Anycubic Photon 4k - Simply a Joy

A biproduct of growing up immersed in the nerd lifestyle was that I was encouraged to be a tinkerer from a very early age. Creating ornate structures and props with Legos and mix-and-matching parts from various toys quickly developed into "borrowing" my father's screwdrivers

to disassemble and rebuild my playthings. I was the child that took things apart, then bragged that I could put them back together and get them working again...AND with fewer parts than they originally came with. So, my things became more fragile and I began my habit of always having a bucket of mismatched leftover screws and fasteners. My fascination with knowing how things worked and how they were put together never went away. I thrived on building projects in school, loved taking scraps and making usable items from them, and learning how to use various tools for unorthodox purposes and cobbling together new creations. If that was taking apart three broken bookshelves and piecing together one solid, usable one... I did it. If it was learning how to use industrial tools like plasma torches and arc welders so that I could take scrap metal from the junk yard and make a suit of medieval armor... I did it. I was a maker, a creator, a tinkerer. And, I happened to be born at the perfect time for one of the greatest revolutions in maker-tech in decades. My Star Trek replicator fantasies were becoming a reality with 3D printing.

As I've discussed before, table top gaming is a passion of mine that I inherited from my father and his friends. I absolutely love collecting the tiny figurines, painting them to the best of my abilities, and getting to show my tiny creations off at the gaming table. But...D&D Minis quickly became a very expensive hobby. So, I began researching means of getting less costly figures to do battle at the table. No matter where I looked, the prices seemed to be very fairly standardized. Until I began learning about 3D resin printing. I dove into researching the printers, the resins, the process, the costs. I was nervous, but I finally decided to purchase the Anycubic Photon Mono 4K resin printer. I placed my order, and nervously waited. Had I bitten off more than I could handle? How do I get 3D files? Is the resin going to make me sick in my house? Will I even be able to use the things I try to print? All questions that make me laugh now.

When my Photon Mono 4K arrived, I was amazed at how simple the setup was. Attach the print bed, use the included card to level the build plate, slide in the resin vat, and it was ready to go! I jumped on Thingiverse.com and found my first model: a dwarf cleric. After a quick trip through a free slicing program, I was off! The Photon Mono 4K has a very simple, and easy to use interface. I got my tiny dwarf printing in minutes and went to work. After a12 hour shift finally ended, I returned home. I was ecstatic when I went to my office and found my cleric hanging upside down in my printer. The printer's monitor showed that the print had taken just under 3 hours. Next, a quick alcohol bath and removal of supports and I couldn't have been happier. The print quality was incredible! My homemade mini was more

detailed and less had fewer flaws than many of my store-bought minis from Wiz Kids and Reaper Bones. I was hooked! I quickly started collecting 3D files from various websites and creating print files to fill up my printer's USB drive. Every day, I started a print before I went to work, pulled them off when I got home and started another print before I went to bed. It was so exciting to always have something new waiting on me. I rapidly built my mini collection over the following months. Now I refer to the army of tiny warriors on my bookshelf as my "Pile of Shame" (as most of them have yet to be painted). But, each time I see my finished models and my "Pile of Shame" they brings me so much joy. All these tiny projects and memories are due to how user friendly and dependable Anycubic made the Photon Mono 4K.

I've been using that same printer for over 2 years without any faults or parts needing to be replaced. It simply works. Every time I try to print something, the Photon 4K delivers. And, at a price point that can't be beat. In the last 2 years, the Photon Mono 4K has been replaced by the

Anycubic Photon Mono 2. But, as the features have gotten better, the same budget friendly price point has remained. As of today (8-20-24), the Photon Mono 2 can be purchased from Anycubic's website for $209 or from Amazon.com for $149. Anycubic's website also includes bundles with various useful accessories such as the Anycubic Wash and Cure station. As a table top gamer and a video gamer, I can't

overstate the joy of being able to print memorabilia from my favorite games as well as being able to create custom characters for my tabletop adventures whenever I choose to. I plan to continue using my Anycubic Photon 4K as long as it continues to work for me and am very likely to only upgrade to another Anycubic printer when mine eventually stops working. I have been impressed with Anycubic's devices, resins, filaments, and support/service. I highly recommend Anycubic as a company and the Photon series of printers to anybody wanting to get into the resin 3D printing world. You'll be glad you did!

I give my Anycubic Photon 4K a 6 out of 10

Pros

• The price...You can't beat this price point for a solid device

• The build quality - I've used this printer for years and haven't had a single piece go out on

• The print quality - My prints still regularly outshine commercial items

• Print speed - I was very pleased with the speed I was able to complete prints. Being able to print a plate of D&D minis in under 3 hours.

Cons

• Build Volume - The Photon 4K has a build volume of 132 x 80 x 165 mm.

  • This is great for miniatures and display figures. But not much bigger than that.

• Outdated - The Photon 4K is outdated and has been replaced with faster, higher definition printers.

This review would be higher, but compared to Anycubic's newer printers, it is plainly outdone. When it was new, it would have been a solid 9 out or 10.

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Amazon Link for Anycubic Photon Mono 2- https://amzn.to/3A2rAb2

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Link to the Anycubic Site : https://store.anycubic.com/