3D printers are getting more common nowadays as people are more familiar as well with their advantage. Depending on what you want to build, some may like FDM machines better and some like SLA printers like Elegoo Mars Pro Vs Photon S better. These machines are typically messier to work with but they carry advantage on the detail area. If you prefer to use an SLA machine, see below about what these two can offer so we can choose which will fit your application the most.
In this article, we are going to give you information about:
- What is Stereolithography in Additive Manufacturing
- What are Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S
- How are the Design of Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S
- What are the Specs of Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S
- What are the Upgrades on Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S
- How are the Performance of Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S
- Elegoo Mars Pro Vs Photon S
Stereolithography 3D Printer
Modern technology brings lots of convenient machines to the mass and it makes lots of our everyday tasks faster or more efficient as well from the automatic household appliance like robot vacuum to smart home systems that can take your command in an instant. Today 3D printers are more common and more familiar as well in the market though not as mainstream as for example a wireless earbuds, they are one of the most interesting productivity tools to have around, especially for creative people.
As the name suggests it is a printer that can create three-dimensional objects based on your digital design or file that is fed into the machine so in general they are very similar to our paper printer used to print documents and photos. When talking about 3D printers, most people will be familiar with the FDM models such as Artillery Genius vs Ender 3 Pro but not that many are opting for the SLA or Stereolithography machines, despite being the same in purpose.
It is still growing in popularity however and probably less used or bought because of the inherent process which can be messier and require more steps than standard FDM or FFF printers. The difference is that SLA printers are using high-powered lasers to harden liquid resin placed on a vat or container on the machine as opposed to FDM that melt solid filament so the extruder can stack the soften material which then dry by itself as it cools down.
Traditionally, SLA printing is essentially transforming or converting photosensitive liquid into a solid three-dimensional object and just like an FDM, the process is still done layer by layer. Depending on the machine designs, most if not all SLA printers today have an upside down building plate instead of a standard build plate where the extruder moves up or in any direction to stack the layer. SLA has an upside down build plate and your product will come upside down as well from the vat.
In the additive manufacturing process we need to create or have the model through CAD software first in order to digitalize the object we want to print. The file in which the SLA printer is working is called Standard Tessellation Language or STL. This file will describe the surface geometry of your 3D object without taking common CAD model attributes like color and texture. The STL is then fed into slicer software such as Cura which functions to generate G-code or the language of 3D printers.
| Elegoo Mars Pro | Elegoo Photon S | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| Product Dimensions | 22.3 x 11.2 x 11.2 inches | 20.75 x 15.1 x 7.8 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 18.9 Pounds | 22.05 Pounds |
| Best offer | Check price | Check price |
About Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S
Getting into 3D printing is fun since you can experiment with tons of material and software as well as tweaks needed to get a much better or desired result. It is not something we can master in a short amount of time since we can learn every time; even the same type of machine can behave differently depending on how well they were designed. For those who are aiming at the detail and texture, SLA is famous for being smoother than FDM but also often slower while in action.
Just like with FDM printers, you will find lots of options out there from different brands and some may attract your attention the most. Typically SLA or MSLA printers are smaller in comparison and smaller as well inbuilt volume compared to FDM at the same price point. But, you will still find plenty of the entry-level budget options easily such as what Elegoo and Anycubic are offering. These brands are trusted with their products and many do like their printers as well for the performance.
You will find quite to consider or to choose from based on which of them that attracts your attention the most but, in order to save budget while maintaining print quality, the Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S from Anycubic are two ideal options for most users. These machines are here to improve their predecessor and still bring good quality prints to your house. From the print quality side, rather than the machine’s capabilities, it is more of how well we tweak the machine.
Most 3D printers are useful right out of the box but they are far from perfect just like Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S. These printers are enhanced from the original machines to be better and to be more user friendly. Overall on the print quality they are comparable and the deciding factors for buyers is probably how to use these machines and just their overall performance. In comparison however, the Mars Pro does some jobs better than Photon S despite not being perfect too.
Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S Design
Before checking the machine’s capabilities, let’s see the product first and one of the best things about SLA or MSLA printers is the pre-printing process because usually with affordable FDM printers including the Delta model is you will need to assemble those parts, many also separate the processing board as well which is why they can be time consuming and these machines are almost ready to use out of the box. The machines are covered in foam when they arrive and there is no damage as well, despite most being made out of plastic.
As you can see the Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S have different housing or lid design with the Mars Pro has a removable lid and the Photon S, still the same with the older Photon machine has an attached housing combined with an opening panel secured with a hinge. While everything is attached already, the build platform is not so we will have to attach and level it first. As for the control panel, they are using the same touch-sensitive panel and easy to use UI.
Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S Specs
Now for the most important part, let’s see what Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S can offer and the most important is their building volume to match with whatever you are trying to print. The maximum object you can make with Mars Pro is 120 by 68 by 155mm tall while the Photon S is slightly taller at 115 by 65 by 165mm at the height. The layer is recommended at 10 microns or higher with the same XY resolution at 47 microns with 2K LCD.
Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S Upgrades
Moving to the build plate, it seems these machines are also using a different surface where the model will stick on for example the older Mars has a black finish with some texture on it while now the Pro variant has a silver or aluminum finish which is also textured. The Photon S similarly has aluminum finish so the two will perform well in terms of keeping the object stuck on the build plate. Just like most printers, we will do some bed leveling here but they are pretty stable in keeping the leveling.
Another upgrade from their original models is the Z rail since Mars has a single rail and the Photon has a different rail system located at the edges of the Z frame. The new machines now have two linear rails and a single linear rail respectively. This is meant to make sure the Z axis is more stable than their older variants since they are sturdier in built as well as holding the building plate while it is moving upward after each layer is being cured.
Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S Performance
Lastly on the overall performance, the Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S are very much similar when it comes to delivering good printing quality but not without some further adjustment and tweak. The concern about Photon S is a bit flimsy plastic housing while the bed leveling is the same with the two, prone to some errors yet they stay firm after several prints. Another concern is that the gasket seal of Mars Pro is not the best so the air still comes out and the fan can be quite annoyingly loud too.
Elegoo Mars Pro vs Photon S
Both the Elegoo Mars Pro and Photon S are good printers as they are working quite well while being pretty easy to work with too. The comparison mostly about user experience which you may find not as convenient but still manageable and while Photon S has a flimsy built, it works well too. The dual Z rail in Mars Pro ensures stability but so does the single rail of Photon S.
Conclusion
You can go amazing with any of them but personally we prefer the Photon S because it is just convenient to use. The front opening doesn’t require removing the top cover when you are taking out the print while it seals and filters air quite well too.