Resin printers such as Elegoo Mars Pro Vs Phrozen Sonic Mini are great for those who are planning to print objects that require greater details. They tend to work better in giving you smoother printed objects but they are also smaller compared to the FDM options. These printers are loved by many due to their performance and ease of use but, they are also not exactly the same to each other. For those who wonder which of the two will be the better option, see below about the comparison.
In this comparison, we are going to talk about:
- What are Resin 3D Printers
- What are Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini
- How are the Design of Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini
- How are the Capacity of Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini
- What are the Specs of Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini
- How to Level the Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini Build Plate
- How are the Performance of Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini
- Elegoo Mars Pro Vs Phrozen Sonic Mini
Resin 3D Printers
3D printers may not be that familiar yet to the public but you can find them quite often in learning facilities since this is where the machine will be very useful at. Nowadays 3D printing is more of a hobby rather than a professional tool but due to the ability to create physical objects from scratch or based on certain material, it opens up a door to make this a commercially useful as well. On the lower-end, 3D printers are usually bought by hobbyists.
When talking about 3D printers, you will also talk about the machine types because in general we have two of them in the market; the FDM and resin printers. FDM machines are those such as Sunlu S8 Vs Ender 3 and resin printer are those such as Photon Mono and Photon S. Resin printers are less popular in comparison because they are not as easy to use than an FDM but, often chosen because they can create object with smoother details.
The term resin printers itself is an umbrella that covers a family of additive manufacturing technologies using liquid photosensitive material cured layer by layer into a solid object. It is not the actual name since usually we call this type of machine SLA or MSLA depending on what curing technology is being used. The key here is photopolymerization which is a chemical reaction of a liquid material where the material changes its properties when subjected to light such as UV or laser.
Unlike an FDM printer, the resin printer is using light so there will be a source of light in the machine but the other components are similar such as the build plate where the object is formed and the resin tank that is like the filament roll in your FDM machine. The rest of the tools may vary depending on how you will use the printer. In terms of how the machine is building the object, usually resin printers are building them upside down but can be normally from bottom to top as well.
If FDM printers don’t need any additional process after the object is done being printed, your resin object will need to be washed first to remove the uncured material. The liquid being used can be alcohol or water or just let it dry on a paper towel. Since the curing process is quick, we will need to solidify the object after done printing below sunlight or using UV-lamp. Because mostly we are printing with support, removing or cutting the support is necessary as well in many cases.
| Elegoo Mars Pro | Phrozen Sonic Mini | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| Product Dimensions | 22.3 x 11.2 x 11.2 inches | 18 x 11.5 x 11.5 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 18.9 Pounds | 12.57 pounds |
| Best offer | Check price | Check price |
About Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini
Due to this post-processing, it is a bit more time consuming to print using resin material than using thermoplastic. They are also smaller and tend to work slower compared to FDM so it is understandable that the machines are not as hyped as the other mechanism. But, just like most 3D printers nowadays, they are getting cheaper as well which is great since it means more hobbyists and new enthusiasts can get their first machine without much struggle.
Not all machines are made the same but in general the popular options tend to work similarly as well. Oftentimes it is about which match your budget and personal preference but we personally see the ease of use beside how well they perform. Finding 3D printers is pretty easy today with a growing number of manufacturers and versions from each brand such as what Elegoo and Phrozen are carrying in their catalog. These companies are pretty well-known for their high-quality yet pocket-friendly machines for a wider application.
Today you can get a reliable machine below $300 for at home printing with Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini. These printers are very user friendly as well as able to deliver great printing quality for those who are interested in resin printing. The Mars Pro is a new iteration of the original Mars so if you like the previous machine, this one is supposed to work better with some improvement on the machine’s design in order to increase print quality as well as user experience.
Phrozen Sonic Mini as the name suggests is the little brother of the Sonic which is the company’s offering on the professional high-speed machine so what boasted by this alternative will stay the same which is speed. If you have a print-on-demand service, a fast machine like this will be very useful so we can optimize the printing time. But, for typical hobbyists and home use, we do think any of the two will be a wonderful choice.
Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini Design
As you can see from the sample picture above, they are the type with a removable dome or cover in which they are equally tinted red to filter the light. It is a bit inconvenient to remove however because chances are you will need to use both hands to hold it just to make sure it doesn’t slip as we lift the plastic. In comparison the machines are about the same to each other in terms of dimension and both are featured with a touch-sensitive control panel at the front.
If you see the machine closer, Elegoo put the USB port at the front below the display and in Phrozen, this USB port is on the side. Compared to FDM machines in the same price range, what we love the most from resin printers is they require almost no assembly except for the building platform, making it more convenient to start with. These machines usually don’t come with the resin but depending on the store, some of them may ship with the material too.
Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini Capacity
Moving further, let’s see what Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini can offer starting with the printing volume because this is fixed and even in FDM printers, building volume is not something we can tweak because they are limited by the machine design itself. For small MSLA printers, the two are pretty decent and should be able to work on most typical applications with a capacity of 4.5 by 2.6 by 5.9 inches compared to 4.7 by 2.6 by 5.1 inches.
Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini Specs
The Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini are both LCD based MSLA printers but they have different resolutions because the Mars Pro is using a 2K (2560 x 1440 pixels) compared to the Sonic Mini which is 1920 x 1080 pixels. The XY resolution of these machines are very similar however at 0.047 and 0.062 side by side. As for the material, you can use the same 405 NM UV resin for both of them while the slicer used here is ChiTu Box.
Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini Bed Levelling
Both of them are also printing on a bed that is installed upside down which means your model or object will come slowly from the vat. When the machines first came in the box, this part was not installed yet so installation and leveling is all done manually for both machines. The mechanism in which they hold the printing bed is a bit different however but the leveling process stays the same where you have to use a piece of paper to properly flatten the plate.
The plate of Mars Pro is secured using two bolts on the front and side of the holder while the Sonic Mini has 4 of them; two on each side. We need to loosen the screws in order to level the bed but the manual is pretty easy to follow and you just have to do it according to instruction until the printer’s bed is flat then we have to tighten the screws again.
Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini Performance
Lastly for the performance and test print, we do think the Elegoo Mars Pro and Phrozen Sonic Mini are amazing. The result comes with the test prints showing uniformity and with great details but do mind some roughness on the first layers yet, as the base we can just sand them away. The adhesion is surprisingly impressive as well on both machines and in comparison the Sonic Mini did print faster than Mars Pro but personally we often left them unmonitored so it is not a big issue.
Elegoo Mars Pro vs Phrozen Sonic Mini
These machines are an impressive buy for the price point. The only drawback is probably their smaller volume but if you are only printing small objects like toys or accessories, we do think there should be no problem. The performance is equally good, bed levelling is manually adjusted with assistance from the machine but we do like the Mars Pro bed holder as it seems more durable, moreover we have two less screws to loosen and tighten when leveling here.
Conclusion
There is no bad option between the two so you can go amazing with any of them but personally if you are aiming for speed then Sonic Mini is the most ideal choice but if you need the slightly extra build volume then we suggest the Mars Pro.