Elegoo XS Bundle Wash and Cure station review — Scrub Scrub! — GAMINGTREND

There are plenty of methods to clean your prints as soon as they’re full. I’ve seen individuals fill a twig bottle with IPA, douse the print, after which towel them off with a microfiber material. People use an ultrasonic tub you’d usually use for jewellery. It’s additionally attainable to make use of a dunk and wash methodology, utilizing a 5 gallon bucket and IPA. The issue with all of those choices is that they’re messy. Wash and Remedy combo stations have gotten the norm, and though Elegoo sells a mix the place you’ll be able to take away the spinning remedy plate and swap in a wash bucket, they’ve additionally separated them out for this product. Why would anyone need two separate stations? Properly, let’s check out the Elegoo XS Bundle and discover out.

I’ll be up entrance – I already personal a wash/remedy station, and from Elegoo’s competitor, Anycubic. I picked it up once I first began printing, and it’s served me fairly effectively, albeit with some drawbacks that I’ve discovered over time. However I’m getting forward of myself. Let’s unbox this pair from Elegoo and see what’s occurring with the Elegoo XS.

Contained in the field you’ll discover the bottom for the 2 stations, the cleansing container for the wash station, the wash basket (in two components), the anti-UV lid, the curing lights that you just’ll connect to the curing station (naturally), a wrench and screws you’ll use to connect stated lights, a handheld UV lamp, a set of UV protecting glasses, the handbook, and at last the facility adapter. We’ll get again to the latter after we speak setup. As I discussed, the stations are separated – one for cleansing, and one other for curing, so let’s begin with the previous after which take a look at the latter.

The wash station measures 255mm (10.03″) extensive by 155mm (6.1″) deep, with a peak of 385.5mm (15.17″). There are two levels to the bucket, with a barely bigger portion close to the highest. The basket that goes contained in the bucket is break up into two components — a small basket and a bigger one with handles on it. The smaller basket can relaxation within the inside lip of the wash bucket, with the bigger of the 2 falling all the best way to the underside. Why? Properly, you’ve gotten a brand new approach of washing your prints — on the plate itself. Utilizing this basket adapter, you’ll be able to depart the print on the plate, washing it in place. Usually I wouldn’t depart an object nonetheless hooked up to the plate, however for bigger prints that maybe have a separate base, it is a nice characteristic. You may depart the merchandise on the plate, guaranteeing it stays safe and doesn’t bounce round within the vortex of the liquid spinning, maintaining delicate components protected.

Talking of the vortex, the cleansing perform spins the IPA in each instructions. It’ll run for a minute in a single course, cycles down, after which spins again within the different course. It does this for each minute you spend washing. This helps clear the print, but additionally helps hit a few of the tougher to succeed in nooks and crannies in your print. The basin can maintain as much as 7000ml, although chances are you’ll or might not use that a lot IPA without delay, relying on the dimensions of your prints. 7000ml is sufficient to deal with a print over a foot tall as a single piece, although it’s simply as probably that you just’ll be printing a lot of smaller components and washing them as a batch. In the event you did take away the objects from the plate, you’ll use the basket to elevate them out of the IPA. If you’re setting the plate instantly on the secondary basket, then you definitely’ll pull the plate after which take away the print – simply be sure to clear the contact floor when you do because it’ll nonetheless have resin on it. If you’re curious, sure – it’ll match plates from different producers, so long as they’re roughly the identical measurement as a Saturn 3.

I didn’t count on to be impressed with the cleansing capabilities of a wash and remedy station, however I do really see a distinction between my Anycubic and this Elegoo XS mannequin. Maybe the magnetic wheel beneath is creating extra turbidity with sooner spins, I can’t ensure, however I’ve discovered that I’m getting far much less shiny or sticky prints after a two minute wash. Proof is within the pudding, I suppose.

In observe, you’ll wish to decide up a second bucket. The primary wash on a print is often a large cloud of shed resin. The 2 bucket methodology lets you have one which’s going to clean away the majority of the floor coat, after which you’ll be able to switch it to your second wash the place the final little bit of washing happens. You wash till the primary bucket is simply too contaminated, then you definitely make bucket two into bucket one. You then cycle out that first bucket’s IPA, curing it and optionally permitting it to settle out for re-use.

The remedy station has a pair of towers you’ll connect to the rear corners of the remedy base with the included wrench and screws. These towers have a prismatic lens on them to assist unfold the sunshine from the 14 UV LEDs on either side evenly throughout the print, working at 405nm. On the underside of the bottom is one other set of 4 UV LEDs shining upwards into the underside of your print to remedy inside. The clear plastic plate rotates round to offer a 360 diploma spin by means of the UV mild to make sure the whole mannequin is cured and protected.

Each of those gadgets function off of a single energy brick, with a Y pigtail sending energy to each base stations. They each function with a single knob within the entrance of every base. Holding the middle in for a second activates the machine, after which spinning the outer wheel units the time for cleansing or curing in 30 second increments. Every mannequin would require longer or shorter wash and remedy instances, so that you’ll must experiment with these instances to determine how a lot time is required for every kind of resin.

On the aspect of the remedy station is a small port. The included UV pen plugs in right here, offering a handheld remedy mild. The attention on it cures at 405nm – the suitable wavelength to remedy resin rapidly. Offered you punch a gap giant sufficient for it to suit, you’ll be able to press this eye within a cleaned print, utilizing the gadget to remedy the within. That is vital as uncured resin can proceed to “drool” out of the print, or worse crack and even explode. Positive, you’ll be able to attempt to make your personal model if this pen, however regardless of my greatest efforts I used to be by no means capable of dial in an LED vibrant sufficient or on the proper wavelength to do what this one can do – it’s a unbelievable shock, and one which I hope continues into future wash/remedy stations Elegoo and different distributors promote.

Included within the field is a set of UV protecting glasses. If you’re prepared to tinker to disable the security mechanism (and I don’t advocate this), you can theoretically put on these glasses with the hood off the remedy station to look at the gadget do its work. There’s probably not a cause to take action, nevertheless it does present a tacit warning about wanting instantly at high-powered LEDs. It’s good to see an included security equipment like this included.

One of many issues I used to be attempting to unravel was the flexibility to remedy bigger prints like those that come off my Jupiter SE. I nonetheless have that drawback. The remedy station can deal with prints 14.3” tall, although the towers finish about an inch shorter than that. Bigger prints just like the Minthara from Baldur’s Gate 3 that I showcased with the Jupiter SE would nonetheless require two passes (one proper aspect up, and one other the wrong way up) to make sure even curing. Simply know that in case you scale past that 14” peak, you’ll run into points with the vertical limits of the sunshine towers. It’s time for Elegoo to make a Jupiter-sized wash and remedy station, or it’s time for me to start out splitting up my prints.

The Elegoo group has been nice to work with once I’ve wanted help, and so they stand behind their merchandise. To that finish they’ve a 14 day satisfaction assure to make sure you just like the gadget. Additionally they supply lifetime help and a 1 12 months guarantee. On the time of writing, you’ll decide up the pair of those for $179, although I’ve seen them on sale for as little as $120 from time to time.

So why would you need two separate gadgets? The most important benefit is that you would be able to run each gadgets on the identical time. In the event you personal a number of 3D printers, you would possibly end up having a have to remedy and wash concurrently. More durable resins might require longer time curing, so having the ability to proceed to clean different prints could be a boon. For me it’s easier than that – I’m maintaining liquids away from my resin curing. Taking a look at my Anycubic after roughly two years of use, the reflective plate is beginning to look fairly tough. Somewhat splash right here and there and immediately I’m needing to interchange the spinning plate and stated reflector. Positive, the Elegoo XS fixes the reflector drawback by changing it with 4 LED pearls within the base, which is a strong enchancment over a shiny piece of plastic, however maintaining each actions very separate has already improved my workflow. It’s reduce my post-work cleanup, and the set-it-and-forget-it nature of a wash and remedy station permits me to multitask.

Except in any other case acknowledged, the product on this article was supplied for overview functions.