Elegoo Saturn 2 8K Review

The Elegoo Saturn is an affordable range of mid-size MSLA 3D printers that sport some nice features. In this Elegoo Saturn 2 8K review, we go through the specs, features, and quality of print you should expect from the machine

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Elegoo is known for the Elegoo Mars, a budget resin LCD printer that has a decent build volume. And with the introduction of the Elegoo Saturn 2 8K, the company has dived deeper in to the budget LCD 3D printers market.

Elegoo Saturn 2 comes with a monochrome LCD that cures prints fast and has a larger build volume than earlier versions the Mars line. The printer’s build volume is neither small nor large, but is in-between.

AVAILABLE ON ELEGOO

Elegoo Saturn 2 8K Specs

General Specifications

Printing Specifications

Software Requirements

Dimensions & Weight

Elegoo Saturn 2 8K Review

The Saturn 2 8K produces premium prints without a premium price tag. While affordable, the print quality is reminiscent of a high-end SLA 3D printer, like the Anycubic Photon M3.

The printer has a monochrome display with 7680 x 4320 pixels resolution, prints fast and is a joy to work with.

Design

The Saturn has many features you’ll find in the Mars and the Mars Pro. However, there are also some notable improvements.

To begin, the printer has a solid base unit that measures 280 x 240 mm. The printer’s chassis is made of metal, there’s a USB port on the right-hand side, two fans in the back and a 3.5-inch color touchscreen at the front.

On top, the printer features a large vat that makes use of the 219 x 123 mm in the X and Y. The vat does not slide out sideways but instead, can be removed from the top.

Other features of the Elegoo Saturn 3D printer include four protruding bumps on the corners beneath the vat. These bumps prevent the printer’s FEP film from getting damages by debris or dust.

Coming to the Z-axis, the Elegoo Saturn 3D printer features dual-linear rails that guide the build plate up and down the print volume.

The Saturn’s monochrome LCD is an 8.9-inch 4K screen with a 3840 x 2400 pixels resolution.

The printer has a build area of 219 x 123 x 250mm and achieves a maximum print resolution of 0.05 mm (50 microns). While this resolution is lower than that of the 47 microns of the Mars and Mars Pros, the print details of the three printers are nearly indistinguishable.

The Elegoo Saturn also shines in terms of speed. The monochrome display allows high-intensity light to pass through, curing prints in just 1-2 seconds. The curing time is significantly shorter given than a typical non-monochrome display takes 6-8 seconds to cure.

The Saturn’s curing speed makes the printer faster without compromising on print quality. As a result, this printer would be excellent for application in part batch production.

Printing and Usability

The Elegoo Saturn looks slick and straight-out delivers. The printer setup comprises of common steps such as leveling the platform and changing the screen resolution in the Chitubox profile to the newly upgraded 3840 x 2400 pixels.

The printer uses ChiTu Box slicer to prepare models. The slicer has all the tools you need, including support structure generation, hollowing and more and can be tweaked to your preferences. When preparing your models, we recommend setting the support structures to ‘strong’ to avoid any parts from peeling when the layer changes.

The Saturn 3D printer can work with various 405nm UV sensitive resins. In our tests, we have printed both Elegoo resins and third-party resins, and the machine handled them without any issues. Even models from Elegoo’s ABS-like resin cure fast.

Elegoo Saturn Build Volume

The build area of 219 x 123 x 250mm means you can print large objects than the Mars can. And with the improved printing speeds, you will enjoy working with this printer. The only issue we encountered during our test is the usually messy post-processing, which is expected of most MSLA 3D printers.

Elegoo Saturn Features

While Elegoo Saturn looks like and has some of the features found in the Mars, there are some notable changes.

To begin, this printer has an 8.9-inch (23 cm) 4K monochrome LCD screen, which is not something you will typically find on budget resin 3D printers. This screen allows light of greater intensity to pass through, enabling the resin to cure fast. The Saturn cures resin layers in less tan 2 seconds, which is 6 seconds faster than the Mars achieves.

The monochrome screen also has a longer lifespan than a standard LCD screen. Therefore, you can expect it to be usable for more than 500 hours.

Printer Resolution

The Saturn prints large models than the Mars but at nearly the same high-level detail thanks to its 8K monochrome screen. The screen has 7680 x 4320 pixels resolution that manages 0.050 mm (50 microns) on the XY.

While the Elegoo Mars 2K panel produces a resolution of 0.047 mm (47 microns), the resolution is not significantly different from that of the Saturn, which is 50 microns. Therefore, do not expect to see any huge difference in the level of details printed by these two machines.

Cooling Fans

The Saturn has two cooling fans that help to keep the monochrome panel cool during operations to prolong its life.

However, the printer lacks an air filtration system. The system is expected to be released as an optional upgrade.

Dual Linear Rails

Saturn has dual linear rails that increase its stability. The linear rails, which are on the X axis, ensure the build platform does not shake a lot when printing.

Display

The resin 3D printer has a 3.5-inch touchscreen with an intuitive layout. The touchscreen is powered by ChiTu board and firmware and is easy to use. The menu items are self-explanatory.

Additional Features

Other features of the Elegoo Saturn 3D printer include:

• Has a sandblasted print surface that make models adhere better, which results to fewer printing errors
• Has ethernet connectivity
• Has a side-facing USB port

Elegoo Saturn 2 8K Review: Verdict

From our tests, the Elegoo Saturn is an improved version of the Mars. The printer comes with a large 4K monochrome display, has a larger build volume, is fast, and prints highly-detailed models.

What we Love

ELEGOO Saturn 2 8K is  certainly a game-changer in the world of 3D printing. The unit is packed with standout features that redefine printing precision and efficiency. Here’s why we love the resin 3D printer:

1. Impressive 10″ 8K Monochrome LCD

The ELEGOO Saturn 2 8K has a massive 10-inch 8K monochrome LCD screen with an impressive HD resolution of 7680×4320. This means yo get stunningly detailed 3D models with an ultra-fine XY resolution of 28.5 microns. The high resolution also means exceptional clarity and speed with a curing time of just 1-3 seconds per layer.

The printer’s scratch-resistant tempered glass ensures both excellent light transmission and unparalleled screen protection.

2. Expansive Printing Volume

With a build volume of 219 x 123 x 250mm (8.62×4.84×9.84 inches), the Saturn 2 8K offers a whopping 43% increase in printing volume compared to its predecessors. This larger build area, coupled with the 10″ large mono LCD screen, allows for printing more extensive models or multiple smaller ones in a single batch.

3. Advanced Fresnel Collimating Light Source

Experience unmatched printing precision and surface finishes with the Saturn 2 8K’s Fresnel collimating light source. This light source comprises of 48 highly-integrated UV LED lights and a FCL system Fresnel lens, which emit a uniform 405nm wavelength light beam. This setup guarantees outstanding printing accuracy and impeccably smooth surface finishes, perfect for intricate designs.

4. Reliable Performance and Convenience

The Saturn 2 8K has dual linear rails and non-slip hexagon socket leveling screws on the Z-axis for  ultra-steady and accurate movement. The result is consistently remarkable printing performance. The sandblasted surface build plate improves adherence of the model. On the other hand, the PFA release liner simplifies model removal, making printing hassle-free.

5. Enhanced User Experience

Enjoy a pleasant printing environment with the built-in air filtration system and activated carbon filter that efficiently absorbs resin odors, ensuring an odor-free workspace. Additionally, the double heat-conducting copper heat tubes offer faster heat transfer and superior heat dissipation, prolonging the printer’s lifespan.

The ELEGOO Saturn 2 8K embodies innovation and efficiency, offering unmatched precision and convenience for both 3D printing enthusiasts and professionals.

You can order the Elegoo Saturn 2 8K on Elegoo Website.