Mars 5 Resin 3D Printer

So I've had at least 3 Anycubic printers throughout my life. All of them ended up in having short lifespans for one reason or another. I was in a huge pinch and needed something available on Prime and as cheap as possible. I absolute love the ease of getting the build plate off instead of the screw knob that AC had. It's just a flip lock. It's easier to see if I didn't lock it back (seriously, it happens to everyone at some point) instead of a knob that I only loosen enough to get the plate off. It's auto leveling but not always perfect for those itty bitty bits of resin that fell in but still cause trouble. The leveling plate itself is already textured so it does help with adhesion for the bottom layers. This is a small printer so for anything big you might need to run multiple prints to get all the pieces done or cut it up, add supports and still run multiple plates. The quality has been great. I've even switched to their brand of resin too (not entirely picky on brands honestly. I just like cheap and usable). I didn't really have to mess with the settings too much besides the exposure time to fit the resin. Without hard care tinkering with the settings you can't even tell the difference between the Elegoo prints and AnyCubic prints. It'll also keep up with when the FEP *should* (but not mandatory) be replaced due to usage.My only complaint is how Elegoo made the vat for their printers (it's the same for the Saturn 5). I already hate changing out the FEP on most printers anyway but with the Elegoo line you absolutely shall not get it right within the first frame before putting it back into the vat. You HAVE to have it so loose so when it's bolted into the vat it'll have slack to tighten then. It's extra steps and since I'm very careful on messing with resin as it is it adds a lot of extra time and me cosntantly trying to find a disposable material to cut down to help ensure I have slack. (If you have never changed an Elegoo fep film, go watch a video. It is not the same as the AnyCubic so please don't think about what to tell me on how to do it).I bought the Mars 5 in January and it was a couple of months later I bought the Saturn. Also their customer service is great. I did have some power issues with this printer and they were fast to give me something to check/fix first which ended up in being the issue.

Let's see, so the "1st" printer was packaged well, arrived on time and no issues setting it up......until I turned it on. The screen was back lit, but there was no user interface. I messaged Elegoo via email. They wanted me to make a video then upload it to Dropbox so that they can determine how to help me.I thought, "Why should I have to go thru all this with a printer that should have worked out the box?"I sent it back to Amazon with the reason why I was returning it. I wasn't going to waste my time. After submitting the return request, Amazon sent me another with the understanding that the failed one be returned.now the reason for the 5 star rating.I have done filament & resin printing in the past and gave up due to print bed adhesion issues, but not this time. Elegoo has tested their settings for optimization. The Mars 5 is so easy to use. Bed adhesion, user interface and printer sound level are 5 ⭐. I'm creating flawless prints and the best advise I can give anyone when buying the Mars 5 is this..... DON'T MESS WITH THE SETTINGS! Bed adhesion can be difficult when removing projects from the build plate. Run really hot water across the back side of the build plate and your projects will almost fall off on their own. "DO NOT TOUCH THE BED LAYERING OR EXPOSURE TIME" in Chitubox, PrusaSlicer or Cura.My next resin printer upgrade will be with Elegoo for sure.

Purchased this as my fist resin 3d printer. Set up and completed the initial rook test print. Excited, I spent plenty of time and money purchasing accessories for the machine and downloading files to print. First print was a failure. I read plenty and watched tutorials. Edited files, and tried again. Failure. More education, retry, and failure. Downloaded different slicing software, failure. Downloaded Blender and edited files there, failure. Tried different files, several different files, failure. After much trial and error I decided to start from scratch and remove the vat to discover: the FEP was punctured from the start and each print I had attempted had resulted in resin leaking on the LCD and curing each time. Not one successful print because the product was doomed upon arrival.All this time, I had assumed the issue was user error, and had attempted to self correct and watch all of Elegoo's self-help videos. Turns out, I had received a faulty device. Too bad, because by the time I discovered this the return window was 4 days past (I spent too much time trying to troubleshoot when I should have just returned immediately). I contacted Amazon anyway and explained the situation. They said they understood, felt I qualified for replacement, and instructed me how to contact Elegoo for one. Elegoo responded that because I was out of the return window, it's just too bad. Additionally, warranty does not cover this.Ultimately, if you are just starting with resin 3D printing (what Elegoo printers target, new hobbyists), look for a company that takes pride in their products and conducts quality control Understand most of the glowing reviews on YouTube are from influencers that likely received a free model in exchange for their thumbs up. If you encounter a problem with their product, they operate like bad insurance - they have done the math and know what parts are likely to fail and when, and their return and replacement policies are designed to expire right before that occurs or exclude the part responsive for the failure.

Easy set up and excellent prints

I really like this printer and it actually has great quality for the price. However... The vat screws suck and stripped the plastic cap making the printer inoperable until i get the replacement part. I was able to fix this problem but it's an engineering oversight from Elegoo and sort of indicative of the machine's quality itself. It's made using cheap parts. That being said, the auto leveling and the simplicity of the printer makes it nice. It prints correctly when I am not making user errors and is a great starter printer.Edit:I managed to get the screw out but only because i broke it off inside the handle block *while following customer support instructions*, however this ended up being beneficial as the part can be easily replaced through customer service.Don't be like me, if the screw is getting harder to tighten in the vat DO NOT force it in, take your time and make sure to clean the threads thoroughly with IPA or you will be dealing with a whole lot of annoyance and time spent to try and fix it.

4 months passed since I got it and so far it had no failed prints. the autoleveling just works as intended which makes easy and fast to start printing just opening the box.the print quality, even without the antialising function, seems perfect but could be a thing in some cases, especially while printing miniatures where some layer lines can be a bit noticeablePrint speed is another good point in this printer, while this goku took close to 6 or 7 hours to print in my older Mars 3 pro, it just took 4 In this Mars5 which is a good upgrade if you produce figures constantly.Highly recommended as an entry-level printer, cheap, with good features and reliable

Let me start with this isn't my first or second SLA printer. I really like elegoo as a brand, and have 3 other versions of their printers. If this was purely about the printer, i think it would get 5 stars. My 3 star review is actually largely about Satellite, the slicing software that the printer requires. It has a ton of features that the previous default system (Chitubox) didn't have. The problem is, it doesnt... work. It's constantly being updated, and offers features that crash the program. Multiple plates at once? Sure, until you try and add supports. Actually, thats responsible for one entire star being knocked from this review. The support feature is laregly automated, but adding additional supports seems... Impossible? I've not yet figured out a way to do it, whereas in Chitubox it was as easy as a keyboard command "A" for add and then where you wanted supports, and "D" for if you wanted to delete supports. This new system kind of sucks, a lot, and i hate it, a lot.The print plate itself is also heavily textured, which can make getting prints quite difficult to get off. Ive also found that i cant ask it to primt to the full capacity of the plate as i can with my other machines. This little guy definitely seems like a 2-3 small trick pony instead of filling the plate.Not a bad printer, but if it were my first one i think i would feel discouraged to persue it further.

Great resin printer at a good starting price

A few days in and going better than expected very pleased. Can’t say about long term reliability obviously but setup and use has been really really easy especially compared to older cheaper printers.

Chegou tudo certo, super recomendo

Exelente

Fast. Awesome packaging. Works great.For some reason though, on my 3rd print, I had a hole in the fep in vat tray. I ordered a new one ($25) and replaced…seems fine. Not sure if it was machine or me

otimo