Two years ago, Phrozen revealed the first ever 8K resolution LCD 3D printer. But not only that, this 3D printer was, and still is, the biggest ever resin 3D printer on the consumer market. Being the first, of course, it generated a lot of buzz from the 3D printing community because everyone seemed so interested in what this humongous machine really was all about.
In this article, we'll see what VogMan has to say about this beast, a printer so big that he thought it was way bigger than his washing machine! Here are what we'd cover:
- Hot news from the 3D printing community.
- Sonic Mega 8K arrived in huge packaging.
- This resin printer is not just big. It's strong and solid.
- A new resin color: Aqua-Ivory 4K.
- See what this enormous 3D printer can print.
- What VogMan thinks about the Sonic Mega 8K, and should you get one?
Hot News from the Resin 3D Printing Community
At the end of May 2021, VogMan released a video of the newest and most exciting news from the 3D printing community, specifically for resin 3D printing. One news came from Phrozen, as they released the Sonic Mega 8K. And as the name suggests, it is a large-volume 3D printer. Not only that it promises bigger resin prints than ever seen before, it also gives a stupendous 8K resolution. With a z-axis build height of 40 cm, it is indeed huge and could print almost twice as tall as the Sonic Mighty 4K at 43 microns.
A Huge Package Arrived on VogMan's Mail
Fast forward to about one and a half months later, VogMan excitedly announced that he had received a couple of packages in his mail, with Sonic Mega 8K LCD 3D Printer being one of them.
In his own words, he mentioned how much he was surprised by the sheer size of this printer. "The Phrozen Sonic Mega 8K 3D resin printer. We knew it was coming, and we knew it was big. But we were wrong. It's huge!" According to VogMan, it looks more like a furniture instead of a 3D printer. Even the box was bigger than his washing machine.
According to Geoff from VogMan, unpacking the Sonic Mega 8K is a two-person job unless you want to risk dropping the huge 3D printer. Once unpacked, you can see that it was wrapped in the same super strong film that shows how Phrozen really cares about their products, as no flimsy cling wrap was used for this 3D printer.
It's Not Just Big, It's Strong and Well-Built
Under the strong film is the wonderful solid metal construction. It's smooth, rigid, and big.
There are two large metal doors with three hinges each that could fold all the way to the back. They revealed generous access to a cleverly packaged interior, and an incredibly huge building plate. Geoff compared the size of Sonic Mega 8K's building plate with the building plate of Sonic 4K to show how big the plate really is. It's big, solid, and impressive. To accommodate the gigantic building plate, the resin vat is also incredibly massive, with two sturdy handles and a body that fits easily to the grooved base.
The dual linear rails have quite some width to make sure that the building plate is as stable as it can be. The equally wide z-arm is equipped with two knobs that safely secure the plate.
The front of the machine house a generous-sized display touch screen that allows for clear navigation. On the left of the screen lays the USB port. Although Geoff usually is not a fan of a front USB port, this one is different. There's so much distance between the screen and the USB port that neither interferes with the other. Turn the machine 180 degrees, and you can see that the rear houses two fairly quiet fans, a power switch, and an ethernet port.
Inside the machine lays the spirit of any LCD 3D printer. And for this machine, it's the much anticipated 8K resolution monochrome screen. At 43 microns, it should give us wonderfully crisp details. Although on paper it seems like it's far less than the 35 microns from Sonic 4K, in reality, it's so close that the naked eye might not be able to see the differences.
In summary, the Sonic Mega 8K looks big, solid, metallic, and wholesome. It exudes quality and reliability.
But the million-dollar question is, does it print?
Building Plate Calibration on the Sonic Mega 8K
When it comes to calibrating the z-axis on this huge LCD 3D printer, Geoff only has two words: you don't. These giant 3D printers come pre-calibrated, and you probably won't need to calibrate it yourself due to the size. So unless an angry courier is involved somewhere, Phrozen believes that the printer should arrive perfectly calibrated.
The New Aqua-Ivory 4K
To celebrate the launch of the Sonic Mega 8K, Phrozen has also prepared the beloved Aqua-Gray 4K resin in a new color, Aqua-Ivory 4K. Along with the 3D printer, Geoff also received two bottles of this new resin to review from Phrozen. And with this huge 3D printer, two bottles are virtually a must. It took approximately 1.5 liters of resin to meet the maximum mark.
First Ever Prints on Sonic Mega 8K
Although this humongous printer is only compatible with ChituBox at the time of its release, it's also fully compatible with Lychee now.
Test Print With the AmeraLabs Town
After slicing the AmeraLab Town test print on the Sonic Mega 8K, Geoff is now ready for his first print. Due to the sheer size of the building plate and how slow it needs to move along the z-rod, the AmeraLab Town test print alone took two hours to complete.
Although it seems like a painstakingly long time for such a small print, the slow print is necessary. Like all the holes on the perforated building plate, the slow print is essential to reduce suction and stress on the plate. Meanwhile, with a significant amount of resin to lift and a large printing area, the holes on the building plate help to shed excess resin as the plate rises.
However, as there is no slope on the building plate, it's important to scrape out the resin on the top of the building plate before removing it to avoid the dripping mess.
The test print came out nicely. But in comparison to the Aqua-Gray 4K, the light color hides the detail from the eyes, and it's hard to show on camera. So you'll need to trust Geoff's words on how well it printed.
Printing Tenjin From Black Forge Games
Next, Geoff printed a real 3D model to see the full potential of the Sonic Mega 8K. He chose Tenjin, a samurai model from Sonic Mega 8K's launch video. It's available to purchase from Black Forge Games and came pre-supported for easy printing.
Taking advantage of the size of the plate, Geoff printed all of the parts from Tenjin on a single plate of this enormous 3D printer. Although it ended up taking more than 24 hours to print, it's great considering you might need dozens of printing lap if you are using a Sonic Mighty 4K.
With that said, the results speak for themselves. Even with such a light ivory color, the details shine through, and the Sonic Mega 8K does not disappoint with its print quality.
What VogMan Thinks About This Ginormous LCD 3D Printer?
Geoff agrees that the Sonic Mega 8K was built with excellent quality. The solid metal gives you a sense of value, and it really feels the part. Unfortunately, it adds to the weight of the already large machine. On top of that, it took up a considerable amount of table space and even more space for post-processing. Due to the size of the building plate and the 3D models printed on it, you would also need large setups for cleaning and curing.
Would You Benefit From This Huge Beast?
Although the size of the printer makes things more complicated for beginners, and most people might not need the sheer size, it's definitely an excellent printer for others.
If you want to mass-produce 3D models for a printing farm, or you want to print some huge figurines, even statues, this would be your best bet, as nothing else on the consumer market has yet to beat the size of the Sonic Mega 8K.
However, if you are just starting on your 3D printing journey, it might be best to go for the smaller options. Make sure to perfect your crafts before you take on this beast, as each trial and error will cost significantly more on this scale.
Consider the Significant Printing Time
You'll significantly benefit from the size of the build plate to print 3D model parts on one go compared to having a couple or dozens run on a smaller machine. With that said, it's undeniable that to ensure the Sonic Mega 8K will have a safe run with a complete 3D print at the end, it requires a slow z-axis movement. This adds to the overall printing time and may annoy some people. Especially if your print didn't come up the way you wanted it to be after waiting for 30 hours. But as long as you got everything set up correctly, it should not be a concern.
So, Is the Sonic Mega 8K a Worthwhile Purchase?
If the size is right for you, you'll be delighted. It's capable of printing out huge 3D model pieces or dozens of miniature armies at once. It offers you the opportunity to create life-sized models like cosplay props and industrial prototypes with high accuracy, something that has never been done in a consumer-grade 3D printer before.
The slow printing time might be something you want to consider. Still, it is much more convenient than running multiple print laps just to get all the parts for a single model. Geoff himself has several mega 3D models planned for the mega printer. And according to him, the 8K resolution quality he's seen is as impressive as the gigantic printer itself.
To watch the whole review from VogMan, you can head over to his Youtube channel or simply click the video below. If you love how VogMan's breakdown his thoughts about this humongous LCD 3D printer, then you might also love his hardest review yet.
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VogMan (formerly VegOilGuy, formerly VOG) or also known as Geoff, is someone who enjoys figuring out how things work, as well as finding the best and easiest way to do things. Geoff shares unboxing videos of 3D printers, 3D printing tips, and tricks, casting tutorials, and pretty much anything that interests him. You can check out his works on his website—VogMan, or on his Youtube channel under the same name.
