Joe's 3D Workbench: My first DLP 3D printer $600 FLSun S Complete / Micromake L2

This was one of the 3D printers that GearBest wanted me to do a rush review on. And then I broke it and I was like "I can't do a review on it" and then March MadMess happened, and suddenly I was able to do a review because I wasn't waiting any more.

And of course, now, you can't even get them at GearBest right now. I hear it's a problem with shipping. I've heard it's something to do with shipping the resin, and when they work that out they'll be shipping again. But this prompted me to join the AliExpress affiliate program, because they were the only place you could buy them. There's no associate sending me free stuff with them, but now you can have 3 places to buy and I'll get the kickbacks.

Here's some things to know about this 3D printer that will help you avoid the pitfalls I fell into:

The FLSun S was previously the Micromake L2
While the printer is compact, the printing process is not
This ain't FFF. You're going to need new build materials, new processes, and begin to learning process from square one
Pour that resin directly in the reservoir to start
Do not clean the build vat by putting it in the sun to harden the resin

I don't know what happened that caused the change in this printer's name and brand. My educated guess is FLSun was the manufacturer, Micromake licensed it, Micromake stopped ordering them, and FLSun started selling what was left. I say that because this is too similar to be a industrical espionage copy job. But who knows, maybe Micromake got their plans stolen and FLSun started manufacturing them. But whether they're the L2 or S Complete, they're hard to get a hold of right now. That's the way of things with me. I find something I like and everyone stop carrying it.

Finding the right space for the printing processes is very difficult, harder than FFF, for sure. The material is toxic, so no keeping this one in the house where growing children might be affected. However, keep it away from the sun, so watch those doors and windows and time when you use this printer with the movement of the sun. If course you can just run it with the lid on, and never know if you're print is failing.

Is DLP more or less expensive than FFF? Common knowledge says yes, but I'm not really sure. That will definitely affect the frequency of the experiments. When you're paying pennies for your prints it's easier to justify making Yoda busts.

While this is a little more expensive than the similarly sized Duplicator 7, the on-board system and touchscreen interface, with the fact that they've got it all together, make the small additional cost more than worth it in my mind.

It's exciting to have this printer. I can't wait to see what possibilities this opens up for me. But one problem with possibilities is it becomes a question of juggling different technologies. These printers run best when they run often, and I haven't had the time during March MadMess to give all my various printers the time and love they need. Maybe having more types of 3D printers has a down side.

Naaa.

Get yer' links here.