The Anycubic Photon Mono X is a resin-based 3D printer that offers a large build volume along with fast print speeds, making it an appealing choice for hobbyists, professionals, and small businesses looking to print large and highly detailed models. In this comprehensive review, we’ll look at the key features and performance of the Photon Mono X to see how it stacks up against competitor models.
Overview and Specs of Anycubic Photon Mono X
Released in 2021, the Anycubic Photon Mono X is an upgraded and enlarged version of the popular Anycubic Photon Mono. It’s a resin-based stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer, meaning it uses an LCD screen, UV light, and photopolymer resin to build prints layer-by-layer.
The Photon Mono X has an impressive build volume of 192 x 120 x 245mm, making it one of the largest resin printers in its price range. It uses a monochrome 6.08-inch 4K+ LCD screen with a 3840 x 2400 pixel resolution and a pixel size of 38 x 38um.
The printer has an advertised accuracy of 0.01-0.02mm on the X/Y axis and a minimum layer height of 0.01mm. Print speeds can reach 80mm/hour for the normal quality setting. The Mono X has 8GB of onboard memory and uses a 3.5″ front access USB for transferring files. It’s compatible with any 405nm UV resin.
Set-up and Installation
Getting started with the Anycubic Photon Mono X is relatively straightforward. All the tools and accessories you need, including plastic funnels, scrapers, gloves, filters, and a resin vat come neatly packed. The printer itself comes mostly assembled with just a few cables to connect.
Leveling the build plate can be a bit tricky but Anycubic provides detailed instructions. You’ll need to visually inspect the gap between the plate and the 8K LCD screen and slowly adjust the screws at each corner until there’s a consistent gap. Getting this perfectly even takes patience but is important for successful prints.
The Mono X uses Anycubic’s Photon Workshop software for slicing and printing. The software is generally user-friendly with basic controls for orientating, slicing, and sending your model to the printer. One downside is that it lacks some more advanced features like custom supports.
Overall though, for newcomers to resin printing, the installation and set-up process of the Mono X is fairly simple and straightforward. Just be prepared to take your time leveling the build plate properly.
Print Quality
With its high-resolution LCD screen, the Anycubic Photon Mono X is capable of exceptional print quality for an SLA desktop printer. The 4K+ LCD paired with a precision UV laser allows for prints with very fine detail resolution, sharp edges and corners, and an ultra-smooth surface finish.
The printer can handle tiny details extremely well. Many users have reported being blown away by the level of precision possible on miniature models, jewelry, and tabletop gaming figures.
Thanks to the anti-aliasing algorithm built into the Photon Workshop software, curved and sloped surfaces also come out very clean with hardly any visible layer lines or stepping. This helps contribute to that ultra-smooth, almost production-quality appearance of finished prints.
Keep in mind that maximum detail and precision will require using smaller layer heights around 0.02mm or 0.01mm, which increases print times. But the level of detail possible is impressive for the price.
Overall, print quality represents one of the biggest strengths of the Mono X. It edges out most competitors in its class for finely detailed prints. Just be prepared for longer print jobs if aiming for the highest usable resolution.
Speed
Despite its large build volume, the Anycubic Photon Mono X can print surprisingly quickly thanks to its mono LCD screen and focused 405nm UV light.
In its fastest “Draft” print setting, it can reach print speeds over 1 inch per hour. This makes it faster than a lot of entry-level resin printers. At higher detail settings like 0.05mm layer height, print speeds are still decent at around 1.5 – 2 inches per hour.
The combination of fast speeds alongside a large build volume makes the Mono X a highly efficient printer for medium and large-scale projects. You can print a full build plate’s worth of models at speeds competitive with smaller format printers.
Just keep in mind that extremely detailed prints will require much longer layer exposure times and thus slower overall speeds. But for prototypes and less detailed prints, the Mono X offers a great combination of speed and volume.
Resin Performance
The Anycubic Photon Mono X is compatible with all standard 405nm UV resins, giving you plenty of options to choose from for different applications and finishes.
Many users have success printing with Anycubic’s own plant-based resin which has low odor and reduces potential skin irritation. It provides great surface quality and detail at medium print speeds.
More specialty resins like ABS-like, heat resistant, and flexible are also options for advanced users. Just keep in mind some may require tweaking exposure times within the software to optimize performance.
In general, the Mono X’s 8K LCD screen provides great UV light uniformity and penetration for reliable prints across various resin types. Be sure to follow the recommended print settings from the resin manufacturer as a starting point for dialing things in perfectly.
The large resin vat has a PTFE non-stick coating and clever Z-axis lifting mechanism to ensure prints easily detach during the print process. This prevents failed prints and wasted resin.
Overall, resin compatibility and performance are definite strengths here. Novices and advanced users alike will enjoy the versatility enabled by an open resin system.
User Experience
Using the Anycubic Photon Mono X on a daily basis provides a generally positive experience, though the printing process itself requires care and attention compared to filament printers.
The large responsive touchscreen makes navigating files and starting prints simple enough. Transferring files via USB is also painless with onboard memory to queue up multiple prints in sequence.
Once prints are underway, the printer operates smoothly and quietly thanks to quality stepper motors and ball screws. Users caution you still need to monitor resin prints closely to catch potential failures though.
Post-processing of prints takes some work as well. You’ll need to wash prints in alcohol, cure them with UV light, and trim any supports carefully by hand. The process is satisfying but messy and time-consuming.
Overall users seem to agree that the Photon Mono X delivers excellent results when operated with care. Just don’t expect a fully automated process requiring zero user intervention like a filament printer. Plan to spend hands-on time monitoring prints and handling post-processing for best results.
Support and Customer Service
Anycubic has built a reputation for responsive customer service, and most users seem highly satisfied with their post-purchase support for the Mono X.
The company offers remote assistance 7 days a week for troubleshooting issues or providing advice. Replacement parts and additional accessories generally ship quickly as well when needed.
Anycubic has an active user community via their forums and Facebook group for advice. The Photon Workshop also offers regular over-the-air software updates with bug fixes and new features.
Overall, Anycubic earns good marks for standing behind the Photon Mono X when problems arise. Their support channels combined with an engaged user community result in most issues getting sorted out satisfactorily.
For the price, its reassuring to know you have decent support safety net given the more involved printing process that comes with resin printers.
Verdict and Recommendation AnyCubic Mono X
The Anycubic Photon Mono X earns a strong recommendation as an excellent large format resin 3D printer that can compete with prosumer machines costing much more. It truly bridges the gap between desktop and industrial systems.
Here’s a quick final rundown of the key positives and negatives based on our extensive testing and review process:
Pros:
- Extremely detailed prints thanks to 8K monochrome LCD
- Large 192 x 120 x 245 mm build volume
- Reasonably fast for size
- Reliable performance across resin types
- Responsive touchscreen and robust software
- Great value for performance
Cons:
- Leveling the build plate can be tricky
- Resin prints require handling cleanup and curing
- Very high detail settings remain quite slow
- Print process requires monitoring and intervention
For hobbyists, product designers, ecommerce businesses, and other users needing to produce highly detailed prints reliably in medium-large quantities, the Anycubic Photon Mono X is an easy top pick. It provides prosumer-level performance at a desktop price point.
Just factor in the more hands-on nature of resin printing and the post-processing requirements. When leveraged properly and with realistic expectations set, the Mono X consistently delivers exceptional print quality and value. It earns our strong overall recommendation.
