Best Resin 3D Printers 2024 | Tom's Hardware

You can find a great resin (aka MSLA) 3D printer for less than $300.

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The list in brief1. Best Overall2. Best for Print Farms3. Best High-Res4. Best for Beginners5. Best Splurge6. Best Large Format7. Best Medium Format8. Shopping Tips

As 3D printing continues to become cheaper and more accessible, resin 3D printers have become a popular choice for anyone interested in making highly-detailed models that wouldn’t be feasible using a filament-fed, FDM 3D printer. These MSLA (Masked Stereolithography) resin 3D printers typically have a single axis of motion, and this simple mechanical system means these machines can regularly be found for less than $300. With so many models on the market, we’ve made this list to help you find the best resin 3D printer for you.

The best resin 3D printers are capable of making high-resolution models by curing a liquid resin using a UV light source. This MSLA process uses a masking LCD to selectively block the UV light on a pixel-by-pixel basis, allowing these printers to create models that have a resolution of down to .035mm on the XY axes.

This high resolution comes at a price, as parts made on a resin 3D printer require post-processing after printing, and UV resin requires caution when handling. Because resin requires gloves and a mask to handle, we recommend beginners or anyone with young kids consider one of the FDM (fusion deposit modeling) printers on our overall Best 3D Printers page. Additionally, we have our Best Budget 3D Printers list if you are looking for more affordable options. To see our speed testing benchmark results and rankings of the top FDM models available, check out our 3D Printer Speed Hierarchy page.

Stay tuned for our in-depth reviews of the recently released Mars 5 Ultra from Elegoo and the Form 4 from FormLabs — both demoed at the Rapid + TCT 2024 event which we attended. Check out some highlights from the show.

Best Overall

Best Resin 3D Printer Overall

The Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra is an excellent high-resolution printer that's fast, easy to use, and no specialty resin needed - that's extra savings for you. It delivers remarkable 12K prints and includes cool vat and hood tilting features that makes this machine even easier to use. It's available on pre-order at Elegoo's site for $399.

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For Print Farms

Best Resin for Print Farms

Great for anyone looking to upsize their resin experience or produce resin prints at a commercial scale. This machine excels as a “large” format printer, with a build volume that rivals standard FDM 3D printers. It's recently been OOS at Amazon, but you can still get at MatterHackers and directly at Phrozen.

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Best for High-Res

Best High-Resolution 3D Printer

The Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra has a notable 18 x 18 micron XY resolution, perfect for capturing those super-crisp details for your miniatures and tabletop models. It comes with smart features that makes it easy to use and built-in camera so you can keep a close eye on your builds. Regular retail price is $338, but is currently on sale for $269.

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For Beginners

Best Resin 3D Printer for Beginners

This printer was made specifically with first-time resin users in mind. It delivers quality 4K prints with a smaller sized vat and a petite footprint that requires minimal space. It comes with an extra large screen protector for the LED glass, which covers the glass and the slight gap around it. This makes keeping the printer clean super easy.

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Best Splurge

Best Splurge Resin 3D Printer

This resin printer is so dead simple to use that a beginner will have no trouble with it. It's midsize for a resin printer without being awkward to operate and has a build volume closer to what we see in FDM printers. Best of all, it delivers on its promise of high-res quality.

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Large Format

Best Large Format Resin 3D Printer

This workhorse resin MSLA 3D printer is designed to offer uncompromising performance for serious hobbyists and small-volume part production. It is ideal for anyone looking for large build volume, high resolution, or just failure-free resin printing.

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Medium Format

Best Medium Format Resin 3D Printer

This high-res MSLA 3D printer best suits beginners or experts who are ready to move up to bigger models of up to 8 inches tall or for a batch of game miniatures with 48 microns resolution. It is quick to set up, includes an easy-to-navigate LCD screen, and is on sale for $320.

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Our expert review:

The Saturn 4 Ultra delivers everything it promises: it’s easy to use, has crispy 12K resolution, and it's about as automatic as a resin printer can get. It doesn’t need special resin or expensive films in the vat, which also makes it cost-effective. Most of the improvements are within the machine itself – a tilt back hood, auto leveling, a print monitoring camera that can also shoot time lapses, and a vat that gently peels each printed layer off the film by tilting.

The tilting vat is something I’ve never seen before. Normally, prints are forced off the vat’s delicate film covered bottom by being pulled straight up, fighting suction and causing stress that leads to eventual failure. The Saturn 4 Ultra gently peels the layers off with a rocking motion. This gives the Saturn 4 Ultra a bit more speed while also using the same affordable film Elegoo has been using for years.

Our only complaints were minor – the camera currently only works with Chitubox, and the lid doesn’t have a handle.

More: Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra Review

Our expert review:

The Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S is a huge resin 3D printer with a 15-inch light source and a build volume that rivals those of traditional FDM printers. It’s easy enough that a beginner can operate it, with a simple-to-navigate menu and a perfect build plate that releases models with ease. Retailing at $1,579, the Sonic Mega 8K S is a pricey machine that could make good business sense for print farms that produce massive models or tons of smaller figures. You can find it on sale at MatterHackers and at Phrozen's store for $80 less than MSRP. Also available at Amazon with an even bigger discount of $180 when you use the 15% coupon (at $1,401).

8K resolution may no longer sound impressive, but those 43-micron pixels are the size of a human hair. When prints made with a 12K machine are put side-by-side, it’s not far off, and the difference is barely detectable by the human eye.

The Sonic Mega 8K S is an overhaul of the previous Mega 8K. The most notable improvements are the hinged, tilt-back lid and the ability to hang the build plate at an angle for drainage, both things I’d love to see on a regular-sized resin printer.

Phrozen has a number of optional accessories to make the Sonic Mega 8Ks exceptionally easy to use: a 24 liter (6 gallons) wash unit, a curing station the size of a microwave, and a pump to keep your vat perpetually full.

More: Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K S Review

Our expert review:

If you are looking for a fast and reliable ultra high quality resin printer that you can use to print miniatures, replacement parts or decorative items, you can't go wrong with the Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra. It can run at speeds of up to 150mm per hour, so you get print jobs done quickly.

The Mars 5 Ultra comes with great features like auto leveling, resin level detection and tilt release that make operation a breeze, even a beginner can use it. And with a built-in camera, you can check on the status of your prints at any time.

We tested using both the Elegoo Standard Rapid resin and the Prusa Resin Model Color Kit, and the prints came out smooth and clean on both occasions. The Elegoo Standard Rapid resin prints had that extra shiny exterior, and Prusa Color Kit was more matte. Our only issue was a sticky bed plate situation where we had trouble getting the build off the bed.

The Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra offers a smaller build volume than the Anycubic Photon Mono M7 Pro, but it boasts a higher XY resolution (18 x 18 microns) and is cheaper by $230. Both machines are great options, depending on your budget and needs.

More: Elegoo Mars 5 Ultra Review

Our expert review:

As the successor to Anycubic's Photon Mono 4K, the Mono 2 does not disappoint. It's fast, and makes 4K resin printing look easy. Our test prints of the Fotis Mint’s Boba Fett Bust, MZ4250’s Fighters, and Succubus turned out clean results with clear, well-defined details, even for the smaller models.

It's compact and lightweight, so it won't take up a lot of space and can easily be stored away. It's shipped mostly assembled, which makes setup a snap as well. Although it is identical to the Mono 4K in size, it has a 20% larger build volume allowing you more flexibility for bigger print projects.

If you've ever wanted to try doing SLA printing, the Photon Mono 2 is a great entry-level machine for you to start. It launched at $230 and is on sale directly from the Anycubic store for $179. Currently available at an even more affordable price of $159 at Amazon and Walmart. You can't get any better deal than that.

More: Anycubic Photon Mono 2 Review

Our expert review:

If you’re ready to throw some serious cash down for a decent-sized resin 3D printer with quality that will knock your socks off, the Phrozen Sonic Mighty 8K is here for you. Its roomy 218 x 123 mm build plate can accommodate an army of gaming miniatures or a gift-worthy superhero statue. Priced at around $899 at press time, this printer isn't cheap. But in return for the premium, you get crispy details, prints that practically slide off the build plate, a built-in webcam and a machine that’s WiFi ready.

We enjoyed navigating through the Mighty 8K’s menus, thanks to its large and easy-to-use touch screen display. There’s little need to consult the manual – the printer walks you through an onboard tutorial to handle leveling and your first test print. Want to rerun a test file at a different exposure? No problem – the Sonic Mighty 8k will let you change exposure settings and more right inside the printer. I found this extremely helpful while dialing in a new resin.

The Phrozen Sonic Mighty 8K size is closer to what we see in FDM printers, without being so large that it dominates your workshop. The quality and extra wiggle room would be a worthwhile investment for someone running an Esty shop or an artist wanting to showcase their work. We were able to print 12 very-detailed gaming figures at once and the process only took 4 hours and 2 minutes.

Our only issue with this machine was the camera, which was released for review before it was functional. There’s no set date on when the camera firmware will be ready, but it promises the ability to monitor prints as well as create time lapses.

The Sonic Mighty 8K is on sale at Amazon for $584. For a more affordable 8K resin option, consider the Phrozen Sonic Mini 8K S which still offers amazing print detail and now compatible with all the popular 3rd party slicers but is only $349. That's nearly half the cost of the Mighty 8K.

More: Phrozen Sonic Mighty 8K Review

Our expert review:

The Anycubic Photon M3 Premium set an impressive standard. Offering both high resolution and large build volume in a single machine, it effectively does the work of two separate printers and still comes in cheaper than buying them individually.

The 10-inch 8K masking LCD provides an ultra-high 0.0285mm XY resolution which allows even the finest details to resolve on printed models. We were particularly impressed when we printed a model that had a tiny, open book on a pedestal; the words on the pages were sharp and legible (though one might need a magnifying glass to see them).

The 219mm x 123mm x 250mm build volume allows users to print large models with high resolution, or simply pack the oversized build platform with multiple small parts to produce many in parallel. Featuring integrated dual air filters, a laser-etched build platform, and a razor-thin NFEP vat film, the Photon M3 Premium is easily capable of handling anything you can throw at it.

With a special introductory retail price of $619 and a planned retail price of $639, the Photon M3 Premium strikes an excellent balance between high resolution and large build volume while remaining less expensive than the competition. The included Anycubic Photon Workshop software was slow and buggy during our testing, and is the primary weak point of this machine.

More: Anycubic Photon M3 Premium Resin 3D Printer Review

Our expert review:

The Anycubic Photon Mono X2 is a fantastic resin 3D printer that combines affordability and a generous build volume with great 4K resolution. The Mono X2 delivers crisp details at 48 microns per – smaller than a grain of salt. We’ve printed full sized dragons, 8 inch tall sculptures and entire squadrons of miniatures in one go with the Mono X2.

Retailing at $339.99, the Mono X2 is an excellent bargain for beginners who don’t want to start small or experienced makers who need a little elbow room. It’s easy to use with a laser etched build surface that helps prints stick in place without being too hard to remove.

The X2 has a 9.1-inch monochrome LCD with an improved light source that provides smoother prints than ever before. It comes with a screen protector for the LED glass, which covers the glass to protect it from scratches or dreaded resin drips. Our only beef with this printer is the four-point leveling system, which is tedious to perfect.

More: Anycubic Photon Mono X2 Review

Elegoo 3D Printer Resin LCD UV-Curing Resin: now $17 at Amazon (was $32)This photopolymer resin is designed to reduce printing time and to reduce volume shrinkage during the curing process to ensure a smooth finish. Suitable for most DLP/LCD 3D printers. Less odor than other resins.

ANYCUBIC 3D Printer Plant-Based Resin: now $24 at Amazon (was $35)With high-speed solidification and low odor, this photopolymer resin is made from soybean oil which offers better environmental protection. It is compatible with most resin 3D printers and the large 1Kg bottle will keep you printing for a while.

There are several factors to consider before buying one of the best resin 3D printers, so be sure to consider these questions before making a choice.

🤔 Mono or RGB LCD? The type of masking LCD on your resin 3D printer can have the single largest impact on your overall print speed. Because they are commonly used in other electronics, RGB masking LCDs are cheaper, but slower because they don’t allow UV light to pass through efficiently and need more exposure time per layer. For example, the RGB LCD on the Creality LD-002R requires 9 seconds per layer, while the Mono LCD on the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro requires only 2.2 seconds per layer.

🤔 How much build volume do you need? Most resin 3D printers have smaller build volumes than FDM 3D printers, so you may find yourself limited by this relatively small build volume. If you are interested in printing large parts, you’ll want to look at a large format resin 3D printer such as the Elegoo Saturn or the Anycubic Photon Mono X.

🤔 2K, 4K, or Beyond? A resin 3D printer that uses a 6.08-inch 2K screen like the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro is capable of an XY resolution of .05mm as well as a layer height of .05mm. For context, this means even a relatively low-resolution resin 3D printer is still capable of making extremely fine details that simply wouldn’t be possible on an FDM printer. If you need even more resolution, a 4K screen is capable of making finer features, but is typically more expensive.

🤔 Post Processing Equipment? Resin 3D printers create parts that require post-processing before they are completely finished. Typically, this workflow involves rinsing the parts in a solvent to dissolve any excess resin on the surface of the part, followed by a cure cycle that uses UV light to fully polymerize the part. This process can be done manually by submerging the part in a solvent and using an inexpensive UV light for curing, but some manufacturers have created post-processing equipment like the Elegoo Mercury X that automate the process and reduce the mess.

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