One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2025 is to get better at digital crafting, and I’ve excitedly (and a little regrettably) dived into the deep end by attempting to teach myself how to 3D print models using resin. It’s only been a week so far since I set up my brand new Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra printer, and I’ve learnt alot with help from YouTube tutorials and by simply getting stuck in.
Just like my first 3 weeks with an FDM 3D printer, there have been plenty of learning curves I’ve dealt with while getting to grips with resin printing. For starters, the slicing process involves learning how to use new software from scratch, adjusting to different support structures, and more importantly, ensuring that you’ve added drainage holes to your models before printing them to prevent them from internally cracking and eventually exploding (yes, really).
A week ago, I was a complete newbie to using resin printers, but I did have experience using some of the best FDM 3D printers on the market, including my trusty Anycubic Kobra 2. It’s safe to say that printing with resin is a VERY different experience from printing with PLA materials, and I soon realised that I needed to drastically change my workflow, and find a different workspace altogether to begin my journey of resin 3D printing.
Setting up and prep
I started off by gutting out my garage to make space for my new ELEGOO printer, which involved scraping off paint from the workbench, organising tools, and battling too many cobwebs to count. Thankfully it was worth the effort, as my garage is now my official resin factory – and offers the perfect space for plenty of ventilation, and handling toxic chemicals away from my usual work-from-home office space.
This is very important when working with resin, as the fumes produced during the curing process emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are harmful to your health and can be poisonous if inhaled. ELEGOO kindly sent me the Mars Mate Air purifier as well as its Mercury XS washing and curing stations to help with my resin printing mission, and to ensure a smooth and safe process of curing my resin prints – which become non-toxic and safe to handle without gloves once fully cured.
Other safety precautions I’ve been taking involve wearing nitrile gloves every time I handle materials, wearing a respiratory mask when the printer is on, and keeping a clean workspace to avoid contamination.
This might seem a little on the extreme side, and knowing the safety risks in hindsight may have swayed me from attempting to learn to resin print altogether, but nearly all of the YouTube videos that I’ve been watching over the last week have stressed the importance of working with resin safely, and I’d rather not find out what the consequences are of taking shortcuts.
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(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra first impressions
I was told that Elegoo’s Saturn 4 Ultra printer was a great option for complete beginners using resin, and actually, I do think that I’ve been lucky in most cases with how easy the printer has been to set up and operate. For example, the Saturn 4 Ultra has automatic bed levelling, which I know from working with FDM printers is a huge time saver and eliminates the hassle of having to level the build plate for optimum print quality. It also comes with an AI camera included to help monitor prints, which is usually a costly extra with other competitor printers.
I like that the touchscreen display is large and simple to navigate, without too many options or advanced settings to complicate things. The included Wi-Fi antenna is superb for allowing the printer to download and install its own firmware updates automatically, and it provides the option to send files to the printer over WiFi instead of the included USB stick too. Another great feature is the resin exposure test, which in concept allows four separate models to be exposed at different times to assess the results, though I haven’t fully figured out how to do this yet.
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Using a radiator to heat my printer and resin(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
As for the design of the Saturn 4 Ultra, I think it’s stunning to look at and incredibly sturdy with an enclosed build, although there are a few things that have left me scratching my head. Firstly, I feel like there should be some kind of handle or latch for opening and closing the cover, especially since most of the time you’re usually trying to avoid touching too many things while wearing gloves, to prevent spreading resin everywhere.
Secondly, my research on resin printing suggested that prints can often fail or print poorly due to low temperatures, and it’s stated on the ELEGOO resin bottles that the optimum temperature for printing is around 25 degrees Celsius. Resin printers are meant to be kept in well-ventilated or outdoor areas (like a garage) so I was concerned when initially booting up the Saturn 4 Ultra in my garage and noticing that the temperature was displaying as only 3 degrees. With no internal heater inside the printer, I had to place my portable radiator next to the printer for a few hours to heat it up, and it gradually got to a stable 20-degree temperature.
My very first resin prints
ELEGOO provides a few test models on the included USB drive to use with the Saturn 4 Ultra, and my very first print was ELEGOO’s Rook chess piece model with a spiral castle design. It printed extremely well (although I definitely over-exposed the first layer) and gave me the confidence to try out a slightly bigger Pokemon model as my second attempt at resin printing.
The resin material that ELEGOO supplied me with was a bottle of the standard photopolymer mixture in translucent. I researched beforehand (I like to be prepared) and found that translucent resin cures much faster than other coloured resins because of its easier UV light transmissions.
So with this in mind, I reduced the normal exposure time of this specific resin within the new ELEGOO SatelLite 3D Slicer, and I’m happy with the results I got when printing some Crystal Lapras Pokemon models – although they did turn out to be pretty yellow-tinted from over curing during post-process, which I’ll keep in mind when I attempt this model again soon.
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TMNT buddies by Ronin Arts Workshop via My MIni Factory(Image credit: Future)
Crystal Lapras by Deltree3D via Thangs(Image credit: Future)
T-Rex Skeleton by @David_74683 via Printables(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Princess Peach by Irnkman via My Mini Factory(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
I also purchased a 1KG bottle of ELEGOO’s grey resin, and have been using this to print mini models including a set of TMNT figures, a Princess Peach model (I haven’t removed the supports yet), as well as a large T-Rex skull which I’m very excited to wash and cure. I did have a few failed prints in the early stages, where I would check the build plate after a few hours to discover nothing was there.
I managed to troubleshoot this by using the Vat Cleaning feature on the Saturn 4 Ultra display screen, and by cleaning the build plate thoroughly with Isopropyl alcohol. It’s worth noting that these failed prints all occurred overnight t when the temperature had dropped, so perhaps the colder temperature also played a part in my failed prints. I might need to get myself one of the ELEGOO Mini Heaters to solve this problem long-term.
I’ve really enjoyed my first week of resin printing, although I still have plenty to learn and I’m excited to try out some resin dyes and alcohol links with the translucent resin for some creative effects. I also need to make some PPE upgrades with a better respirator and buy some extra storage and a sturdy bin for my garage. I have a feeling this might turn into a very expensive hobby pretty fast.
