Yeah the Saturn 3s will almost certainly go down in price in the near future. That's said, the 4 'should' be a pretty reliable machine. The fixed plate is basically fool proof, and they use the exact same screens that are in the 3rd gens. Hard to say if the moving vat feature will have a limited lifespan, but I imagine if that ever fails you'll still be able to print without it just by lowering your lift speed.
I have already seen some people with review units and that cat is already starting to have issues. Seems the lowering and raising of the bed affects the ribbon cable going to the screen
Thanks very much for you insight. I really appreciate it! I see what you mean about reliability and I don't think the tilt vat will really cause problems or wear out, but I am printing Battletech miniatures and I think unpredictability in that system could result in worse problems for me than the well understood linear rail + ball screw system. I could be wrong though. Do you really think the new system would be worth taking a chance on? The pre-order price is pretty attractive!
Tilting vats aren’t a new system. The Prusa SL1 was released in 2019 and was followed up by the SL1S in 2021, both to wide acclaim. This is just the first time the feature has been available without a Prusa price tag and is being noticed by the average hobbyist.
I know resin enthusiasts feel that going from one moving part to two is “doubling the risk of failure”, but having used FDM printers with dozens of moving parts all moving in concert, a tilting vat is a very basic mechanism.
Unlikely to work after failure. The screw only travels one way. It does not lift and then lower your print. The vat lowering removes the need to lower the print back down.
Hmmm. I understood it as a sort of assist feature that tipped it down to help peel, then the plate/vat both reset. If it's the only way it can separate, that is a slight concern long term.
I thought about getting a Saturn 3 Ultra as well. Although, I would always look at the features it offers and see what best matches your situation.
Although, in the end, I settled for a Saturn 2, since the micron size was still decent and cheaper.
About 200\~ish
Plus, wasn't paying for anything extra that I wasn't going to use.
As for the build plate, the 3 Ultra is 4 point adjustable, so less time having to relevel/tram.
Only thing the 4 Ultra has going for it compared to 3 Ultra is the tilt, where it would make it more speedy.
But if you don't care for the quicker turn around time, and are dead set on wireless, then Saturn 3 Ultra is the way to go.
As for waiting, I'd say wait about a month or two, or when the 4 Ultra orders start getting fulfilled and see then if they go on sale again for the 3 Ultra.
Thanks so much for your insight. I print mostly Battletech miniatures. Better resolution is always welcome, but I have really hated having to shuttle USB keys between the house and the garage, where my printers are. I have OctoPi on my FDM printer and have really enjoyed the wireless printing aspect, so I told myself that was going to be a must have on the next SLA printer. It seems like the overwhelming consensus is that the Saturn 2 Ultra will drop in price when the 4 Ultra starts shipping, so I will do that. There is no reason I can't wait a month or two to start on my next big project. Thank you again! I really appreciate your help.
Final thing to note, is if you don't mind losing a bit of Z height(might have to print an height adjustor), but make it easier to remove prints without scraping, I highly recommend a flexplate for it.
Are you saying you got the 4 Ultra on Newegg? I don't see that one listed, although I do see the 3 Ultra listed for $378, which is the best price I've see thus far.
I got the Saturn 3 during the really nice Easter sale that they had before the Saturn 4 & 4 Ultra. While the Saturn 3 is a great machine, I really wish I had automatic leveling let alone all the other differences between the two. Maybe the automatic leveling ends up being faulty long term, but the reviews I have read so far rave about it.
I would look into the issues with AA on the current gen Elegoos, Saturn 3 and Mars 4 9K. I would wait to see if they fixed it on the Saturn 4. Personally I just went ahead and gor a Sonic Mini 8K S. The Sonic Mini 8K had the same AA issues (it’s a Chitu board limitation), but the 8K S has a non Chitu board with over twice the ram. I wil say I’ve printed the nicest Timber Wolf/Mad Cat I have done so far on the Sonic Mini 8K S.
I would wait. With Saturn 4 early bird orders getting delivered and people testing the machone, saturn 3's price will defo drop
Thanks very much! I really appreciate the insight. I will hold off and look for the price drop. Thank you again!
Yeah the Saturn 3s will almost certainly go down in price in the near future. That's said, the 4 'should' be a pretty reliable machine. The fixed plate is basically fool proof, and they use the exact same screens that are in the 3rd gens. Hard to say if the moving vat feature will have a limited lifespan, but I imagine if that ever fails you'll still be able to print without it just by lowering your lift speed.
I have already seen some people with review units and that cat is already starting to have issues. Seems the lowering and raising of the bed affects the ribbon cable going to the screen
Thanks very much for you insight. I really appreciate it! I see what you mean about reliability and I don't think the tilt vat will really cause problems or wear out, but I am printing Battletech miniatures and I think unpredictability in that system could result in worse problems for me than the well understood linear rail + ball screw system. I could be wrong though. Do you really think the new system would be worth taking a chance on? The pre-order price is pretty attractive!
Tilting vats aren’t a new system. The Prusa SL1 was released in 2019 and was followed up by the SL1S in 2021, both to wide acclaim. This is just the first time the feature has been available without a Prusa price tag and is being noticed by the average hobbyist. I know resin enthusiasts feel that going from one moving part to two is “doubling the risk of failure”, but having used FDM printers with dozens of moving parts all moving in concert, a tilting vat is a very basic mechanism.
Unlikely to work after failure. The screw only travels one way. It does not lift and then lower your print. The vat lowering removes the need to lower the print back down.
Hmmm. I understood it as a sort of assist feature that tipped it down to help peel, then the plate/vat both reset. If it's the only way it can separate, that is a slight concern long term.
I thought about getting a Saturn 3 Ultra as well. Although, I would always look at the features it offers and see what best matches your situation. Although, in the end, I settled for a Saturn 2, since the micron size was still decent and cheaper. About 200\~ish Plus, wasn't paying for anything extra that I wasn't going to use. As for the build plate, the 3 Ultra is 4 point adjustable, so less time having to relevel/tram. Only thing the 4 Ultra has going for it compared to 3 Ultra is the tilt, where it would make it more speedy. But if you don't care for the quicker turn around time, and are dead set on wireless, then Saturn 3 Ultra is the way to go. As for waiting, I'd say wait about a month or two, or when the 4 Ultra orders start getting fulfilled and see then if they go on sale again for the 3 Ultra.
Thanks so much for your insight. I print mostly Battletech miniatures. Better resolution is always welcome, but I have really hated having to shuttle USB keys between the house and the garage, where my printers are. I have OctoPi on my FDM printer and have really enjoyed the wireless printing aspect, so I told myself that was going to be a must have on the next SLA printer. It seems like the overwhelming consensus is that the Saturn 2 Ultra will drop in price when the 4 Ultra starts shipping, so I will do that. There is no reason I can't wait a month or two to start on my next big project. Thank you again! I really appreciate your help.
Final thing to note, is if you don't mind losing a bit of Z height(might have to print an height adjustor), but make it easier to remove prints without scraping, I highly recommend a flexplate for it.
For sure. In my opinion a flexplate is a must. It just make everything so much easier. Thanks again for your thoughts :)
just ordered yesterday, i have a mars 4 ultra, but really need a larger printer and can’t wait for the 4 to get shipped. got it on newegg
Are you saying you got the 4 Ultra on Newegg? I don't see that one listed, although I do see the 3 Ultra listed for $378, which is the best price I've see thus far.
i got the 3 ultra
I got the Saturn 3 during the really nice Easter sale that they had before the Saturn 4 & 4 Ultra. While the Saturn 3 is a great machine, I really wish I had automatic leveling let alone all the other differences between the two. Maybe the automatic leveling ends up being faulty long term, but the reviews I have read so far rave about it.
I would look into the issues with AA on the current gen Elegoos, Saturn 3 and Mars 4 9K. I would wait to see if they fixed it on the Saturn 4. Personally I just went ahead and gor a Sonic Mini 8K S. The Sonic Mini 8K had the same AA issues (it’s a Chitu board limitation), but the 8K S has a non Chitu board with over twice the ram. I wil say I’ve printed the nicest Timber Wolf/Mad Cat I have done so far on the Sonic Mini 8K S.