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As a partner of Elegoo since the release of the first Elegoo Mars, I was lucky enough to receive a preview of the new Saturn 2, a large format resin printer with an 8k print resolution.
Since the release of the Mars, Elegoo has continued to expand its range of resin printers. After the Saturn and Saturn S, which are large format machines with 4k screens, Elegoo announces the pre-order of the new Saturn 2 equipped with an 8k screen, at a very interesting price, 500$ for the first 1000 units, and 550$ for the following orders, delivery planned from July for the very first orders, for the others it will be necessary to wait for September.
Buy the Saturn 2
This is a relatively attractive price, compared to the Anycubic M3 Max for example, which is sold for over 1000€.
Features of the Saturn 2
- Printing area 219x123x250mm
- 10″ monochrome screen with 8k resolution (7680×4320)
- XY resolution of 28.5 microns
- Dual linear rail for Z axis
- Air purifier
Print area is 43% larger than the Saturn!
Unboxing the Saturn 2
When the machine is unpacked, it is fully assembled and ready to print within 5 minutes of. It comes with the usual accessory kit (gloves, filters, spatulas), as well as an air purifier that can be plugged into the printer via USB.
First print with the Saturn 2
The machine is switched on with a “power” button on the front of the machine, and the USB port is located on the right hand side.
Before starting your first print, it will be necessary to adjust the buildplate, using a sheet of cardboard supplied with the machine, after having loosened the ball joint of the plate, it will be necessary to leave the equivalent of the thickness of this sheet between the plate and the screen, then retighten.
Once this adjustment has been made, you can check that the screen is working properly in the machine’s options.
For the first print on the Saturn 2, it is strongly advised to print the test model supplied with the machine, a print which takes about 4 hours, but which will guarantee the good functioning of the printer
If this print fails, you have probably set the plate incorrectly, or used a resin with the wrong default settings.
For this test I used Eryone resin, skin colour, the printing with an exposure time of 2.5 seconds per layer was successful
I noticed a small translation error in the interface of the machine, with “Bottom Layer” for the first 3 parameters, the first 2 lines correspond to the number of bottom layers and the time for each of them (i.e. 5 layers at 30 seconds of exposure). The third line corresponds to the exposure time for the other layers. This problem has been reported to Elegoo, and should be corrected in the next firmware update.
The result of this first print is clean, here is the rendering before/after a little cleaning and drying of the part. You can see the writing on the part once it is dry
Using Chitubox Pro with the Saturn 2
For the rest of the test, we will print our own models with Chitubox Pro, the Saturn 2 is of course already available in the list of machines, even if the visual does not match.
By keeping the default settings, using the “auto orientation” function with supports, my first print is a success!
Printing with standard Elegoo grey resin, and an exposure time of 2.5 seconds per layer.
We continue the tests, this time trying to occupy a larger part of the plate, successfully printing, keeping the same resin and the same parameters.
For the next print, we start this time with a higher model, about 20cm high. The model is hollowed out with a drain hole, no printing defects to report.
For this last model, I used Anycubic resin, as I didn’t have enough Elegoo resin left, the printing was successful, without any defect, the result is really satisfactory.
To conclude, what can I say about this test of the Saturn 2?
I enjoyed testing this Saturn 2, which worked immediately upon unpacking, taking only 5 minutes to run a first print!
This Saturn 2 with its sexier curves than the first Saturns (more square) seduced me as soon as I unpacked it, with very good quality materials, this product doesn’t look “cheap”, even if the Saturn 2 is sold at a much lower price than the competition, if you want to get started with XXL resin printing at a lower cost you can buy this printer with your eyes closed.
The touch screen interface is also clear and intuitive, you get the hang of it very quickly, no difficulties to use, a beginner should easily find his way.
There still seems to be time to pre-order the machine, Elegoo having planned a large quantity of units, there is only the Early-bird version which was sold out very quickly, otherwise the standard version is still available. If you are not in a hurry, this Saturn 2 should also be sold via Amazon for the end of the year.
I would recommend the Saturn 2 without hesitation if you are looking for a large format resin printer with excellent print quality.
Buy the Saturn 2
