Resin printers are more often being chosen when users want to achieve the best detail without taking the dimension as a concern. There are plenty of options available based on which seems to fit you the most such as the popular ELEGOO Saturn Vs ANYCUBIC Mono X that are slightly larger than typical entry-level resin machines. For those who plan to buy a new printer, see below about what they can offer and which of them sound better for you.
In this comparison, we are going to talk about:
- What are Resin Printers
- What are ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X
- How are the Design of ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X
- How are the Capacity of ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X
- How are the Build Plate in ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X
- How are the Performance of ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X
- What else ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X can offer
- ELEGOO Saturn Vs ANYCUBIC Mono X
Resin Printers
Our manufacturing technology has been improved so much from what our parents are familiar with, making more people able to reach this technology even from their home, especially with additive manufacturing. This mechanism is often called 3D printing because the mechanism is similar to the printing process but the media and the machine are very much different from each other. What’s similar is that the material being used will be put layer by layer on the print bed or platform until it finishes with the design.
One of the most popular or common technologies in additive manufacturing is stereolithography or SLA. The more popular FDM machines such as Sunlu S8 and Ender 3 are often thought as the first 3D printers but, the fact is SLA existed earlier and patented earlier as well. The combination of laser and resin makes the technology able to create a highly accurate 3D printing system. In the mainstream market, they used to be quite expensive and more of a professional choice but, in recent years resin printers are getting more affordable.
Unlike an FDM machine with a spool of material, your SLA printer will have a vat to contain the liquid resin, a building platform, an escalator, a light source, and a pair of galvanometers. The building plate will be placed above the vat and is attached to the escalator so it can move up or down along the Z axis. The galvanometers themselves are located at the back of the transparent bottom of the vat. The pair of mirrors can move with the laser beam aligned.
The light source of resin printers are deciding the type of machine they are since SLA is quite ancient in comparison to DLP and MSLA which the latter are the most popular and probably what you already have. MSLA and DLP are very similar to each other but, you can set them apart by the mechanism. In DLP machines, there is a need for a digital micromirror device to direct the light from a projector below to the bottom of the resin vat.
When using LCD, the additional device is not necessary anymore because the UV light comes from abundant LEDs shining through the screen and this screen itself is acting like a mask which is why it is called MSLA or masked SLA. This way, only the specific pixels for the selected layers are displayed. This technology is also what plays a huge role in making resin printers being more available for the mainstream market as it helps create more cost-efficient products.
| Elegoo Saturn | Anycubic Mono X | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| Product Dimensions | 23.5 x 13.1 x 11.7 inches | 24.49 x 15.35 x 15.12 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 21.3 Pounds | 34.79 Pounds |
| Best offer | Check price | Check price |
About ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X
Resin printers are often chosen over FDM because they are capable of delivering a smoother details and less texture on the surface compared to typical filament machines but, in general they are also tend to work slower and need an after treatment such as washing and exposing the model printed on UV light in order to further curing it. But, if you are aiming to achieve the level of quality a resin printer can offer, we highly recommend trying one.
After MSLA is getting more common, you can see manufacturers begin to race in offering their best machine especially on the entry-level where ELEGOO and ANYCUBIC are competing as well. These are well-known names, popular options for almost any buyers who are getting into additive manufacturing including if you are in the market for their resin printers. The two are trusted when it comes to high quality machines, we do think you can go well with most of their popular machines.
But, for those who are specifically looking to buy a medium or larger machine for their applications, the ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X are going to be two very ideal options to consider. These are not exactly an entry-level based on the price point and if you are shopping for a first machine, there are plenty of smaller and more budget friendly collections from the two. What the two are boasting is you can print a pretty decent volume without a fuss here.
In comparison, the print quality of ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X are impressive when you get everything right. The common issue with Photon X is usually the slicer so if you can use Chitubox then we do think there should be no problem. Everything is mostly manually done in a resin printer unlike the FDM section where sensors are more developed but for the ease of use, while the two are not exactly the simplest machine to work with, there is usually no concerning problems as well.
ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X Design
People’s preference may vary but personally we are having mixed feelings with this type of design where you have to remove the whole top of a resin printer to expose the print room. It is indeed easier when you have to tweak the bed or inserting the vat but removing this plastic dome can be quite cumbersome so we do wish for a better design like a hinge that can open half of the print room from the outside just for overall ease of use.
Side by side these machines are not compact at all compared with the typical resin printers such as ELEGOO Mars Pro Vs Phrozen Sonic Mini. In comparison the Saturn is just a little shy smaller however at 280mm by 240mm by 446mm versus 270mm by 290mm by 475mm of Mono X. There are some differences on the design inside but as far as on the outside they are very much similar with a small touch sensitive screen, a USB port on the side, and a solid vat with almost all metal construction.
ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X Volume
Now for the most important point, let’s see what ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X can offer with their pretty steep price point. What makes these two attractive in the first place is the fact that you can print a larger model since capacity is something we can’t bump up and is inherited from the machine’s build itself. In comparison the two are also very similar by producing a maximum size of 192 x 120 x 200mm compared to 192 x 120 x 245mm.
ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X Build Plate
Now for bed levelling, just like with most, if not all resin printers, we will have to install and level the bed prior to printing. The difference is probably on how they hold the build plate itself but in comparison the design of ANYCUBIC is quite industrial which is not bad at all. There are 4 screws holding the plate in this machine compared to ELEGOO that stick with its more convenient 2 large screws. It is probably just a personal preference but we do think attaching and leveling the Saturn feels faster.
There should be no issue regarding the adhesion of these build plates and we are also glad that the top panel of these plates are angled or not completely flat to make sure the resin liquid will drain easier as it moves upward. Levelling the bed is easy with the machine’s guide, just prepare the key and paper to complete the process. They also seem to hold the levelling quite well across the printing process. To keep the plate stable during the printing, both machines are using the same dual linear rail support too.
ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X Performance
Now on the printing quality, the ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X are packing a 4K screen which is great to improve the resolution and as you can guess, they are using mono screen as well to improve the speed. In comparison the Saturn is somehow faster than the Mono X despite spec wise identical with the latter carrying a slightly superior volume. The two can cure as fast as 30mm/h at 0,05mm compared to Mono X which is twice longer at the same resolution.
ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X Features
Lastly on the additional feature part, we notice that Mono X is coming with Wi-Fi module so this machine should be able to work wirelessly too but, it comes with a concerning issue since we can only connect it to the ANYCUBIC’s mobile app and it is meant for monitoring, starting, and pausing only thus, transferring file is still done via the USB. Depending on how you see it, this feature can be useful or not but personally we are not very fond of it and the setup is very confusing too.
Elegoo Saturn vs Anycubic Mono X
Both ELEGOO Saturn and ANYCUBIC Mono X are good printers if you are looking to buy a machine that can print a larger model but also fast. In comparison however, the Saturn is going to print at a smaller size but is twice faster than the Mono X which the latter itself is already fast enough compared to many other regular MSLA printers. Another thing is we like the plate levelling on Saturn better as it is just faster to secure. But, if you want wireless connectivity, Mono X can be connected with your smartphone.
Conclusion
There is no bad option between the two so it is great to shop based on what you will want from the machine but, personally if you don’t need the extra volume then we recommend the Saturn because it is faster and just overall simpler to work with.