Thanks to the answers we received to questions asked in our online contact form for the period of 29 June 2019 to 4 May 2020, I've been able to compile the following statistics:
Let's take a closer look at the top ten things people don't like about their resin 3D printers and why they are interested in the Gizmo 3D Printers.
1. That it's a Bottom-Up, Not a Top-Down resin 3D printer
Using a bottom-up resin 3D printer, unfortunately, means a lot more can go wrong during the 3D printing process. Some of the many possible causes of failed prints on a bottom-up printer include:
Weak areas in the 3D print caused by the light getting blocked when hardened bits of resin sink to the bottom of the vat.
Prints can get pulled off of the build plate or deformed during the peeling step in the printing process due to suction forces. If the print is delicate, it could stretch easily, or if it's large and heavy, it could detach due to gravity. Both gravity and suction forces can be the cause of poor adhesion of the print to the build plate.
The Teflon or PDMS layer needs to be replaced. These deteriorate over time and can get scratched easily, which affects print quality.
Using a bottom-up resin 3D printer also means having to waste a lot more time on maintenance tasks such as:
Having to empty the vat between prints to clean out unwanted resin bits or residue.
Having to replace your PDMS or Teflon layer - this is one of the biggest pains and expenses users of bottom-up resin printers have to deal with regularly.
The Joys of Top-Down Resin 3D Printing
None of the issues with bottom-up resin 3D printing that's listed above apply to the top-down Gizmo 3D Printers, saving users of our printers time and money. At the same time, they have a much more enjoyable experience resin 3D printing. "The Gizmo was great because it is very comparable in results with the Formlabs, but it could do much more because of the top down printing approach." ~ Gizmo 3D customer Marco Bresciani "I can tell you from all the people I interact with on Twitter and Discord, that bottom-up printers are much more prone to problems. Mainly in the sense of things not sticking to the build plate, FEP films fogging up and needing replacing all the time, and sometimes even models getting crushed because of incorrect Z-axis movement!" ~ Gizmo 3D customer Garth Rönkkö
2. It's Slow
Most resin 3D printers only have one print speed and laser-based SLA 3D printers are slower compared to LCD or DLP resin printers. This because SLA printers print with a single beam of light that cures sections of one object at a time - much like an FDM 3D printer prints only a section at a time. On the other hand, LCD and DLP 3D printers can impressively print multiple items at once.
Groundbreaking Printing Speed
Looking for a fast DLP 3D printer? The Gizmo 3D printer is the fastest top-down resin 3D printer and able to print many objects at once. "Extremely fast and reliable prints vs FDM (15hrs to 4 hrs) and some SLA competitors which means that you can iterate your prototype faster." ~ Gizmo 3D customer Ahseuri Azri "The fact that I can make my already fast machine even faster with some upgrades in future, is such a massive bonus!" ~ Gizmo 3D customer Garth Rönkkö
3. They Need Better Resolution
Usually, if people feel they need better resolution, it is because they have been 3D printing on FDM machines that deliver low-resolution results compared to resin 3D printers.
But many resin 3D printers don't deliver the same resolution and accuracy across the build plate. For this reason, users of resin 3D printers may start looking around at other alternative resin 3D printers that offer better resolution or accuracy across the entire build area.
Higher Resolution Resin 3D Printing
The Gizmo high-resolution DLP 3D printer delivers incredible and consistent accuracy across the entire surface of the build plate - even when using our big volume resin 3D printer of which the build plate size is 400mm x 225mm. Oh, and have you heard our BIG news yet? We've just released our 4K DLP printer range :)
"Gizmo 3D Printers has the best resolution, build volume, speed, allows any resin material, and has no consumable parts. These factors make it the best value and the printer worth buying." ~ Gizmo 3D customer Max Davis
4. It's Unreliable
It's shocking how many resin 3D printers aren't made of quality parts but instead put together with dozens of cheap plastics, for example. It appears many manufacturers use the business model of designing products that break so that they can make money on replacement parts. It's incredibly annoying if parts break during an urgent resin 3D printing production, and you have to wait for new parts to arrive before you can continue to print. Soon, the maintenance alone can add up costing more than the machine itself.
Ultra Reliability
The quality Gizmo 3D Printers are built for industrial use with steel and aluminum. They are ultra-reliable and virtually immune to breakdowns. With our simplified design, only one part moves during the printing process, offering maximum reliability and minimum downtime. "I produce prototype heat exchangers, full size, and it has decimated my prototyping costs and turnaround time. Instead of spending 25K on a prototype (tooling, fixtures, production) I spend 1k and instead of 3 months lead time, I now offer 1-2 weeks." ~ Gizmo 3D customer Johan Siverklev
5. The Build Volume is Too Small
Resin 3D printers usually come in small sizes, which can limit creativity. Having a larger build volume also means you can print more items at once and increase your productivity.
Bigger Build Volumes
The Gizmo 3D Printers are available in a range of sizes up to the largest build volume of 400mm x 225mm x 800mm, making it one of the best options for anyone looking for a large volume resin 3D printer. "Was looking at a lot of other options to get in to resin printing but none met the build volume I need until I found the Gizmo 3D Printer." ~ Gizmo 3D customer Nephi Jahn "One of the biggest print volumes out there." ~ Gizmo 3D customer Johan Siverklev "The gizmo printers are a great option for both small size and large size printing." ~ Gizmo 3D customer Paulo Guinibert
6. Technology Type
There are three types of resin 3D printers - SLA, LCD, and DLP. SLA and DLP 3D printers are available in both top-down and bottom-up versions. There are no top-down LCD printers, which means users of these printers miss out on the many benefits of top-down 3D printing. As mentioned before, SLA 3D printing is also the slowest of the three options. Many people want to move from FDM 3D printing to resin 3D printing for its higher resolution and faster printing capabilities.
Cutting Edge DLP 3D Printing Technology
The Gizmo 3D Printers (advanced DLP 3D Printing technology) offer users all the benefits of top-down resin 3D printing in addition to ground-breaking printing speeds and high resolution. "What would normally be a 24 hour high resolution print on my FDM Printers, my GiziMax printer can do it in half the time if not more." ~ Gizmo 3D customer Nephi Jahn
7. Materials are Expensive
Users of some resin 3D printers are limited with regards to what resins they can use. They can only use resins by the manufacturer of that resin 3D printer, which can be much more costly compared to other third party resins.
Compatibility With Hundreds of Third-party Resins to Suit Your Budget
The Gizmo 3D Printers are compatible with hundreds of third-party resins, which gives the user a more comprehensive range of resins to choose from to suit their budget. "I've been 3D printing for over 10 years. In this time, I've printed on nearly every machine. I was continuously looking for one to own. Formlabs seemed like it could be a good fit but after running the numbers and costs, it is a slow machine that gets slower when you print more parts + it has costly consumable resin trays, and a high cost of proprietary materials. Carbon was way too expensive in itself, then again in material, and you can only lease, not own. That one was out too. After reading a positive comment on a thread, I purchased a GiziMate 3d Printer and have been printing every day since. I'm incredibly happy with mine." ~ Gizmo 3D customer Max Davis
8. The Cost and Running Cost of Industrial 3D Printers
Industrial 3D printers are usually very pricey and as mentioned, users can be limited to using only costly materials. The service plans of some industrial resin 3D printers are also very expensive.
Most Affordable Range of Industrial Resin 3D Printers
Where other industrial printers are priced around US $50 000, the Gizmo 3D Printers are far more economical. We have an industrial-grade 4K top-down DLP printer available for less than US $15 000, for example. We also offer more affordable service plans for our industrial resin 3D printers.
9. Limited Scope
Due to the suction forces that prints are exposed to on a bottom-up resin 3D printer during the peeling step, users of these printers can be limited in what they can print. Many resin 3D printers only have one vat size available and offer few print settings to tweak print results.
Ample Configurability
Beautiful 3D model of delicate flowers by PHD student Pamela See
As the Gizmo 3D printers are top-down printers, prints aren't exposed to suction forces at all. Therefore users of our printers can print a broader scope of 3D models successfully. Our printers come with interchangeable vats, and users enjoy flexibility with print settings that enable them to fine tune their 3D print results. "You have the freedom of deciding all the printing parameters and also doing your own upgrade." ~ Gizmo 3D customer Ahseuri Azri
10. Other
One person mentioned that they weren't happy with the service provided with their resin 3D printer.
Many of the online reviews written on Facebook and Google about the Gizmo 3D Printers acknowledge the supportive and responsive nature of our customer service. "The Gizmo 3D team were very very supportive and responsive when I started out with the printer and I learned a lot, given the fact that I was a noob in DLP/SLA printing." ~ Gizmo 3D customer Ahseuri Azri "Their support is awesome." ~ Gizmo 3D customer Max Davis
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