The Anycubic Photon P1 Resin 3D Printer Claims Industrial Precision at a Consumer Price

We see all kinds of marketing angles and when it comes to 3D printing, the focus tends to be on the printing results — the speed, the print quality, and the strength of the parts that the printer can produce. But Anycubic has taken a different approach with the release of the new Photon P1 MSLA resin 3D printer, choosing to instead focus on manufacturing tolerances and repeatability.

To understand what I mean, consider the very first feature listed on the Kickstarter campaign page: “±0.01mm Z Repeatability.” There is similar language in the description of the build plate, which boasts a flatness tolerance below 80μm.

That is the kind of language you see in the spec sheets of serious machines tools, not front-and-center in the marketing copy for a consumer device. But it does align well with Anycubic’s strategy here, which is to convey that the Photon P1 is an “industrial-grade” printer that they happen to be selling at a consumer price.

Moving past that, the Photon P1 seems similar to Anycubic’s previous mid-tier models. It has a 223×126×230mm build volume, an X axis resolution of 16.8μm, a Y axis resolution of 24.8μm, and a Z axis resolution of 20μm.

Maybe the manufacturing tolerances they’re proud of will make a difference, but the only features that seem worth noting are the heated vat and the optional dual vat. The latter divides the available printing area up into two separate vats, each with their own build plate section. The idea is that you can print two different parts in two different resins simultaneously.

That is a neat trick, but I’m not sure there is any real benefit to that over simply purchasing two small MSLA resin 3D printers. Anycubic’s own Photon Mono 4 Ultra costs $279, so you could grab two of those for just a bit more than the Photon P1’s super early bird price of $499 — you’d even get slightly better resolution in the Y axis by going that route.

Whether or not the Photon P1 makes sense for you, I have little doubt it will be a good printer. I’ve been impressed with all of the Anycubic models I’ve reviewed over the years, so I’m confident this will be a decent machine. If you want one, you have until February 9th to back the Kickstarter campaign.