in a VAT with photoreactive resin to cure every layer instead of putting rubber filaments in a hot nozzle.
Anycubic Photon 3D is small in size, which makes it more convenient to use as it can fit into a smaller space compared to other 3D printers.
Anycubic Photon 3D has the ability to create more detailed resolution compared to other 3D printers. It can print layers tinier than ten microns which enhances its accuracy.
Anycubic 3D printer sets itself apart from its previous models by making set up and operation easier and faster. It takes less than fifteen minutes to set up and print. Also, the Anycubic 3D printer comes with software that is easy to understand and make use of.
Unlike other 3D printers, Anycubic software has the ability to convert 3D materials into prototypes and materials within a short time frame which makes the printing process faster for users.
Anycubic photon zero is relatively affordable. It cost less than $200, which makes it relatively cheap when compared to other types of 3D printers. With just $400, you can purchase an Anycubic Photon 3D printer together with a wash and cure station while it costs around $400 to buy a single resin printer of the same brand.
Compared to the previous models, Photon and Photon S, the build plate of Anycubic Photon 3D is much easier to set up. Other 3D printers require four levelling screws to set up while Anycubic Photon 3D requires just a single screw.
Anycubic Photon 3D printer is packed with distinct upgraded features. They include :
16x Anti-Aliasing
This feature creates a smooth surface because it eliminates all aliasing effects and offers 16x anti-aliasing effect that produces incredibly smooth edges.
Marked Resin Part
The Anycubic Photon 3D comes with a resin part with different layers of filling at both ends of the longer sizes of the container. This stops the users from making wrong calculations and spilling resin whenever the print surface is inside.
UC Cooling System
The UC cooling system ultimately prolongs the lifespan of the UV module of your Anycubic 3D printer. Also, the cooling system enables you to work with your Anycubic 3D printer for long hours without any complications.
Anycubic Customized Slicer Software
The Anycubic Photon 3D printer comes with customized slicer software which enhances your printer’s efficiency.
This customized slicer software works perfectly with your Anycubic 3D printer to boost its speed and overall performance.
Unique Accessories
Anycubic Photon 3D printer comes with all the tools and accessories needed for setup and maintenance.
Users do not have to purchase other parts separately, therefore, set up and printing is easier and faster.
The package accessories contain SD card, service card, easy to understand manual, complete toolset, user adapter and cleaning materials such as a glove, funnel and scraper.
Upgraded UV Module
Anycubic Photon 3D printer is enhanced by an improved UV module compared to the previous models produced.
Although it uses the same diffusion technology with the previous models, it creates parallel UV rays over the LCD masking screen with the same intensity across the plate.
Z-axis dual Linear Rail
The Z-axis dual linear rail is one of the major upgrades that comes with the Photon 3D printer. The Dual linear Rail helps prevent unsteady movement of materials at the X & Y.
This enhances precision in the Z-axis and makes the print surface more stable.
It ensures that the bed does not shift while printing is ongoing, which makes the result of the print better.
This is a major quality that differentiates Photon 3D from the previous models because even with large objects along the X & Y, you can be sure of a stable print surface because the Z-axis dual linear rail helps with steady movement along the X & Y-axis.
Air Filtration System
Photon 3D has an efficient dual-based filtration system that prevents the spreading of odor in different directions.
It also prevents dust and other particles from entering the print layers.
This sets Anycubic 3D apart from its previous models because the previous models only have a single fan which had less ability to control the spread of odor and particles on the print layer.
Steel Ball Leveling Structure
The leveling structure is much better compared to the previous models and other SLA printers. However, there are some things you would have to do to enjoy this seamless process.
Highly Responsive Touchscreen
Anycubic 3D printer’s screen responds quickly when printing which provides a better user experience.
Sanded Aluminium Surface
The sanded Aluminium surface ensures your print stick well on the surface, so they do not move from side to side or fall off.
Anycubic photon 3D printer has unrivaled cons and benefits that make it stand out and useful for every user. Below are the advantages of using an Anycubic photon 3d printer.
When printing with the Anycubic 3D printer, you can be certain to experience a quiet printing process. Its sound level is similar to that of a refrigerator or a computer.
The quiet printing level with Anycubic 3D printer gives a better user experience as there would be less noise.
With other print models, one will have to adjust all the screws at the corner to get the desired level whereas it takes just the tightening of a single screw to get the desired level because the screw level has already been set on the print surface.
The Anycubic Photon 3D printer helps conserve energy. The printer works at a reduced power consumption rate at about 50W.
The major reason for this is because the Anycubic 3D printer does not have the heating elements that consume power in SLA printers.
With Anycubic Photon 3D printer, users can print about eight different models simultaneously at various exposure rates.
With this, users have the opportunity to select the most suitable exposure environment for each resin to get the best results.
The price of the Anycubic Photon 3D enables you to save more for higher quality.
One might think that the quality of Anycubic printer might not be up to standard due to its amount, however, based on customer reviews and feedbacks, Anycubic Printer as proved to be of great quality at a very affordable price.
The Anycubic printer lets you save money while you get premium quality.
Many reviews on Amazon and Reddit confirm this. Most users agreed that the quality they got from using Anycubic 3D printer is higher than the price.
Many of them expressed that they considered the printer too good to be true for its price before they bought it.
However, while many of them expressed that their opinion changed after using the printer due to the amazing experience, some expressed that they encountered some challenges while using the printer but they would rather excuse its downsides because they bought it at a relatively low price.
The Anycubic 3D printer is user-friendly from the packaging, to manual and to usage. It comes with its complete accessories, and its manual is easy to understand.
It provides an easy leveling experience because it takes just tightening a screw to get it to its proper level and it comes with just ten screws which makes it easier to assemble.
GlitchTechScience, among other Reddit users, commented that he found Anycubic Photon 3D easy to use.
“I just bought a Photon. It was easy to get up and going, leveling the bed took nothing at all when following their instructions and the first print was simple.”
Anycubic provides a great user experience for its users. The printer does most of the work, so one does not have to do much while printing which makes the printing process more convenient.
The major challenge that user experience while printing with Anycubic Photon 3D printer is it’s Tiny Build Plate.
Its print bed is about 55 by 98 by 150mm, which prevents one from printing large-sized objects.
The Anycubic Photon 3D is not for those who want to print large objects but for those who want a print for the first time and those who are new to 3D printing.
This is because the build plate is tiny and will only be effective at printing smaller sized objects.
It is also recommended for those who plan to get detailed and high-resolution small images.
When purchasing your Anycubic Photon 3D printer, here are a few things you should consider :
Based on personal stories from users, it can be concluded that the majority of users had a good experience using the Anycubic 3D printer.
A user on Reddit gave a detailed review on Anycubic 3D printer based on his experience.
He loved the fact that he was able to print multiple materials at a relatively fast rate, it was easy to set up, he did not have to keep re-leveling, and the print was stable on the surface.
However, he commented that resin was expensive and messy when in use.
Thurman Ray Steele, a user on Amazon, reviewed Anycubic Photon 3D printer as easy to use.
“if you know how to figure a bolt and plug, you can assemble this bad boy within minutes of removing it from the box.”
He commented that due to its ease, someone completely new to 3D printing would find the setup and printing process very easy.
An Amazon customer reviewed Anycubic Photon 3D as easy to set up.
“The set up was really easy, the equipment is sturdy, and the instructions are not perfect, but they are easy to follow if you are willing to overlook the poor translation. I am so pleased with this product. I am not sure I am going to sleep tonight, might have to keep on printing until I run out of filament. Can I give it six stars?”
Mike P. Indiana on Amazon reviewed he had a great experience with Anycubic Photon 3D printer.
“works great and saved me half the cost. Excellent video on the setting; I had some questions on print settings and got an excellent response from their tech support people. I would highly recommend this printer. Reviews all say it has excellent tech support, and it does. Easy to run touch screen control panel. This printer has the specs for dollar out there.”
Puntik, a user on Amazon reviewed Anycubic Photon 3D print quality as surpassing her expectations
“This is my first 3D printer and was easy to assemble with the instructions provided. I had to learn some basics of 3D printing with help from some websites I found, but after a few attempts leveling the bed, I got pretty good quality prints, especially considering how affordable it is. Great printer for beginners.”
Kindle customer on Amazon considers her printing experience with Anycubic Photon 3D printer as great.
“From unboxing to assembly and printing within an hour. Great instructions, great extruder for a budget printer. All machined parts were of obvious quality, and all threads were smooth and firm. It is solid once built and gives a sense of confidence. I did have a bit of a hard time leveling the bed. Oddly, one corner seems lower than the other 3; the screw was a bit bent. Some pliers and bending fixed it a little bit. HEATED BED NOT NEEDED. For my test prints and a few other small prints, bed adhesion was fine. For larger pieces, I used a bit of glue stick. Great printer for the price!! Period”
Grey P. M. R considers Anycubic Photon 3D has an excellent choice, although he had some challenges.
“This printer is easily an excellent choice for those wanting to get into the art of 3D printing. Its interface is relatively clear, as are the instructions for the system and the software that comes with it (Cura). In structure, it seems to be rather durable, not to mention simple to put together after being delivered in a massive amount of styrofoam within the box. The quality of the prints, so far, has been on point, allowing for small details when one desires”.
However, he remarked he wouldn’t advise anyone to print directly on the bed itself due to the fact that the print got stuck.
“I would NOT recommend, to those beginning, printing on the bed itself. When I had done so, the print ended up getting stuck on the bed, unable to be removed until my engineer friend recommended using Acetone. I did manage to pry it off, but a word of warning: Use the wide painter’s tape to cover the bed, and apply a glue stick to allow for bed adhesion, that way if it gets stuck, you can just peel off the tape instead of risking bed damage”.
Joseph Leiss considers Anycubic a great printer for the money.
“Assembly was quick and easy. Leveling is very easy using the corner presets. I was nervous about not having a heated bed, but it seems to do just fine without one. I put it together and immediately printed one of the test files that came on the SD card. I came out perfectly (which is more than I can say about my Ender 3 in 6 weeks of trying)I would recommend this printer to anyone”.
Dirty 1980_fpv considers Anycubic Photon 3D as easy to use although he had challenges with the Build plate.
“Amazing little starter printer! Easy to use. Helped me learn cura and get my feet under me. I didn’t have any issues so I can’t say how tech support is. But I did hear good things from online forums. My only gripe about this printer is the build plate. I bought a creality ender 3 glass bed and clamped it on top. With the factory bed, I had to use blue painters tape to get anything to stick.”
Anycubic Photon 3D printer has been regarded as a printer that offers a greater value for its price.It is affordable, easy to use and set up, saves power and has upgraded features that provide higher print quality.
However, it has a major downside. Due to its tiny build plate, it has less ability to produce really large prints. Anycubic Photon 3D printer is not for you if you plan to print really large objects due to its tiny build plate.
However, if you are new to 3D printing and you want an easy to use experience, high quality and detailed print at a relatively low price. Then you should opt for Anycubic Photon 3D printer.
To purchase your Anycubic Photon 3D printer, click here.