The previous screens, even though they were being called “2k” screens, were more like 2.5k or 1440p, so around 4MP, while the new screen is actually quite a few pixels more than “4k” at about 10.5MP.ĭepending on which of the previous Mars printers you compare it to, you see more or less of a difference from that in the finished parts – in my experiments, with antialiasing working, the Mars Pro actually had the smoothest surface reproduction, while the Mars and Mars 2 Pro had very visible voxels, which is noticeable even without a crazy macro lens in the way the surface reflects light.įor example, the shield here has a bit more shimmer on those machines and is smoother on the Mars Pro and the Mars 3. The previous machines all had around a 50µm pixel size, the Mars 3 is now down to 35µm. Now, the 4k screen is of course the big feature, but it’s not that life-changing as it first sounds. ![]() You still get the quick-release ball head-adjusted bed platform, this time around they’re again using a sandblasted surface, and the only moving in the entire printer part aside from fans, the Z-axis, is super robust and well-built, perfect for the job.įor the actual resin printing hardware, it’s a really nice upgrade over the previous Mars printers as well. I actually saw some of the red plastic starting to rub off. One downside that I noticed is that the lid and base don’t seem to be entirely resistant to either the resin or the ethanol I usually use to clean up around resin printers, and especially on the lid, you can actually see the plastic getting matte where I tried to clean off some of the resin splashes. With the injection-molded base and lid, it’s not really any less sturdy or functional, but it means that they’ll have more budget to spend elsewhere on the machine. ![]() Aside from it feeling very light and therefore pretty cheap, that’s not really a bad thing. It’s fine after a bit of cleanup.īut the Mars 3 is not just a more capable printer, it’s also one that feels like it’s finally been cost-optimized. And of course, the resin didn’t exactly stay in the vat. This one is a lot lighter, so I almost yeeted it across the room. On my machine, you can also see that’s it’s quite messed up already – I managed to slosh resin out of the vat when I tried to turn the Mars 3 around for the camera, but I expected the weight and friction of the earlier Mars machines. It gives you a lot more control over the slicing process, but more on Chitu later. It also comes with a one-year license of the Chitubox Pro slicer, which does a lot of things that the basic, free Chitubox non-Pro can’t do. Just like the upgrades between the previous generations, it’s now again got a slightly larger build envelope, higher resolution on a monochromatic screen, and stronger UV LEDs that allow it to cure layers faster. So today we’re going to check out the Mars 3 and the Mercury X and we’re also going to have a look at the situation around the restrictions that now come with the Chitu ecosystem that Elegoo and basically everyone is using to build their machines. The Saturn didn’t use to have any matching washing station, and that’s something I find is essential for using a resin printer properly. But sort of alongside the Mars 3, they also released the Mercury X bundle, which is a set of a cleaning and curing machine that fits the Mars 3 and now finally, also the Saturn. ![]() It seems like these machines are basically on an annual release cycle now, where it’s the same as with smartphones – new major release every year, and then a “Pro”, “A” or “C” version in between. ![]() So this is Elegoo’s newest resin printer, the Mars 3. But they made their plans without considering the interests of their hardware partner Chitu – and now that everyone is dependent on their parts, they want a bigger slice of the cake. Resin printers are all pretty good these days, so they can work on getting the setups polished and ironing out oversights from previous generations.
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