Setting up resin printing
A resin print passes through four stages — the vat, the release film, the wash and the cure — and a first setup needs something for each. These picks start with two resin printers whose listings publish a build volume, then follow the part out of the vat: a resin whose maker says what to do with the wash water, a film made for one of the two printers, and a station that washes and cures. Screen resolution is reported as a pixel size, never as the accuracy of the finished part.
The Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K S is a 7.1-inch 8K mono-LCD resin printer with a 165 × 72 × 170 mm build volume and a published 22 µm XY pixel size. The ELEGOO Mars 5 is a 4K mono-LCD resin printer with a 143.43 × 89.6 × 150 mm build volume, one-click levelling, a sensor that detects residue before it reaches the screen and an overheat cut-out; its listing gives no pixel pitch. The Phrozen build area is longer and narrower, the ELEGOO one shorter and wider.
A finer screen draws a finer outline on each layer. Whether the finished part measures what the file says depends on exposure, on how the resin shrinks as it cures, and on how long it is washed. The answer on screen resolution and resin print accuracy separates the two.
Phrozen’s grey water-washable resin is sold for 405 nm LCD printers in 1 kg bottles. Its listing is the one water-washable resin page on this site that says what to do with the waste: cure the wash water in sunlight and dispose of the residue in the rubbish. It publishes no exposure times, so those come from the printer maker or from calibration prints. The answer on standard or water-washable resin weighs the two routes.
Phrozen’s nFEP sheet is PFA, A4 at 210 × 290 mm, and its compatibility list starts with the Sonic Mini 8K S. It is a single sheet with no thickness published. The film is the part that wears at every layer; the answer on when to replace a resin printer’s release film describes the signs.
The ANYCUBIC Wash & Cure 3 Plus gives a 228 × 128 × 260 mm wash size in a 7.6 litre basket that takes the build platform attached, two basket heights and a gooseneck light for recesses. The advice on keeping a resin printer clean and the answer on whether resin prints need curing after washing cover the routine around it.
8K mono LCD, 7.1 inch · 22 µm XY resolution · 165 × 72 × 170 mm build volume · load up to 10 kg · Lychee, Chitubox and Tango supported
A 7.1 inch 8K mono-LCD resin printer that publishes a 22 µm XY resolution and a 165 × 72 × 170 mm build volume, and supports several third-party slicers.
Best for: A miniature printer where a published 22 µm pitch and a choice of slicer matter more than build area.
≈ 361 €
4K mono LCD · COB light source · 143.43 × 89.6 × 150 mm build volume · one-click auto-levelling · residue detection · overheat stop above 80 °C LED temperature
A 4K mono-LCD resin printer with one-click auto-levelling, a sensor that detects residue before it damages the screen, and an overheat cut-out, whose listing does not publish the pixel pitch.
Best for: A first resin printer for miniatures, where protection against a damaged screen and a self-check matter more than size.
≈ £200 / 209 €
405 nm · 1 kg · grey · water-soluble formula · cure parts in sunlight or a Phrozen curing machine · cure wash water in sunlight, dispose of residue in rubbish · no exposure times
A 1 kg bottle of grey Phrozen water-washable resin for 405 nm LCD printers, low in viscosity and odour, with curing advice for parts and the only disposal guidance of the four resins here.
Best for: A water-washable resin workflow for a buyer who wants the maker’s word on handling the wash water.
≈ 45 €
210 × 290 mm (A4) · thickness not stated · PFA (nFEP) · no frame · 1 sheet · Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K S, Sonic Mini 8K, Mighty 4K, Sonic 4K, Shuffle and others · lower adhesion and higher heat resistance than FEP stated
A single A4 sheet of Phrozen nFEP release film, made of PFA, for Phrozen printers from the Sonic Mini 8K S to the Shuffle series, described as releasing prints more easily and resisting heat better than ordinary FEP.
Best for: A Sonic Mini 8K S or other Phrozen owner replacing the vat film with the maker’s own PFA.
≈ 24 €
228 × 128 × 260 mm wash size, 7.6 l basket · two basket heights, 150 and 250 mm · Flexicure gooseneck light · two-layer curing platform · for 6.6–10.6 in platforms
A wash and cure station with a 228 × 128 × 260 mm wash size and a 7.6 litre two-layer basket that washes with the build platform attached, and a rotatable gooseneck light for curing hidden areas.
Best for: An owner of a resin printer up to 10.6 inches who wants to wash parts on the platform and cure larger or taller models.
≈ 153 €
No. 22 µm is the size of one screen pixel projected onto the build plate, as the Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K S resin 3D printer listing publishes it. The finished part also depends on exposure, resin shrinkage, washing and curing, so its dimensions are a separate matter from the pixel. The answer on screen resolution and resin print accuracy explains the gap.
This guide does not describe any resin as safe. Water-washable describes how uncured resin is rinsed off, not how it behaves on skin. The resin maker’s safety data sheet is the reference for gloves, ventilation and disposal; the answer on how uncured resin should be handled points to what to look for in it.
Its listing states it takes build platforms from 6.6 to 10.6 inches and gives a 228 × 128 × 260 mm wash size; it does not name the Phrozen or the ELEGOO resin 3D printer. The platform size of the printer, from its maker, is the figure to compare before relying on the fit.
A price quoted in the text of a MakerVerdict page dates from the day that page was written; the live figure beside each product is fetched while you read and replaces it.
3D printers and laser engravers go on sale again and again, and a crossed-out price on its own tells you nothing about what the same model really cost a month earlier. UniverTrack keeps a weekly price history for each retailer, so a discount is compared with a price that was really charged, not one invented for the sale — and it tells you when the right moment to buy has really come.
