The Anycubic Photon Ultra Is a DLP Resin 3D Printer for the Masses
There is finally a DLP resin 3D printer at an affordable price.
We usually divide consumer 3D printers into two broad categories: FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) and resin. But resin 3D printers, which rely on UV light-cured photosensitive liquid material, include a handful of distinct processes. The most common type of resin printer today is MSLA (Masked Stereolithography), in which the UV light shines through a transparent LCD. But DLP (Digital Light Processing) resin printers some advantages over MSLA printers, though they have been expensive in the past. Now there is a new DLP resin 3D printer for the masses: the Anycubic Photon Ultra.
The Anycubic Photon Ultra just recently launched on Kickstarter and it has already raised $1.8 million in funding. Anycubic has several FFF and MSLA 3D printers already on the market and they're well-regarded in the community. But the Photon Ultra is Anycubic's first foray in the world of DLP 3D printing. Instead of using an LCD to mask UV light, this DLP 3D printer use a special light projection system (from Texas Instruments) that bounces light off of hundreds of thousands of tiny mirrors. The benefit is that there is very little light bleed between pixels, which results in very crisp features in a print. You also don't ever have to worry about replacing LCD panels.
With a build volume of 102.4 x 57.6 x 165.0 mm (4.03 x 2.27 x 6.50 inches), the Anycubic Photon Ultra prints smaller objects than MSLA printers of a similar price. But it is the most affordable DLP resin 3D printer on the market. It also prints faster (1.5 seconds per layer), uses less power (12W), produces less heat, and makes less noise than MSLA printers. But the primary advantage is the detail it can produce. MSLA printers already produce great fine details, but the Anycubic Photon Ultra takes it to another level.
If you want to get your hands on an Anycubic Photon Ultra, the Kickstarter campaign is running until October 15th. The Kickstarter special package costs $499. They expect to ship rewards in January of 2022.