New Anycubic Photon Ultra DLP 3D Printer Launches on Kickstarter
At 3DSourced we’ve covered everything 3D printing and 3D since 2017. Our team has interviewed the most innovative 3D printing experts, tested and reviewed more than 20 of the most popular 3D printers and 3D scanners to give our honest recommendations, and written more than 500 3D printing guides over the last 5 years.
Anycubic, the established 3D printer brand known for its high-quality and affordable printers, is launching a brand-new printer, the Anycubic Photon Ultra, to Kickstarter with a world premiere: the world’s first affordable, high-precision DLP 3D printer for consumers.
The Anycubic Photon Ultra features an exclusive debut of Texas Instrument’s latest DLP technology, which brings many advantages to users, such as: low-to-no maintenance, extremely high-resolution prints, and much lower power consumption. Anycubic is aimed to solve this problem and fit the needs of its customers.
Anycubic Photon Ultra: the main benefits and new features
High-precision printing
Although the Anycubic Photon Ultra’s resolution is listed as 720p, its print quality is even better than that of 2K/4K monochrome LCD screen printers.
This is because DLP printers use a different technology to project light compared to LCD printers. DLP printers use a projector that reflects all the light to a pixel via a micromirror, therefore, there is no light convergence, achieving crisper black-white contrasts. LCD printers converge all the light to a pixel, which can cause bumps and shadows on the edge of models.
When displaying thin lines and small-size texts, DLP printers are clearer than LCD printers with purer colors and richer layers, resulting in more delicate textures and sharper corners of models.
Longer durability
LCD screens are consumable, and need to be replaced every 3 to 5 months. The Anycubic Photon Ultra does not have an LCD screen, instead featuring an internal projector with more than 20,000 hours lifespan.
This means the average user saves about $600 on LCD screen replacements over the printer’s lifetime usage. With a Kickstarter price tag of $399, most people will have more money saved than they spent on the Anycubic Photon Ultra!
Energy saving
The fact that the Anycubic Photon Ultra doesn’t require high maintenance LCD screens is already a big step forward in creating an environmentally friendly 3D printer. The machine is also much more energy-efficient, which further improves its impact on the environment.
The Anycubic Photon Ultra DLP printer operates at 40% light efficiency, which is 15 times higher than the 2.5-3% that LCD printers usually operate at. It uses far less energy and is rated at 12W with an average power consumption of 8.5W. The printer consumes between 0.017 – 0.034 kWh to print a 100mm high model.
Whisper quiet printing
Lower power consumption equals less heat, which means the Anycubic Photon Ultra doesn’t need any cooling fans, making it truly whisper quiet.
Smooth edges
With 16 x anti-aliasing, the edges and corners of prints are smoothed out, reducing layer lines and post-processing time.
Fast print speed
Anycubic Photon Ultra’s print speed is about 1.5s per layer. To compare this, the Photon Mono X takes around 1.5 to 2 seconds per layer. Compared to SLA’s point light source printing, its speed is up to 5 times faster.
Wide range of resin options
Anycubic Photon Ultra has options for adjustable UV power, which makes the printer suitable for use with a wide range of resins, giving users endless possibilities and creative freedom.
Better adhesion
The print bed has been laser engraved for enhanced platform adhesion and evenness, ensuring prints have a higher success rate and better stability.
User-friendly interface
The Anycubic Photon Ultra debuts printing settings to be modified directly on the printer via the color touch screen, making it easier to adjust and optimize without a computer.
Price & Crowdfunding details
The Anycubic Photon Ultra is making its worldwide debut on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter, where it will be available at just $399 for the first 100 backers, and then $499 thereafter. After the Kickstarter campaign, Anycubic says that the Photon Ultra’s price on retailers like Amazon will be over $599.
Anycubic’s Photon Ultra is launching on Kickstarter on September 15th, 2021, where it will be available for pre-order in a worldwide exclusive.
We are using crowdfunding to match the innovative spirit of our customers, who are trailblazers in the creative community, always embracing the new.
— The Anycubic team
The campaign will last for approximately one month, offering many benefits, discounts, and special promotions to our early supporters. After Kickstarter, backers will be the first in the world to receive their Anycubic Photon Ultra, and later in the year, it will become available via the regular Anycubic distribution channels at a slightly higher price.
A word from the Anycubic team:
Anycubic is a leading company in the 3D printer industry specializing in 3D printer R&D, manufacturing, and sales. We provide many affordable, high-performance, and smart printers for different kinds of customers, consumers, hobbyists, schools, and product designers. Since being established in 2015, we have been committed to propelling 3D printing technology to enable people from all walks of life to unleash their creativity and turn their imagination into reality.
