In this blog, I will compare the cost and true speed of the GiziMax Ultimate 3D printer with that of a well known laser based SLA over a period of 3 years. I am using values from the website of the well known laser based SLA printers (as shown today, on Nov 4, 2017 - at the time that this post was written). These calculations do not include postage.
Cost comparison: Laser based SLA VS GiziMax Ultimate
Let's assume we use 2 liters of resin per month for a period of 3 years. The laser based SLA printer costs $3499 with a build volume of 145mm x 145mm x 175mm. Users are restricted to using resin from the manufacturer if they want all the capabilities of the printer enabled. The cheapest resin costs $149 at this time - if you used 2 liters a month, it would cost $298. According to the manufacturer, the vat will need to be replaced after every two liters of resin used which will cost $59 per month. Therefore, the monthly cost to run the printer is $357. Over a period of 3 years, it will cost $16351, calculated as follows: 3 years = 36 months x $357 (vat replacement cost) = $12 852 + $3 499 (cost of printer) = $16351
In comparison, a GiziMax Ultimate currently costs $14 430 with a build volume of 400mm x 225mm x 800mm. Users are able to use any off-the-shelf resin without losing any capabilities of the printer. Let's say you decided to use FunToDo Standard Blend resin at $50 per liter. Two liters of resin a month will cost $100. Unlike the laser based SLA printer that needs its vat replaced after every 2 liters of resin, the Gizimax Ultimate requires no replacement parts. Over a period of 3 years, it will cost $18 030, calculated as follows: 3 years = 36 months = $100 a month = $3 600 + $14 430 = $18 030
That is just over $1650 more than the well known SLA printer over a period of 3 years BUT with all of the following benefits which makes it well worth it:
Now let's compare a GiziMate of $3950 with a build volume of 200mm x 113mm x 130mm. The build volume is much closer to the laser based SLA printer. We will also use a $149 resin in this comparison. The resin cost will be $298 a month.
Over a period of 3 years, it will cost $14678, calculated as follows: 3 years = 36 months x $298 = $10 728 + $3 950 (cost of printer) = $14678.
This is a saving of $1673 for a printer that is faster than the SLA printer, expandable to a build volume of 400mm x 225mm x 260mm, fully open to use any resin and no replacement parts between prints.
> Super speed printing: With its two projectors, the GiziMax Ultimate can reach a print speed of 3mm per minute for a projection area of 100mm x 62mm with FunToDo Standard Blend red resin. Even higher speeds may be possible with other resins. > Larger build volumes: You will be able to print at a maximum size of 400mm x 225mm x 800mm. > More resin for your money: Included in the price of the GiziMax Ultimate is enough resin to fill the vat plus an additional 10 liters to print with when you get the printer. In summary, for just over $1650 more, you get a lot more value for your money when buying a GiziMax Ultimate.
Speed comparison: Laser based SLA VS GiziMax Ultimate
Wondering what the true speed of a GiziMax Ultimate printer is? That's a difficult question in the sense that it is similar to asking How long is a piece of string?
That it because it depends entirely on what you are printing, which resin and what printing method (standard or continuous printing) you are using:
> What are you printing? The Gizmetor software that comes with a GiziMax Ultimate printer has many settings of which the values can be changed to make the printer faster or slower - depending on what is being printed and what result you are after.
The printing speed comprises of two things. Mechanical movement time and image display time. Mechanical movement time is the time it takes for the build plate to move up and down and it also includes time needed for the resin to flood the previous layer and stop moving. Let's use a standard value of 9 seconds. Add the 9 seconds to the display time explained lower in the blog to determine the time it will take per layer.
> Which resin and printing method are you using?
Let's look at how different resins and printing methods can affect print speed with a display area of 80mm x 45mm.
Using FunToDo Standard Blend red resin, a layer can be displayed in 3 seconds when printing at standard speed. When printing using super speed, this resin can cure a layer in only 1.5 seconds.
FunToDo Deep Black resin can take twice as long to display.
DruckWege resin can display a layer in 2 seconds at standard speed or 1 second using super speed.
The display time of resins from 3dresyns range from 2.5 seconds to 16 seconds per layer depending on the resin. Their resins are meant to be used with UV projectors so their resins will only be recommended to our industrial customers.
At a projection area of 350mm x 197mm, FunToDo Standard Blend takes 65 seconds to print a layer at standard speed while 35 seconds using the super speed.
Printing with the continuous printing method is a different story. Continuous printing doesn't have mechanical movement times and the printing times using the same resins will look as follows:
FunToDo standard blend resin with a projection size of 110mm x 62mm with super speed will print 3mm per minute.
FunToDo standard blend resin at a projection size of 350 x 197mm with super speed will print 0.3mm per minute.
DruckWege resin at a projection size of 80mm x 45mm will print up to 8mm per minute, but we recommend that you set your printing speed to 4mm per minute for a better result.
As you can see the printing speed varies tremendously between the resins and the printing methods. Another aspect that affects printing speed is whether you need to display many pixels at a time (which is normally the case when printing a flat surface) vs few pixels (such as a hollow object for example). More pixels need less power and less pixels need more power. One would need to print a flat surface that has more pixels at more of an angle than would be required if you printed a hollow object for example that would have less pixels. The steeper the angle is that you are printing an object at, the longer the print time.
In summary, the answer to the question "What is the true speed of a GiziMax Ultimate printer?", is that really depends on what you are printing, which resin and what printing method (standard or continuous printing) you are using.