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Thank you for going so deep into the issues with this printer. I was so close to buying it, but I think I need to let this gen cook a bit and buy next gen.
The prints are sharper on the Saturn 3 than on the M5. But I have not used the Ultra. The Ultra uses ACF film which also slightly blurrs the image. My supposition is that it won't do it as much as the M5 will, but it will do a bit.
@@FauxHammer I ended realizing that the saturn 3 was just way to big for how I would use this. I am going to print infantry size minis 95% of the time. So I ended deciding between the mars 4 ultra and the mars 3. Once I saw Uncle Jesse had to use a digital microscope to see any actual differences between 4k and 8k, I just didnt see the point of spending 2x the money. The wireless is nice but I dont mind walking an USB to my printer once in a while since I wont be printing like a madman
I pre-ordered the m5s for ease of use and the speed so I’m not that concerned. However.. if it turns out that ordering a second vat and putting a clearer film in it gives me better prints when I do need it.. that would be a major bonus! Looking forward to your test!
Some notes on automatic leveling and AFC: 1. Force detection for automatic bed leveling: There is a printed circuit board (electronic sensor board connected to the main board in the lower housing) in the head under the large round screw to which the print platform is attached. Nothing mechanical under the tray. In fact, that would be trivial, not smart, and prone to error. When the platform is pressed down, the flexible part (AFC) deforms so that the screen part adheres firmly to the pressure platform. At the same time, the machine detects the pressure between the pressure platform and the screen component (AFC) and uses a preset value to determine whether leveling is complete. Once the preset value is reached, printing can begin. Therefore, do not replace the AFC film with another film. Pressure scanning would then no longer be possible. 2. AFC ( yes translucent ): I recommend to use the supplied original R.E.R.F.stl file ( R_E_R_F" (Resin Exposure Range Finder) ) for each resin type for this printer. 8 different exposure models are printed in time steps of 0.25s (1.5s-3.25s) and are really intelligently modeled. You can download it from Support / Model Download. Each model has a number that refers to the exposure time and a very detailed explanation is provided. In general, speed vs. resolution: the application/resin determines the choice and requirements. There is no general golden rule. You need to match the 12K to your needs and you will get great results. Have fun printing - Herri in China. PS: the current Wash bucket (Wash & Cure Pro) is not large enough for the 10.1in platform. Models need to be removed to be washed and cured. That is really a pity in the moment. There is a larger bucket in development, but no availability time is scheduled yet.
Hi, di you work in the industry? According to what you say p, one can not replace the film on the M5S. It’s interesting and I wonder if you have tested it.
@@FauxHammer Hello, I'm sorry, I don't know your name. Direct sources: Anycubic + Aorita. And of course my general engineering knowledge. I built 3D printers and CNC machines myself years ago, just out of necessity and interest. But then I gave that up when the local offers got better and better. In the meantime, I have many very good partners here in China. Basically, I can realize anything I want. My only wish: there is a large audience following you and others reviewing the latest equipment, but when I read many comments from irritated and disappointed followers, I thought it would be better to provide some clarity to restore confidence in the latest technology. And to clarify: I am not affiliated with anyone, just passionate about the creation and methods of doing so. The recent products from Bambu Lab and other great developers show what is possible when skill and conviction are used to get very good tools into the hands of many people at incredibly low prices. I am grateful for that. Herri
Thank you for the thorough review! This will be my first resin printer. I hope your theory ends up being true. My pre-order is in, but I care about quality more than speed, but went with the M5s because of the auto leveling. Hopefully, better quality will be as easy as changing out the vat and resin. Honestly, it would be nice to have a high-speed and standard-speed option. Thanks again!
Hi Ross, I pre-ordered the M5s and was straight away concerned about the ACF due to being translucent. In my experience, the more distance you have between the LCD crystals and the resin in the vat (glass, screen protector, air gap, ...), the more light bleed you get and with the ACF diffusing the light "energy" on top of that you might end up in a loss of sharpness. I never put a screen protector for this reason and luckily never had a pierced film issue. I have yet to test the super thin nFEP/FEP for improving sharpness. I'm looking forward to see if a few changes would improve the sharpness from my mini 8k.
I pre-ordered this as my first resin printer. I want to print DnD minis. I would be happy to print slower, with old FEP for better quality. I have been waiting for your thoughts and now I do not know what to do.... I assume I can cancel my order, but if you can show some quality prints with a normal FEP - I guess I would not cancel....
There is a guy here "Smathalgoth" in the comments, who said he has bought the same matte ACF film the M5s uses, and he does not have a quality loss in his prints. If he's right, the issue is not something we can solve by ourselves. By the way, i just canceled my preorder.
Terrific, thorough review--many thanks! I had been planning to get a 3D printer for a while, and having done my research decided on the Anycubic Photon M3 Premium. But when it came time to order one, they weren't available. As near as I could figure out, it was because they had been discontinued in favour of these "new kids on the block", the M5 and M5s. But I didn't want to wait for these to be available, so when I found Anycubic still had some M3 Premiums available on Ebay, I went for it. I knew I might be sacrificing some of these newer features, but I've been delighted with my M3 Premium, and now after watching your video feel like maybe I didn't sacrifice too much after all.
Thanks for the thorough review, much appreciated. I had this on pre-order, but as the reviews rolled in and I realised it wasn't want I wanted, I cancelled it...I'm after the best possible detail capture and surface quality, not speed. I like the idea of auto-levelling, however I don't trust that the auto-level system in this printer is a robust system that will keep working flawlessly for at least a couple of years, I suspect that those spinrgs and the compression on the screen will end up causing problems over the short-medium term.
@BrickBazooka Yes, Saturn 3 Ultra and I'll get a spare vat. One vat will have nFEP for printing miniatures and the other ACF for printing terrain pieces for gaming.
A material can be "translucent" or "transparent" at different energy levels and/or wavelengths. Energy at a certain wave band lengths is also known as "light". The difference between white light and UV light may make that translucent ACF sheet more transparent. Also, the pixels on the M5s are rectangular, so what would happen to your test plates if you rotated them right 45 and 90 degrees?
Moreover, material can be similar to ulexite or selenite and maintain a 1:1 fiber-optic like parallel projection through the material. I don't know the properties of this sheet, but if the engineers are saying the perceived translucency isn't the cause of this issue, I'm inclined to believe them.
Your video is incredible, I also saw Vogman, and apparently everything can point to the ACF sheet, it would be interesting if you could locate a PFA sheet for that tray and change it to test if those strange details are actually maintained in the final piece. Thanks for sharing
After some of the initial hype over these printers was going around, I actually sourced a sheet of this ACF film to experiment with on a Mono 4k. I have noticed zero difference in detail for the same exposure settings vs an NFEP sheet, and was able to get away with much higher lift speeds along with finer support tips than would reliably work for me previously. So I don't think the ACF film is to blame here. My guess would be this "12k" screen Anycubic and Elegoo have sourced is just crap, the rectangular pixels just being the tip of the iceberg of compromises.
@@FauxHammer Mostly Siraya Tech Fast, but also some Ameralabs TGM-7. The latter of which had the biggest improvements for list speed and support settings.
@@Smathalgoth can you try the same test Fauxhammer used in the video and share the results? I would love to know if you are able to get all the small details that the M5s misses
I will be interested to see if it is the film dropping quality, it could result in people buying a second vat with PFA so they have a "fast vat" and a "detailed vat". Great review as always!
Well they are basically the same printer minus the auto leveling that is cool but whatever, leveling takes 3 minutes and you basically never have to do it again. That being said I think its right that the ACF film is the problem and you can simply replace that with normal FEP. Seems like I will be doing the same for my mars 4 ultra when it arrives.
@@magikarp2063 yeah looking at all of this I think they should had just put the acf and a fep into the Package and not squishing the „cool“ acf shit in our face 😂
screen size is generally done by measuring from a bottom corner of a screen to an opposite top corner, diagonally across the screen. they do this all the time with computer monitors as well.
hello. I want to first say that I am truly and deeply grateful to you. It is common for most reviews of sponsorship to cleverly hide the flaws and highlight the strengths. So I think it is more difficult to find accurate and honest information in this age of overflowing information. In the meantime, thank you so much for watching your many videos. I fell in love with your cautious but at least trying to convey the facts. I already have an anycubic mono X2 and have been searching and searching for a lot of printer information for a long time to buy a better printer. Honestly, except for the small bed of the mono X2, it's already a nice enough printer for me. But at the same time I wanted a printer, so I was trying to buy the anycubic M3 premium model, but at the same time, the sale stopped and I suddenly found a new printer. Recently I was very excited to see a 12k, self-leveling printer, but I couldn't afford the m5s. The reason is, will the print be good enough to realize 12k with my own eyes? Will the automatic leveling system create another issue? For example, the sensor is broken, or the spring is broken. Anyway, I'm not sure if you'll read my comment, but I really appreciate you. Thank you so much for updating this accurate review so quickly. As expected, I was convinced that an 8k printer would suffice and the fast speed was a bit of a trick. ps: I am Korean. I just wanted to say thanks to you so I used Google Translate. If my English is strange, I ask for your understanding. :)
Due to all the new models coming out you can find some real bargains. I just bought a couple Saturn 8k printers. If you want the best prints, then maybe the Mars 4 9K printers.
I was on the fence about buying an M5s or Saturn 3 (the regular one, not the ultra).. decided to go with Saturn 3.. I like the idea of auto leveling but I think Anycubic underutilized the force detection technology.. and I don't want to compromise quality for speed.. especially seeing what kind of issues you're having because of the new fep film.. and cheers on the best M5s review on YT!
Just got an answer for Anycubic: About the effect of using ACF: The ACF film has a thickness of 0.3mm and a matte surface on the bottom, which differs from the 0.15mm smooth FEP release film. Due to the light scattering phenomenon within the resin vat, the ACF film may slightly affect the surface details of the printed model. Specifically, it could result in a decrease in the model's matte finish and the appearance of minor fine lines. However, in practical printing scenarios using non-high-speed resin with a layer thickness of 0.05mm, 16x anti-aliasing, grayscale 0, and blur 3 settings, the print quality is comparable to that of the M5. Moreover, the light scattering effect of the ACF film can actually improve the anti-aliasing performance compared to FEP.
So we are really getting there! That now admitted light scattering of the ACF may indeed "improve" anti-aliasing, which is in fact blurring, if you are fast printing with the 0.1mm layers or normal printing at 16x anti-aliasing with 3 blur settings but your high definition models will always suffer. So a M5 or M5s with nFEP will always outperform as regards accuracy of printing compared to using ACF. I commend Anycubic for honesty here but I strongly suggest they ship with two resin vats one with ACF for speed another with nFEP for accuracy... before more customers jump boat.
@@brianhickling1867 I told them the exact same thing. Though i suggested a fep sheetonly rather than a whole vVAt to keep costs down. This is still one of the best Vats of all the brands
For the side usb slots being an issue, I just get usb extenders (also to protect the usb slots lifespan) to get it to the front as you can get usb extenders that come out flat on the machine instead of the normal vertical out.
Thanks for your diligent testing, I haven't cancelled my M5s pre-order yet, I am hoping that you are right, and these issues can be fixed by replacing the release film. Looking forward to those reviews.
I am still struggling with the WLAN that is not working after Power On. I do completely remove power to the printer, when not in use. After that it doesn’t reconnect to my WLAN, which is a pain in the …. using the USB File „approach“ it is telling my ‚File format not corect‘ - but I followed the instructions in the app. Configuration via app works after some try and error but is forgotten after power off… I dunno… how to solve this…
I put my printer in the garage because of the smell. And having no direct access the App would be nice, if the printer did not loose the WLAN settings… my phone does connect there effortlessly (being in the garage)
For some reason my comment was deleted, not sure if something got triggered in the youtube algorithm, but I'll try again just in case. Thank you for the much deeper dive on the M5s! It really highlighted the small detail and normal resin usage that seemed to be mostly skipped on other reviews. While I did get in on the early bird pricing, I'm still on the fence about if I should just cancel the order. The first and foremost reason is how they seem to be treating their pre-order customers. The M5 and M5s are both available and are shipping out on amazon, but the pre-orders are not being fulfilled yet.
oof, that's at least a better reason to cancel than - i watched your video and now think this printer is crap - because i hope I showed, it isn't - it's a really, really good printer. I'm not sure who handles the Amazon shipping weather that's Anycubic or a third part supplier, that could be the answer.
@@FauxHammer I reached out to Anycubic support and they said: "I am sorry that anycubic official website and anycubic Amazon belong to different operation departments. The inventory management of the two is different." Ok, but it doesn't really address the fact that the first shipments from manufacturing are obviously not going to the pre-orders.
@@Skulltap Welcome to how Chiinese companies do customer service. we wouldn;t tell you any different in the UK, but we would also avoid allowing shipments to go that way and have better control of distribution. It's probably a cultural difference, hI can only presume it;s hard to operate cleanly overseas.
@@FauxHammer If it was just local sales that were opened first then I could rationalize it enough. Not be particularly happy, but at least rationalize it. I have seen the same thing with kickstarters as well. The logistics cost on the pre-orders being from all over the world can't be cheap or easy for them, but sending it to the amazon warehouses first is a dirty move. At the end of the day, its really about the money and I understand it. I don't have to like it, but its a reality. If the cost was closer to that early bird pricing I'd be real tempted to cancel and purchase through amazon just because of the ease with amazon returns here in the states.
Great review. I cancelled my pre-order because I need detail, not speed. I am looking forward to your M5 review because I feel like that printer will be more what I need.
how does the film change in the container look like? whether the film is in a permanently glued frame and you have to buy one in a frame or you can cut the film and tighten it with screws only. I made a preorder but I definitely care about the detail, I wonder if I will get the detail and what other costs will be incurred to obtain it.
Changing film is usually pretty easy but takes time. The film is held in a frame with screws then stretched over a rim in the bottom of the vat creating tension and the frame held in the vat with more screws. The screws are hex screws of different sizes so require 2 sizes of wreches or hex screwdrivers. It's important to get the tension on the film right. Too tight and the frame doesn't fit together again, too loose and it doesn't lay flat. Somewhere between is ideal and will release the model you are building easily. There are videos on youtube about the way to change fep film. We'll see if fauxhammers test with the more clear film fixes the print quality or not.
yes I know that the film is in the frame and it is screwed to the tank. I meant whether the frame itself consisting of two parts is to be screwed or is it glued together permanently and you have to buy a film in the frame (which is not cheap) or try to dismantle it without damaging it and remake it so that it is screwed as I have seen on others movies. Unfortunately, as I can see, it is glued together permanently, but I won't be modifying it, so I came to the conclusion that I will make a whole new one out of aluminum (I have a small cnc) and it will be eternal, and the only thing I will have to buy is the film itself.
@@666Azmodan666 I would think if the frame is in two parts but glued together the glue just helps to seal the film better. So if it doesn't have screws to hold the frame itself together obviously the frame could be drilled and tapped for that to make it like other frame, but I would also think or there are probably after market frames that will fit the vat. I've never seen one that couldn't be replaced, but I have a machine that is a couple of years old.
Been waiting for this one. I got my preorder in, and I am sticking with it as i need more build volume, this is Anycubic's premier option, and I dont think they will leave this without improvement over time. The Athena is a Kickstarter, so delivery is in question, and the cost looks to be 2X this unit if not more. This has the features I am looking for at the right price from a dependable company. It will work well alongside my Mars 3 Pro. I can pump out terrain fast.
@@anab0lic if you dont mind it taking 2 days for some simple walls and stringing at a critical part of a print when a single small issue on a support failed.
@@alanpreston1822 you won't have that issue if you buy one of the faster fdm printers thats now on the market. Printing terrain in resin is considerably more expensive, the end result is more brittle, heavier and you have to faf around with a whole bunch of Post print cleanup, washing curing, triming supports etc etc. Most terrain stls are optimized for fdm too,, so you will have to manually cut up and key all the peices and maybe hollow it all out too. Oh and If the terrain is designed well, it doesn't need support to be printed on an fdm printer.
@@anab0lic There is also the consideration that if you have a resin printer already buying an FDM printer only to print terrain makes that terrain very expensive. If you are buying a printer (don't already have one, or are adding a second) then look at the use case, if it is only to print terrain absolutely buy FDM over resin, if however you are buying a printer and want to print miniatures and some terrain I would expect resin is the more cost effective solution.
Great job, but Im confused Did you run the test with regular resin {maybe 8k} and using the not speed setting? or was everything done with the speed settings and the fast resin which we know sacrifices detail (big time)
hi there thanks for the video.i bought a m5s but there is a problem that freak me out.after awhile of printing it gives an error 1101 screen fault and printing fails. can you help me with that??
Thanks for the video, Ross. I’m disappointed as well. Bought this for 12k detail not fast printing. Looks like I will be going the Athena route. Also hope all is well with the wife. ❤
Noob question here: Do all their resins produce such brittle objects? I need to create parts that simulate injection mouldings, with nibs and clips which need to bend a little to lock together. I noticed they do an "ABS-like" resin. Would that be less brittle? Thanks in advance.
No worries thanks for watching. Yeah you can get much tougher resins. ABS like is popular you can get bendy and flexible resins too or wax like rdsins. There’s a lot out there to try out
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Screens are measured corner to corner diagonally which is where they get the 10.1" figure. The calculator that you were using measured the length and width like you would for a rectangle which would yield a different figure than the industry standard for screen size measurement.
I strongly suspect that part of the overexposure issues are from too much UV power. I have seen similar issues in other printers. Is the UV backlight adjustable in the slicer? If so, try setting it to 50% and do your RERF again. I am willing to bet that it increases print quality considerably at the cost of slightly higher exposure times.
you can't lower the exposure on this in the slicer i had. But in my experience on numerous other printers, lowering exposure and having the light on longer exacerbates this issue rather than helps resolve it. all this ever does is result in the resin potentially being a bit softer at the end of the print. Fast curing = more brittle prints.
@@FauxHammer Oh well, that's a bummer. In Lychee and Chitubox you can lower the UV PWM and it greatly improves print quality. I know other Anycubic printers were recommended to run at 60% UV power for many resins. I think this printer was designed to print fast, not to print clean so they put a super bright LED on it. The original Epax E10 had the same problem, UV too bright for standard resins so there was a ton of bloom.
@@TheRoamingbison Yep! They use a 480:1 contrast panel compared to the 300:1 one on their 8K printers so a 60% output increase. I think that sloppy fast resin needs the power!
I bought this printer wanting auto leveling, that juicy build volume and I print at .02mm Layer height.speed is not what I want. I’m listening to the video but would you suggest I send it back? I have a Saturn 2 but I want as much detail as possible. The leveling has been an issue for me because some prints seem to affect it. Should I return and get a dlp instead or just wait. Or keep and hope for firmware or better film? It’s literally coming tomorrow and I’m unsure I should keep it while I have a saturn2
Hi, I learned the hard way, but the video should also start with a warning about the fumes from the resins. I now have a simple ritual of wearing one glove on my left hand, moving the print bed up near the top so there is room to tilt the print bed at an angle to allow more excess resin to drip back into the printer before pulling the whole thing out.
I was pretty sure that after your replies for the shorts comment, and after you've already said it's 99.9% the film, that you'll buy a new film, put it instead of this ACF and use frozen 8k like in your other videos and would include this testing in this video that took really long time to come up. Not to be rude, I thank you for your reviews and information, but this has stole 26 minutes from my life, you've added nothing new, and even subtracted the most (and only) important testing to a next video. When you said "If you've already preordered it please stop watching now" - this was acualy wrong because if the film replacement provides better details than the 8k midrange ones (with slow speed, 0.2mu hight, frozen 8k resin) for miniatures - then there is no reason for anyone to cancel it, or to choose the m5 instead, and we can enjoy both worlds.
Hola buenas. He comprado la m5s y esta de camino a mi casa. He visto este video y no me ha dado tiempo a cancelar el pedido para elegir otro modelo diferente. Si cambio la resina y algún que otro ajuste puedo conseguir un nivel de detalle notablemente mas alto ? Gracias y un saludo
Gutted, was hoping this would be a good first step into resin printing. Just cancelled my pre-order, back to the drawing board i guess, as probs need to wait 6-12 months for the newer speed and quality features to mature enough. Ideally I was looking for something that could do quick prototypes and still do high quality final prints, the auto leveling was a bonus too. ☹ As ever @FauxHammer, great and real reviews. I really appreciate the honest approach inc. the shorts . Keep up the great work.
@@FauxHammer Yeah, I saw at the end of the vid you said about swapping the film out, but hadn't yet tested it as wanted to get the vat from the M5. I actually pre-ordered it based on Vogs video, as it was "ok" and the main issues he seemed to talk about was the lack of quality jump from 12k to 8k (even a slight step down due to the rectangular pixels) without really having issues with the film. I had orignally looked at getting the 8KS, but after that I thought the marginal quality loss for the ability to prototype would be worth it. But needing to buy a new film for a new printer and dial that in (as i'm a complete newbie to resin) would mean i am more likely to get worse results thatn either of you two pillars of printing 😊
@@Hartwig870 how is it a shitty practice? The printer is marketed for its speed. literally the 5"S". the film is designed for speed. that comes with trade offs
Just a note about semantics: the ACF is *translucent*, not *opaque*. The latter term means "blocks light completely", and is the binary opposite of *transparent*, which means "blocks no light at all". Everything between those two binary end points is, well, translucent!
Can I clarify which printer made the tests you are comparing to, where the fine details are almost perfect and the edges are not smoothed 17:36 (right), 23:53 (top)?
@@FauxHammer a while ago some slicer released experiment first layer compensation. Since the printer is in pre release my guts told what if they did an oopsie like creality with k1 software. Still im interested if it's the same issue in other slicers. So far not canceling my pre order. But hope they could improve that via software
I just got mine setup last week and so far it's amazing. The only thing is, it's really support happy. Does anyone have good settings for supports for the Photon Workshop app?
i don't know personally, but I expect the ACF film in that will have the same issue. i want to be careful because I will not say the Saturn 3 Ultra has this issue. Just the ACF film within it...
So, if I keep my M5s pre-order, replace the acf film with a regular fep. Start using regular resin at regular speed. I might get the details, do have auto leveling, and hardly paid any extra due to the pre-order discount? All based on the assumption that the acf film is likely the cause?
I have this printer and I have this issue where prints either come out warped, stick to the rep or don’t print at all does anyone know how to resolve this issue?
@@FauxHammer I have noticed no one using them in any review videos. Why do you hate them? Is getting the print off the build plate not as hard as I believe it to be. The flex plates do add a lot of cost to the printer.
I think the issue you were talking about with the screen size calculation is probably due to the rectangular pixels. The calculator may be assuming a screen resolution is using square pixels, and that is why it is 10.1 instead of 9.8.
Nothing to do with pixels. You enter the size in mm or Cm and it gives you the diagonal distance. You don’t need the resolution to work out screen size
@@FauxHammer They're probably rounding down the pixel size. 19.45um *24.45um would be a 10.1in display. The X Y dimensions listed on the specs are probably wrong, based on the rounded down pixel size. Or, 10.1 is a lie and it's a 9.8in display.
@@lucoot Again, it's nothing to do with pixels, he based it on the XY build volume size. However, he used a 16:9 calculator, which the screen isn't necessarily, so it probably calculated it incorrectly. I am a little confused as to why he didn't just use a ruler to measure the diagonal screen size haha, the printer base is completely accessible/open for one when the vat isn't in
@@NikkiAnnMarie it's a 16:9 screen, I could easily tell because when you enter one measurement on that site, it calculates the other, which was dead on when compared to the spec. so I didn't need to use a ruler.
@@NikkiAnnMarie Yes they do. Let me explain to you, I did my own math, I'm not talking about what he did... There are two sources of dimensions given by Anycubic on their website. First, is the X.Y dimensions of the display, which is 218mm*123mm, using Pythagorean theorem that says the display is 9.8in diagonal, aspect ratio is irrelevant here. Second, is the resolution times the pixel dimensions, which is for X, 11520*19um and for Y 5120*24um, this also yields a diagonal of 9.8in when you do the math. However, if you use a slightly larger pixel size of 19.45um and 24.45um and multiply it by the stated resolution, it yields a 10.1in diagonal. Anycubic would obviously want to round down the pixel size, since smaller is better. Then, what that could mean here is that the stated dimensions in mm on the website are back-calculated from the rounded down pixel size. The actual dimensions of the display are probably 224mm*125mm. BUT, it's worth noting that the Saturn 3 lists the same resolution and size as Anycubic, so this means more likely that some of the pixels are not being used or can't be used. It's a 10.1in display, but the print area doesn't use all of it for whatever reason. It could be something else, but the dimensions stated by both brands are inconsistent with themselves, and this isn't a miscalculation due to rectangular pixels or aspect ratio.
I got one of these and first time using today. I wish they had move video on the clean up. I made a mistake on my first clean up. After emptying the vat, it had bits stick to the vat, so as carefully as I did try to remove by scraping, bad mistake. I should have run the vat clean and remove this way with one go. Hopeful not creating problem, but I can see visual lines now. I went to order another vat to have anyway, but you cannot as yet in New Zealand. Putting on the screen protector - oh my. Like you said, it has air gaps on the bevel of the screen. But for me, I have some air bubbles that I am sure is creating problem when I try to print flat services like a cube box that is required for the job I paid to buy this printer. To hold PCB boards. Time for my second print, a box with a lid, well this did not turn out well at all. The flat top of the lid was not flat, and the resin did not set right. I'm going to remove the screen protector and try again another day. Other screen protecters are on order and to be honest, like a cell phone, I just never use them. Only two prints so I will keep playing and learning. As a beta release I got 6 lots of 1KG of fast resin. I wish they had ship others to play with. Look forward to your review on the non- s version. I hope I have not made a mistake but it was not a large amount of money anyway.
Put the cleaning station on the opposite side. Solved. As to the diffusion issue, wavelength will play a huge part and I suspect the UV light is far too short for it to matter?
@@FauxHammer All of them. (like the saturn 8k). I just received my Photon Mono M5s today. They never shipped the resin i pre ordered with it. Also missing a few other things.
mmmm ...... My new M3 max has arrived and waiting to be unboxed - still in the middle of building a printer enclosure, it also has the new translucent fep, so testing may be interesting. Great video.
There’s no such thing, you need to dial in the settings yourself. Please watch this video. How to 3D Print Miniatures - JUST 3/5 STEPS th-cam.com/video/Gm0-z971tgY/w-d-xo.html
@@FauxHammer im complete new to this hobby and bought this printer. could you give me a link where i can buy such a NFEP ? because i dont need the speed i just need quality. Thanks a lot!
@@sebbo415 Of course, just check amazon for NFEP amzn.to/3NxhxyA . but I'm not 100% what suize you need on this printer. it should be larger than the build plate/print area. to cover. amzn.to/3NxhxyA Until Anycubic release the accessories for the M5s, you'll need to pick from any of these
You can get a low-profile USB drive so you can still plug it into the side, or just get your own extension and affix the end under the front of the machine.
How would you recommend cleaning the build plate after taking off the print? I tried using the scraper but the cured resin layer doesn't wanna come off.
Thanks for the great review, can't wait to see what it would look like with normal PFA (nFEP) sheet, if that is the real culprit....honestly I'm assuming it's the sprint system on the screen, maybe it's designed so that it pushes further than normal each layer, and that's how it's detecting failures or things that are stuck... This would mean that the force sensors on the printer are not very sensitive, and it requires slightly more force than normal to get the layers in One way to test that would be to check for Z height accuracy, compared to XY, if my hypothesis is correct, you're Z accuracy would be lower than normal, when using the same resin compared to other printers I'm on the fence of cancelling my order, I ordered a few of this printer because of the amazing price and features, but it seems all too good to be true
@BrickBazooka I don't want to base my whole decision on 1 review, and I'll try some troubleshooting of my own in one of the machines. If it doesn't work, I'll return the rest.. I have a ton of different types of sheets, so I'll test that out first with different resins, but if it has to do with the plate leveling system there won't be anything to do about that. I also want to test the Z and XY accuracy, I want to know if the tension from the springs affects the Z accuracy and if the rectangular pixels affect the XY accuracy
Great review. Im glad I held off on this preorder. I think the auto-leveling and sensors/notifications are great features and I hope they become the standard for printers going forward.
So how does the high speed resin work? If the user were to swap to an HD resin or change the screen, does anyone know what settings would have to be changed?
Fist thing i did with my Mono X was sand off that blasted checkerbox build plate which is a nightmare to remove from. After sanding prints peel off easily with metal scraper as they should
any news on the m5s pro. just had a update for their workshop and lists it complete with settings resolution x 13312 y5120. print size x 223.642 y 126.480 z 200.000. pixel size x 16.800 y pixel 24.800 exposure settings slightly different and by the looks it has a filter. i am enjoying my m5s got both vats but still using the frosted one.
Hello Faux Hammer. Im currently using a Photon Mono X printer, and was looking at this one in particular. I dont care about speed prints really, i dont mind a print takes 6 hours, as long as i get nice results. What are your current favorite printer in the 500 ish price range for miniatures?
I'm glad people like you are spearheading these things, testing and trying out things. Anycubic still has some time to figure these things out, preferably with you guys, before the shipments arrive.
Thanks for this video, I need the best results over speed but of course Id like both which was the selling point of this printer. I will look out for your update, mean time I will be looking into if I can cancel the pre order. Stepping and parts not fitting together, not good for me.
why are so many people jumping to cancel their preorder? just get an NFEP if you wnat quuality, then you have the choice. and the Auto bed levelling and failure detection this offers. at a bargain price
@@FauxHammer This is my first Resin printer, all new to me. If the NFEP is all there is to it, then no problem at all. I'm a sculptor and have been holding off getting a printer till the tech came which let me print integrate detail, skin pores e.c.t. I felt the 5s was that shift in tech along with a better user experience.
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This Video is part of our series looking for the Best 3D printer for Miniatures; www.fauxhammer.com/top-10/the-best-3d-printer-for-miniatures-models/
Got this printer in my cart ready to check out, but then I found this video. You saved me! Thanks!
Thank you for going so deep into the issues with this printer. I was so close to buying it, but I think I need to let this gen cook a bit and buy next gen.
Yeah I saw it, prepaid for the machine. Then cancelled it last week after watching so many videos of the reviews. I'll stick to Phrozen and elegoo.
@BrickBazooka They are far better. Why do you say they are not?
Deciding between this and the Elegoo saturn 3 12k ultra. The print quality does seem higher on the Saturn but what is your opinion?
The prints are sharper on the Saturn 3 than on the M5. But I have not used the Ultra. The Ultra uses ACF film which also slightly blurrs the image. My supposition is that it won't do it as much as the M5 will, but it will do a bit.
@@FauxHammer I ended realizing that the saturn 3 was just way to big for how I would use this. I am going to print infantry size minis 95% of the time. So I ended deciding between the mars 4 ultra and the mars 3. Once I saw Uncle Jesse had to use a digital microscope to see any actual differences between 4k and 8k, I just didnt see the point of spending 2x the money. The wireless is nice but I dont mind walking an USB to my printer once in a while since I wont be printing like a madman
About the diffusion problem, it's opacity to visual light may be different to uv
I pre-ordered the m5s for ease of use and the speed so I’m not that concerned. However.. if it turns out that ordering a second vat and putting a clearer film in it gives me better prints when I do need it.. that would be a major bonus! Looking forward to your test!
Really hope he tests this
Some notes on automatic leveling and AFC: 1. Force detection for automatic bed leveling: There is a printed circuit board (electronic sensor board connected to the main board in the lower housing) in the head under the large round screw to which the print platform is attached. Nothing mechanical under the tray. In fact, that would be trivial, not smart, and prone to error. When the platform is pressed down, the flexible part (AFC) deforms so that the screen part adheres firmly to the pressure platform. At the same time, the machine detects the pressure between the pressure platform and the screen component (AFC) and uses a preset value to determine whether leveling is complete. Once the preset value is reached, printing can begin. Therefore, do not replace the AFC film with another film. Pressure scanning would then no longer be possible. 2. AFC ( yes translucent ): I recommend to use the supplied original R.E.R.F.stl file ( R_E_R_F" (Resin Exposure Range Finder) ) for each resin type for this printer. 8 different exposure models are printed in time steps of 0.25s (1.5s-3.25s) and are really intelligently modeled. You can download it from Support / Model Download. Each model has a number that refers to the exposure time and a very detailed explanation is provided.
In general, speed vs. resolution: the application/resin determines the choice and requirements. There is no general golden rule. You need to match the 12K to your needs and you will get great results. Have fun printing - Herri in China.
PS: the current Wash bucket (Wash & Cure Pro) is not large enough for the 10.1in platform. Models need to be removed to be washed and cured. That is really a pity in the moment. There is a larger bucket in development, but no availability time is scheduled yet.
Hi, di you work in the industry? According to what you say p, one can not replace the film on the M5S. It’s interesting and I wonder if you have tested it.
@fauxhammer did you see this?
Just now yes
What is your source for all of this information? It’s all very interesting. But forgive my need to request validation?
@@FauxHammer Hello, I'm sorry, I don't know your name. Direct sources: Anycubic + Aorita. And of course my general engineering knowledge. I built 3D printers and CNC machines myself years ago, just out of necessity and interest. But then I gave that up when the local offers got better and better. In the meantime, I have many very good partners here in China. Basically, I can realize anything I want.
My only wish: there is a large audience following you and others reviewing the latest equipment, but when I read many comments from irritated and disappointed followers, I thought it would be better to provide some clarity to restore confidence in the latest technology. And to clarify: I am not affiliated with anyone, just passionate about the creation and methods of doing so. The recent products from Bambu Lab and other great developers show what is possible when skill and conviction are used to get very good tools into the hands of many people at incredibly low prices. I am grateful for that. Herri
Thank you for the thorough review! This will be my first resin printer. I hope your theory ends up being true. My pre-order is in, but I care about quality more than speed, but went with the M5s because of the auto leveling. Hopefully, better quality will be as easy as changing out the vat and resin. Honestly, it would be nice to have a high-speed and standard-speed option. Thanks again!
Hey there, have you received the printer yet and what were your experiences in detail trying various resins? Thanks!
Hi Ross, I pre-ordered the M5s and was straight away concerned about the ACF due to being translucent. In my experience, the more distance you have between the LCD crystals and the resin in the vat (glass, screen protector, air gap, ...), the more light bleed you get and with the ACF diffusing the light "energy" on top of that you might end up in a loss of sharpness. I never put a screen protector for this reason and luckily never had a pierced film issue. I have yet to test the super thin nFEP/FEP for improving sharpness. I'm looking forward to see if a few changes would improve the sharpness from my mini 8k.
Just unpacked mine and now watched this.... DISAPOINTED.
If you find a solution to problems in mentioned in this video, please post them.
@_SamUSA_ Thats it? I only need to install FEP if I want the absolute sharpest prints?
Thanks man!
Thanks for this. Being I have air bubbles in the middle, I'm going to remove my and try a cube print again and hopefully get a better result.
I pre-ordered this as my first resin printer. I want to print DnD minis. I would be happy to print slower, with old FEP for better quality. I have been waiting for your thoughts and now I do not know what to do.... I assume I can cancel my order, but if you can show some quality prints with a normal FEP - I guess I would not cancel....
same...
There is a guy here "Smathalgoth" in the comments, who said he has bought the same matte ACF film the M5s uses, and he does not have a quality loss in his prints. If he's right, the issue is not something we can solve by ourselves.
By the way, i just canceled my preorder.
@@Gromic2k how did u cancel? There is no such function on the website for me
@@Gromic2k note that its display shows a blurry image and a strange color compared to other youtubers. uv is purple on his video is blue...
@@666Azmodan666 can be the white balance of the camera
Terrific, thorough review--many thanks!
I had been planning to get a 3D printer for a while, and having done my research decided on the Anycubic Photon M3 Premium. But when it came time to order one, they weren't available. As near as I could figure out, it was because they had been discontinued in favour of these "new kids on the block", the M5 and M5s. But I didn't want to wait for these to be available, so when I found Anycubic still had some M3 Premiums available on Ebay, I went for it.
I knew I might be sacrificing some of these newer features, but I've been delighted with my M3 Premium, and now after watching your video feel like maybe I didn't sacrifice too much after all.
Nope, you bought a better printer in my opinion
Thanks for the thorough review, much appreciated. I had this on pre-order, but as the reviews rolled in and I realised it wasn't want I wanted, I cancelled it...I'm after the best possible detail capture and surface quality, not speed. I like the idea of auto-levelling, however I don't trust that the auto-level system in this printer is a robust system that will keep working flawlessly for at least a couple of years, I suspect that those spinrgs and the compression on the screen will end up causing problems over the short-medium term.
@BrickBazooka Yes, Saturn 3 Ultra and I'll get a spare vat. One vat will have nFEP for printing miniatures and the other ACF for printing terrain pieces for gaming.
A material can be "translucent" or "transparent" at different energy levels and/or wavelengths. Energy at a certain wave band lengths is also known as "light". The difference between white light and UV light may make that translucent ACF sheet more transparent.
Also, the pixels on the M5s are rectangular, so what would happen to your test plates if you rotated them right 45 and 90 degrees?
I came here to say the same thing. I'd really like to see the the rotated result, too.
Moreover, material can be similar to ulexite or selenite and maintain a 1:1 fiber-optic like parallel projection through the material. I don't know the properties of this sheet, but if the engineers are saying the perceived translucency isn't the cause of this issue, I'm inclined to believe them.
"wave band lengths"
yet another excellent review, potentially saving us from a purchase not suitable for certain requirements. Keep up the great work!
I've learned from video games not to pre order anything until you see the reviews! Thanks for your hard work and putting out these videos!
Callisto Protocol comes to mind...
Your video is incredible, I also saw Vogman, and apparently everything can point to the ACF sheet, it would be interesting if you could locate a PFA sheet for that tray and change it to test if those strange details are actually maintained in the final piece.
Thanks for sharing
Normal M5 is on the way, I’ll use that vat.
After some of the initial hype over these printers was going around, I actually sourced a sheet of this ACF film to experiment with on a Mono 4k. I have noticed zero difference in detail for the same exposure settings vs an NFEP sheet, and was able to get away with much higher lift speeds along with finer support tips than would reliably work for me previously. So I don't think the ACF film is to blame here. My guess would be this "12k" screen Anycubic and Elegoo have sourced is just crap, the rectangular pixels just being the tip of the iceberg of compromises.
@@Smathalgoth what resin are you using?
@@FauxHammer Mostly Siraya Tech Fast, but also some Ameralabs TGM-7. The latter of which had the biggest improvements for list speed and support settings.
@@Smathalgoth can you try the same test Fauxhammer used in the video and share the results? I would love to know if you are able to get all the small details that the M5s misses
I will be interested to see if it is the film dropping quality, it could result in people buying a second vat with PFA so they have a "fast vat" and a "detailed vat". Great review as always!
Please compare the ACF film to normal FEP.
I've preordered the mars 4 ultra and I wanna know if I should just instantly switch the VAT to normal FEP.
Looks like I’m gonna cancel my m5s preorder and get the m5 . I need that detail and not speed
Well they are basically the same printer minus the auto leveling that is cool but whatever, leveling takes 3 minutes and you basically never have to do it again.
That being said I think its right that the ACF film is the problem and you can simply replace that with normal FEP.
Seems like I will be doing the same for my mars 4 ultra when it arrives.
@@magikarp2063 yeah looking at all of this I think they should had just put the acf and a fep into the Package and not squishing the „cool“ acf shit in our face 😂
Same. Ima see if I can swap n if they'll honor the early bird cuz detail > speed
Speed is nice, but that's too steep a trade for my liking
@@bardoksvisions5390I agree high quality not high speed
Lol basing your purchase decisions on a youtubers opinion LOL hilarious 🤣
screen size is generally done by measuring from a bottom corner of a screen to an opposite top corner, diagonally across the screen. they do this all the time with computer monitors as well.
hello. I want to first say that I am truly and deeply grateful to you. It is common for most reviews of sponsorship to cleverly hide the flaws and highlight the strengths. So I think it is more difficult to find accurate and honest information in this age of overflowing information. In the meantime, thank you so much for watching your many videos. I fell in love with your cautious but at least trying to convey the facts. I already have an anycubic mono X2 and have been searching and searching for a lot of printer information for a long time to buy a better printer. Honestly, except for the small bed of the mono X2, it's already a nice enough printer for me. But at the same time I wanted a printer, so I was trying to buy the anycubic M3 premium model, but at the same time, the sale stopped and I suddenly found a new printer.
Recently I was very excited to see a 12k, self-leveling printer, but I couldn't afford the m5s. The reason is, will the print be good enough to realize 12k with my own eyes? Will the automatic leveling system create another issue? For example, the sensor is broken, or the spring is broken.
Anyway, I'm not sure if you'll read my comment, but I really appreciate you. Thank you so much for updating this accurate review so quickly. As expected, I was convinced that an 8k printer would suffice and the fast speed was a bit of a trick.
ps: I am Korean. I just wanted to say thanks to you so I used Google Translate. If my English is strange, I ask for your understanding. :)
Due to all the new models coming out you can find some real bargains. I just bought a couple Saturn 8k printers. If you want the best prints, then maybe the Mars 4 9K printers.
I was on the fence about buying an M5s or Saturn 3 (the regular one, not the ultra).. decided to go with Saturn 3.. I like the idea of auto leveling but I think Anycubic underutilized the force detection technology.. and I don't want to compromise quality for speed.. especially seeing what kind of issues you're having because of the new fep film..
and cheers on the best M5s review on YT!
nice review although it would be interresting to know how the prints (for the minis) are when you use "regular" settings with normal resin
Just got an answer for Anycubic: About the effect of using ACF:
The ACF film has a thickness of 0.3mm and a matte surface on the bottom, which differs from the 0.15mm smooth FEP release film.
Due to the light scattering phenomenon within the resin vat, the ACF film may slightly affect the surface details of the printed model.
Specifically, it could result in a decrease in the model's matte finish and the appearance of minor fine lines.
However, in practical printing scenarios using non-high-speed resin with a layer thickness of 0.05mm, 16x anti-aliasing, grayscale 0, and blur 3 settings, the print quality is comparable to that of the M5. Moreover, the light scattering effect of the ACF film can actually improve the anti-aliasing performance compared to FEP.
so, when you print with 16x AA!!! That's a lot!
So we are really getting there! That now admitted light scattering of the ACF may indeed "improve" anti-aliasing, which is in fact blurring, if you are fast printing with the 0.1mm layers or normal printing at 16x anti-aliasing with 3 blur settings but your high definition models will always suffer. So a M5 or M5s with nFEP will always outperform as regards accuracy of printing compared to using ACF. I commend Anycubic for honesty here but I strongly suggest they ship with two resin vats one with ACF for speed another with nFEP for accuracy... before more customers jump boat.
@@brianhickling1867 I told them the exact same thing. Though i suggested a fep sheetonly rather than a whole vVAt to keep costs down. This is still one of the best Vats of all the brands
16x anti-aliasing... 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂🙃🙂🤣🤣🤣
Was about to buy, but lack of info like this made me cancel. Glad you made this vid
I do still prefere the Photon Mono x 6k or Mono x2 6ks, they have the quality that I need and have a good speed. Great video!
For the side usb slots being an issue, I just get usb extenders (also to protect the usb slots lifespan) to get it to the front as you can get usb extenders that come out flat on the machine instead of the normal vertical out.
Thanks for your diligent testing, I haven't cancelled my M5s pre-order yet, I am hoping that you are right, and these issues can be fixed by replacing the release film. Looking forward to those reviews.
I could be wrong, but i am super confident I'm not.
I am still struggling with the WLAN that is not working after Power On. I do completely remove power to the printer, when not in use. After that it doesn’t reconnect to my WLAN, which is a pain in the …. using the USB File „approach“ it is telling my ‚File format not corect‘ - but I followed the instructions in the app. Configuration via app works after some try and error but is forgotten after power off… I dunno… how to solve this…
I put my printer in the garage because of the smell. And having no direct access the App would be nice, if the printer did not loose the WLAN settings… my phone does connect there effortlessly (being in the garage)
You can put an extension cable on it, yes a bother but this makes it a lot easier, there are low form factor angled ones and everything.
For some reason my comment was deleted, not sure if something got triggered in the youtube algorithm, but I'll try again just in case.
Thank you for the much deeper dive on the M5s! It really highlighted the small detail and normal resin usage that seemed to be mostly skipped on other reviews.
While I did get in on the early bird pricing, I'm still on the fence about if I should just cancel the order. The first and foremost reason is how they seem to be treating their pre-order customers. The M5 and M5s are both available and are shipping out on amazon, but the pre-orders are not being fulfilled yet.
oof, that's at least a better reason to cancel than - i watched your video and now think this printer is crap - because i hope I showed, it isn't - it's a really, really good printer.
I'm not sure who handles the Amazon shipping weather that's Anycubic or a third part supplier, that could be the answer.
@@FauxHammer I reached out to Anycubic support and they said:
"I am sorry that anycubic official website and anycubic Amazon belong to different operation departments. The inventory management of the two is different."
Ok, but it doesn't really address the fact that the first shipments from manufacturing are obviously not going to the pre-orders.
@@Skulltap Welcome to how Chiinese companies do customer service. we wouldn;t tell you any different in the UK, but we would also avoid allowing shipments to go that way and have better control of distribution. It's probably a cultural difference, hI can only presume it;s hard to operate cleanly overseas.
@@FauxHammer If it was just local sales that were opened first then I could rationalize it enough. Not be particularly happy, but at least rationalize it. I have seen the same thing with kickstarters as well. The logistics cost on the pre-orders being from all over the world can't be cheap or easy for them, but sending it to the amazon warehouses first is a dirty move. At the end of the day, its really about the money and I understand it. I don't have to like it, but its a reality. If the cost was closer to that early bird pricing I'd be real tempted to cancel and purchase through amazon just because of the ease with amazon returns here in the states.
Why do you pour the resin over the top of the build plate? Is there function there or is it just for show?
It's just for show. but possibly the most common question i get.
Hi do you ever share your exposure settings? Thx.
Is there not already a screen protector on under that black gasket?
Nope
@@FauxHammer weird given how they do the above with other printers
I bet you could test if it's the levelling system by putting some screws in there to hold it steady.
Were you able to test the printer with a standard FEP sheet yet? Did the print quality increase?
Yes and yes
@@FauxHammer How is the quality comparing to m5 / 8k printers?
@@FauxHammer This all makes sense! Now we need Anycubic to ship 2 vats with the M5s a 12K printer should have proper functionaily out the box!
Great review. I cancelled my pre-order because I need detail, not speed. I am looking forward to your M5 review because I feel like that printer will be more what I need.
I’m glad I waited on this printed. Will wait for the test results.
I like from the video how a line moves up the model on the LCD to show how far the model is along.
how does the film change in the container look like? whether the film is in a permanently glued frame and you have to buy one in a frame or you can cut the film and tighten it with screws only.
I made a preorder but I definitely care about the detail, I wonder if I will get the detail and what other costs will be incurred to obtain it.
Changing film is usually pretty easy but takes time. The film is held in a frame with screws then stretched over a rim in the bottom of the vat creating tension and the frame held in the vat with more screws. The screws are hex screws of different sizes so require 2 sizes of wreches or hex screwdrivers. It's important to get the tension on the film right. Too tight and the frame doesn't fit together again, too loose and it doesn't lay flat. Somewhere between is ideal and will release the model you are building easily. There are videos on youtube about the way to change fep film. We'll see if fauxhammers test with the more clear film fixes the print quality or not.
yes I know that the film is in the frame and it is screwed to the tank. I meant whether the frame itself consisting of two parts is to be screwed or is it glued together permanently and you have to buy a film in the frame (which is not cheap) or try to dismantle it without damaging it and remake it so that it is screwed as I have seen on others movies. Unfortunately, as I can see, it is glued together permanently, but I won't be modifying it, so I came to the conclusion that I will make a whole new one out of aluminum (I have a small cnc) and it will be eternal, and the only thing I will have to buy is the film itself.
@@666Azmodan666 I would think if the frame is in two parts but glued together the glue just helps to seal the film better. So if it doesn't have screws to hold the frame itself together obviously the frame could be drilled and tapped for that to make it like other frame, but I would also think or there are probably after market frames that will fit the vat. I've never seen one that couldn't be replaced, but I have a machine that is a couple of years old.
Been waiting for this one. I got my preorder in, and I am sticking with it as i need more build volume, this is Anycubic's premier option, and I dont think they will leave this without improvement over time. The Athena is a Kickstarter, so delivery is in question, and the cost looks to be 2X this unit if not more. This has the features I am looking for at the right price from a dependable company. It will work well alongside my Mars 3 Pro. I can pump out terrain fast.
Printing terrain in resin? Fdm is a better choice for that tbh.
@@anab0lic if you dont mind it taking 2 days for some simple walls and stringing at a critical part of a print when a single small issue on a support failed.
@@alanpreston1822 you won't have that issue if you buy one of the faster fdm printers thats now on the market. Printing terrain in resin is considerably more expensive, the end result is more brittle, heavier and you have to faf around with a whole bunch of Post print cleanup, washing curing, triming supports etc etc. Most terrain stls are optimized for fdm too,, so you will have to manually cut up and key all the peices and maybe hollow it all out too. Oh and If the terrain is designed well, it doesn't need support to be printed on an fdm printer.
@@anab0lic FDM printed terrains look terrible. On every FDM printer.
@@anab0lic There is also the consideration that if you have a resin printer already buying an FDM printer only to print terrain makes that terrain very expensive. If you are buying a printer (don't already have one, or are adding a second) then look at the use case, if it is only to print terrain absolutely buy FDM over resin, if however you are buying a printer and want to print miniatures and some terrain I would expect resin is the more cost effective solution.
Great job, but Im confused Did you run the test with regular resin {maybe 8k} and using the not speed setting? or was everything done with the speed settings and the fast resin which we know sacrifices detail (big time)
I used 8k resin at the normal speeds I have used on all my older printers. I slowed it down to the speeds it should typically work at
Thank you so much. I bought it to do tabletop miniatures, so this was a big help! Ive send Anycubic a mail to cancel my preorder.
hi there thanks for the video.i bought a m5s but there is a problem that freak me out.after awhile of printing it gives an error 1101 screen fault and printing fails.
can you help me with that??
I've not had that issue, have you contacted Anycubic Support? i think only they can help you. though will probably recommend a firmware update first
Thanks for the video, Ross. I’m disappointed as well. Bought this for 12k detail not fast printing. Looks like I will be going the Athena route. Also hope all is well with the wife. ❤
Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks it’s only a day op but sat now in recovery waiting for obs and the ok to go.
Noob question here: Do all their resins produce such brittle objects? I need to create parts that simulate injection mouldings, with nibs and clips which need to bend a little to lock together. I noticed they do an "ABS-like" resin. Would that be less brittle? Thanks in advance.
P.S. Thanks for making the video. Very helpful.
No worries thanks for watching. Yeah you can get much tougher resins. ABS like is popular you can get bendy and flexible resins too or wax like rdsins.
There’s a lot out there to try out
So what printer do I need for quality minis with great detail? I’m not worried about speed.
M3 line also had a translucent FEP, so i don't know, but i hope you figure it all out
It was much clearer. I had the M3. M5 is the same, this is specific to the M5s
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00:00 - Intro
Screens are measured corner to corner diagonally which is where they get the 10.1" figure. The calculator that you were using measured the length and width like you would for a rectangle which would yield a different figure than the industry standard for screen size measurement.
I strongly suspect that part of the overexposure issues are from too much UV power. I have seen similar issues in other printers. Is the UV backlight adjustable in the slicer? If so, try setting it to 50% and do your RERF again. I am willing to bet that it increases print quality considerably at the cost of slightly higher exposure times.
you can't lower the exposure on this in the slicer i had. But in my experience on numerous other printers, lowering exposure and having the light on longer exacerbates this issue rather than helps resolve it.
all this ever does is result in the resin potentially being a bit softer at the end of the print. Fast curing = more brittle prints.
@@FauxHammer Oh well, that's a bummer. In Lychee and Chitubox you can lower the UV PWM and it greatly improves print quality. I know other Anycubic printers were recommended to run at 60% UV power for many resins. I think this printer was designed to print fast, not to print clean so they put a super bright LED on it. The original Epax E10 had the same problem, UV too bright for standard resins so there was a ton of bloom.
@@TheRoamingbison Yep! They use a 480:1 contrast panel compared to the 300:1 one on their 8K printers so a 60% output increase. I think that sloppy fast resin needs the power!
Absolute craziness. My acf comes tomorrow and I'll be testing as well.
Think the sonic mighty 8k is a better choice? both are about the same price now.
I want to know if the plastic is durable if I use it for parts, if not what is the better option.
Thank you so much for the video.
I bought this printer wanting auto leveling, that juicy build volume and I print at .02mm Layer height.speed is not what I want.
I’m listening to the video but would you suggest I send it back? I have a Saturn 2 but I want as much detail as possible. The leveling has been an issue for me because some prints seem to affect it.
Should I return and get a dlp instead or just wait. Or keep and hope for firmware or better film?
It’s literally coming tomorrow and I’m unsure I should keep it while I have a saturn2
Hi, I learned the hard way, but the video should also start with a warning about the fumes from the resins. I now have a simple ritual of wearing one glove on my left hand, moving the print bed up near the top so there is room to tilt the print bed at an angle to allow more excess resin to drip back into the printer before pulling the whole thing out.
So is it possible to just use high speed resin on another lcd printer and it’ll work almost same?
If the printer moves fast enough and ACF film helps too. But yeah
I was pretty sure that after your replies for the shorts comment, and after you've already said it's 99.9% the film, that you'll buy a new film, put it instead of this ACF and use frozen 8k like in your other videos and would include this testing in this video that took really long time to come up. Not to be rude, I thank you for your reviews and information, but this has stole 26 minutes from my life, you've added nothing new, and even subtracted the most (and only) important testing to a next video. When you said "If you've already preordered it please stop watching now" - this was acualy wrong because if the film replacement provides better details than the 8k midrange ones (with slow speed, 0.2mu hight, frozen 8k resin) for miniatures - then there is no reason for anyone to cancel it, or to choose the m5 instead, and we can enjoy both worlds.
I just stumbled on this vedio. And I can not find the follow up to know if the problem was the Fet film?
The follow up is m5s vs m5 and the answer is , kinda
Hola buenas. He comprado la m5s y esta de camino a mi casa. He visto este video y no me ha dado tiempo a cancelar el pedido para elegir otro modelo diferente. Si cambio la resina y algún que otro ajuste puedo conseguir un nivel de detalle notablemente mas alto ? Gracias y un saludo
Not noticeable no. But it’s not terrible either. It’s fine
Doesn’t the Elgoo 9k Uktra Model have the same problem then? It has the same ACF film?
Gutted, was hoping this would be a good first step into resin printing. Just cancelled my pre-order, back to the drawing board i guess, as probs need to wait 6-12 months for the newer speed and quality features to mature enough. Ideally I was looking for something that could do quick prototypes and still do high quality final prints, the auto leveling was a bonus too. ☹
As ever @FauxHammer, great and real reviews. I really appreciate the honest approach inc. the shorts . Keep up the great work.
Thanks, you do realise you could have kept your preorder and just replaced the ACF sheet?
@@FauxHammer Yeah, I saw at the end of the vid you said about swapping the film out, but hadn't yet tested it as wanted to get the vat from the M5. I actually pre-ordered it based on Vogs video, as it was "ok" and the main issues he seemed to talk about was the lack of quality jump from 12k to 8k (even a slight step down due to the rectangular pixels) without really having issues with the film. I had orignally looked at getting the 8KS, but after that I thought the marginal quality loss for the ability to prototype would be worth it. But needing to buy a new film for a new printer and dial that in (as i'm a complete newbie to resin) would mean i am more likely to get worse results thatn either of you two pillars of printing 😊
Good for you. Shitty practices shouldn't be rewarded. Replacing things out of the box isn't a reasonable solution.
@@Hartwig870 how is it a shitty practice? The printer is marketed for its speed. literally the 5"S". the film is designed for speed. that comes with trade offs
Just a note about semantics: the ACF is *translucent*, not *opaque*. The latter term means "blocks light completely", and is the binary opposite of *transparent*, which means "blocks no light at all". Everything between those two binary end points is, well, translucent!
Can I clarify which printer made the tests you are comparing to, where the fine details are almost perfect and the edges are not smoothed 17:36 (right), 23:53 (top)?
basically any of the 8k printers, th-cam.com/video/YSKn5kCWrII/w-d-xo.htmlsi=TCd4sHgvUaapMGzs
Is it possible to test the same test with another slicer? From the first look it feels like more of an software issue.
It’s not a software issue. Though im curious Why you would say it looks like a software issue? This is the farthest from software issue as can be.
@@FauxHammer a while ago some slicer released experiment first layer compensation.
Since the printer is in pre release my guts told what if they did an oopsie like creality with k1 software.
Still im interested if it's the same issue in other slicers.
So far not canceling my pre order. But hope they could improve that via software
so what printer can be best for warhammer like minis and stuff?
I plan on having a vat tray with PFA on it and an another with ACF. One for fast prints and the other for details.
My plan too
I just got mine setup last week and so far it's amazing. The only thing is, it's really support happy. Does anyone have good settings for supports for the Photon Workshop app?
Do you know if the Elegoo Saturn 3 Ultra has the same issues with the ACF sheet, overexposing and visible layerlines when printing fast?
i don't know personally, but I expect the ACF film in that will have the same issue.
i want to be careful because I will not say the Saturn 3 Ultra has this issue. Just the ACF film within it...
Can you tell which messurement the Vat has, that i allready can order NFEP/PFA-Film?
I’ll measure up when I get the M5s hard to do now on the M5s as it has resin in
Would love to see a follow up with the film replaced
So, if I keep my M5s pre-order, replace the acf film with a regular fep. Start using regular resin at regular speed. I might get the details, do have auto leveling, and hardly paid any extra due to the pre-order discount?
All based on the assumption that the acf film is likely the cause?
I have this printer and I have this issue where prints either come out warped, stick to the rep or don’t print at all does anyone know how to resolve this issue?
Off topic, what adhesives can be used with cured UV resin? Say acrylic to the C'd UV resin? Thanks!
I just use superglue or a 2-part resin adhesive for larger pieces
What about using flex plates and auto leveling? Will this cause an issue with this printer? I love my flex plates!
I don’t think so. But I hate flex plates and won’t test it I’m afraid.
i don't know but it might work fine since the leveling is done via the load cell. I would ask anycubic though just to be sure.
@@FauxHammer I have noticed no one using them in any review videos. Why do you hate them? Is getting the print off the build plate not as hard as I believe it to be. The flex plates do add a lot of cost to the printer.
I think the issue you were talking about with the screen size calculation is probably due to the rectangular pixels. The calculator may be assuming a screen resolution is using square pixels, and that is why it is 10.1 instead of 9.8.
Nothing to do with pixels. You enter the size in mm or Cm and it gives you the diagonal distance.
You don’t need the resolution to work out screen size
@@FauxHammer They're probably rounding down the pixel size. 19.45um *24.45um would be a 10.1in display. The X Y dimensions listed on the specs are probably wrong, based on the rounded down pixel size. Or, 10.1 is a lie and it's a 9.8in display.
@@lucoot Again, it's nothing to do with pixels, he based it on the XY build volume size.
However, he used a 16:9 calculator, which the screen isn't necessarily, so it probably calculated it incorrectly.
I am a little confused as to why he didn't just use a ruler to measure the diagonal screen size haha, the printer base is completely accessible/open for one when the vat isn't in
@@NikkiAnnMarie it's a 16:9 screen, I could easily tell because when you enter one measurement on that site, it calculates the other, which was dead on when compared to the spec. so I didn't need to use a ruler.
@@NikkiAnnMarie Yes they do. Let me explain to you, I did my own math, I'm not talking about what he did... There are two sources of dimensions given by Anycubic on their website. First, is the X.Y dimensions of the display, which is 218mm*123mm, using Pythagorean theorem that says the display is 9.8in diagonal, aspect ratio is irrelevant here. Second, is the resolution times the pixel dimensions, which is for X, 11520*19um and for Y 5120*24um, this also yields a diagonal of 9.8in when you do the math. However, if you use a slightly larger pixel size of 19.45um and 24.45um and multiply it by the stated resolution, it yields a 10.1in diagonal. Anycubic would obviously want to round down the pixel size, since smaller is better. Then, what that could mean here is that the stated dimensions in mm on the website are back-calculated from the rounded down pixel size. The actual dimensions of the display are probably 224mm*125mm. BUT, it's worth noting that the Saturn 3 lists the same resolution and size as Anycubic, so this means more likely that some of the pixels are not being used or can't be used. It's a 10.1in display, but the print area doesn't use all of it for whatever reason. It could be something else, but the dimensions stated by both brands are inconsistent with themselves, and this isn't a miscalculation due to rectangular pixels or aspect ratio.
I got one of these and first time using today.
I wish they had move video on the clean up. I made a mistake on my first clean up. After emptying the vat, it had bits stick to the vat, so as carefully as I did try to remove by scraping, bad mistake. I should have run the vat clean and remove this way with one go. Hopeful not creating problem, but I can see visual lines now. I went to order another vat to have anyway, but you cannot as yet in New Zealand.
Putting on the screen protector - oh my. Like you said, it has air gaps on the bevel of the screen. But for me, I have some air bubbles that I am sure is creating problem when I try to print flat services like a cube box that is required for the job I paid to buy this printer. To hold PCB boards.
Time for my second print, a box with a lid, well this did not turn out well at all. The flat top of the lid was not flat, and the resin did not set right. I'm going to remove the screen protector and try again another day. Other screen protecters are on order and to be honest, like a cell phone, I just never use them. Only two prints so I will keep playing and learning.
As a beta release I got 6 lots of 1KG of fast resin. I wish they had ship others to play with.
Look forward to your review on the non- s version. I hope I have not made a mistake but it was not a large amount of money anyway.
Thanks for the video, will wait until the vat test to decide if I cancel my preorder
Put the cleaning station on the opposite side. Solved.
As to the diffusion issue, wavelength will play a huge part and I suspect the UV light is far too short for it to matter?
But then I’m working right to left nit left to right lol.
No, it matters, I’ve tested a few of these now
Lol at the "This is energy, not light".
Once again I love your content and your well presented and reasoned opinions and theories.
Thanks so much
Very thorough review, thank you for having such an honest channel it is greatly appreciated. Looking forward towards your Anycubic Photon M5 review.
No problem, it’s what I aim to do
What is the price range though between the printers you mentioned?
umm, at which point of the video?
@@FauxHammer All of them. (like the saturn 8k). I just received my Photon Mono M5s today. They never shipped the resin i pre ordered with it. Also missing a few other things.
@@DragonProtector umm no idea, i don;t keep tabs on all printesr prices becasue they change so frequently.
ah ok.@@FauxHammer
mmmm ...... My new M3 max has arrived and waiting to be unboxed - still in the middle of building a printer enclosure, it also has the new translucent fep, so testing may be interesting.
Great video.
Do you by chance know where we can find setting recommendations for the M5S with the FEP film swap?
There’s no such thing, you need to dial in the settings yourself.
Please watch this video. How to 3D Print Miniatures - JUST 3/5 STEPS
th-cam.com/video/Gm0-z971tgY/w-d-xo.html
If you don't need the speed would you recommend grabbing the M5 and working with that?
Either the M5 or get this and use normal NFEP, at least then you also keep the autoleveling and failure detection.
@@FauxHammer im complete new to this hobby and bought this printer. could you give me a link where i can buy such a NFEP ? because i dont need the speed i just need quality. Thanks a lot!
@@sebbo415 Of course, just check amazon for NFEP amzn.to/3NxhxyA . but I'm not 100% what suize you need on this printer. it should be larger than the build plate/print area. to cover. amzn.to/3NxhxyA
Until Anycubic release the accessories for the M5s, you'll need to pick from any of these
I’m curious about the Elagoo 12k and then I’ll decide after
You can get a low-profile USB drive so you can still plug it into the side, or just get your own extension and affix the end under the front of the machine.
Thanks, good tips
@@FauxHammer , Cheers. I am loving your practical reviews as I look to get my first 3D printer.
How would you recommend cleaning the build plate after taking off the print? I tried using the scraper but the cured resin layer doesn't wanna come off.
I see this over and over and over lately. Why do people pour the resin into the vat by pouring over the top of the build plate? Seriously curious.
Looks good on camera. Could also help disperse bubbles that were created from shaking up the resin bottle.
@@TheRoamingbison i see. Thank you!
Thanks for the great review, can't wait to see what it would look like with normal PFA (nFEP) sheet, if that is the real culprit....honestly I'm assuming it's the sprint system on the screen, maybe it's designed so that it pushes further than normal each layer, and that's how it's detecting failures or things that are stuck...
This would mean that the force sensors on the printer are not very sensitive, and it requires slightly more force than normal to get the layers in
One way to test that would be to check for Z height accuracy, compared to XY, if my hypothesis is correct, you're Z accuracy would be lower than normal, when using the same resin compared to other printers
I'm on the fence of cancelling my order, I ordered a few of this printer because of the amazing price and features, but it seems all too good to be true
@BrickBazooka no I have not
@BrickBazooka I don't want to base my whole decision on 1 review, and I'll try some troubleshooting of my own in one of the machines. If it doesn't work, I'll return the rest..
I have a ton of different types of sheets, so I'll test that out first with different resins, but if it has to do with the plate leveling system there won't be anything to do about that.
I also want to test the Z and XY accuracy, I want to know if the tension from the springs affects the Z accuracy and if the rectangular pixels affect the XY accuracy
Waiting impatiently for M5 review..😄
It should arrive on Monday, please give me a couple of weeks.
Great review. Im glad I held off on this preorder. I think the auto-leveling and sensors/notifications are great features and I hope they become the standard for printers going forward.
lets see how well it goes down in this one. it was huge in the FDM world. but resin beds are so much easier to level. is it even needed?
So how does the high speed resin work?
If the user were to swap to an HD resin or change the screen, does anyone know what settings would have to be changed?
yes, you need to change the settings for every resin you use. I;m not sure what you mean about changing the screen?
Fist thing i did with my Mono X was sand off that blasted checkerbox build plate which is a nightmare to remove from. After sanding prints peel off easily with metal scraper as they should
any news on the m5s pro. just had a update for their workshop and lists it complete with settings
resolution x 13312 y5120.
print size x 223.642 y 126.480 z 200.000.
pixel size x 16.800 y pixel 24.800
exposure settings slightly different
and by the looks it has a filter.
i am enjoying my m5s got both vats but still using the frosted one.
I've asked for one. lets see.
Hello Faux Hammer. Im currently using a Photon Mono X printer, and was looking at this one in particular. I dont care about speed prints really, i dont mind a print takes 6 hours, as long as i get nice results. What are your current favorite printer in the 500 ish price range for miniatures?
I'm glad people like you are spearheading these things, testing and trying out things. Anycubic still has some time to figure these things out, preferably with you guys, before the shipments arrive.
I’m confident you just need to change the FEP, especially after some other commenters shared Emails from Anycubic
@@FauxHammer would be the easiest fix, still looking forward to your test. Thanks for your efforts 👍
Thanks for this video, I need the best results over speed but of course Id like both which was the selling point of this printer. I will look out for your update, mean time I will be looking into if I can cancel the pre order. Stepping and parts not fitting together, not good for me.
why are so many people jumping to cancel their preorder? just get an NFEP if you wnat quuality, then you have the choice. and the Auto bed levelling and failure detection this offers. at a bargain price
@@FauxHammer This is my first Resin printer, all new to me. If the NFEP is all there is to it, then no problem at all. I'm a sculptor and have been holding off getting a printer till the tech came which let me print integrate detail, skin pores e.c.t. I felt the 5s was that shift in tech along with a better user experience.
Is this a bigger printer than the mono x?
i never had a mono X