For the quality and speed at which the Photon Mono prints, you can't do much better. This little workhorse serves as a great introduction to 3D printing, or as an excellent addition to your 3D printer fleet. With only a few quality control issues to consider, we recommend the Photon Mono to almost everyone.
In-Depth Anycubic Photon Mono 3D Printer Review
Looking for a fast, cheap resin printer for your hobby models? The Anycubic Photon Mono may just be the perfect choice! Priced under $300, this SLA printer seems like an awesome budget option from a trusted brand, but is it too good to be true? We take a closer look at this printer in today’s Anycubic Photon Mono review to see if it lives up to the hype!
Anycubic Photon Mono Specs
As the name suggests, the Photon Mono’s biggest feature is its 2K monochrome LCD screen. This important feature means the Photon Mono prints at incredibly speeds starting at just 1.6-seconds per layer.
The overall build area measures 5.11” x 3.1” x 6.5”, which is about standard for this price range. Mind the shallow length, however, before buying. A 15-piece matrix light source provides strong, consistent, and even light distribution across the entire build area.
Connection options are limited to USB only, though Anycubic kindly provides one to get you started. From there, prepare your models using ChituBox or the included Anycubic slicer, then start the print with the onboard touchscreen interface.
Anycubic Photon Mono Pros
Excellent Value
It’s nice to see Anycubic staying ahead of the curve by offering a budget-friendly monochrome SLA printer. Monochrome LCDs are quickly becoming standard since the print twice as fast as their RGB LCD counterparts.
In addition to fast printing, the Photon Mono also features a quality power supply unit, a balanced light source, and a quick-and-easy 4-screw leveling system. While it’s not as robust as more expensive machines, the Photon Mono’s results are still highly detailed and smooth for with true 100-micron Z-axis precision.
Beginner-Friendly Operation
If you’re look to the Photon Mono as your first SLA printer, you won’t be disappointed! It comes almost fully assembled with clear instructions on how to get started. As mentioned earlier, leveling is easy and the box contains all the tools you need, including gloves, masks, a scraper, a USB stick with preloaded models, and more.
Don’t let SLA printing intimidate you! The Photon Mono is a great place to start and makes the whole process totally painless. Anycubic support is also happy to help with troubleshooting or setting up your new printer.
Anycubic Photon Mono Cons
Plastic Construction
The Photon Mono is quite inexpensive, which means corners were cut somewhere. In this case, the Photon Mono uses a lot of plastic, including for its resin vat and base covering. All this plastic makes the Photon Mono feel light and cheap and brings into question the overall durability.
Proprietary FEP Film
Anycubic made the questionable choice of making the Photon Mono compatible only with their branded FEP film. This design is supposedly intended to make changing the film easier for the consumer, but replacements cost twice as much as 3rd party alternatives.
Anycubic Photon Mono Verdict
It’s hard to fault the Photon Mono too much for its plastic construction since it performs so well. The shell may be plastic, but the integral hardware is all high-quality. Since Anycubic have focused on the most important parts, like the LCD screen, lighting source, and Z-axis stability, you can still achieve the high-precision prints you expect from an SLA printer.
We still have a problem with Anycubic’s proprietary FEP film, but overall, this feature may even be preferable for newer users. If you’re willing to spend a little more for convenience, this issue won’t bother you at all. We confidently recommend the Photon Mono for those who need a cheap SLA printer without compromising print quality.
