Elegoo Mars 2 Pro Review – Great Entry level Budget 3D Printer.

What is 3D Printing and what are its use cases?

3D printing which started off as a fun thing to experiment with has slowly been used to create real-world models and prototypes, thanks to various possibilities that this technology allows us to explore and create. 3D printers can be pretty large in size and come in various price points, and there are a lot of options to choose from. On similar lines, Elegoo, a popular brand known for its 3D printers launched its new product – Elegoo Mars 2 Pro. It is a compact 3D printer which is said to set a benchmark for other printers in its price segment. Let’s find out in this review of the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 3D Printer. 

What do you get with the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 3D Printer?

• Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 3D Printer
• Silicone rubber seal
• Build Platform
• Resin Tank
• Tinted acrylic UV-resistant lid
• 2GB USB Pendrive
• Mask
• Gloves
• Scraper
• Instruction
• Funnel
• Tool Kit
• Screws
• Wall adapter

Build and Design if the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 3D Printer.

The Elegoo Mars 2 Pro measures 7.87 inches in length, 7.87 inches in width, 16.14 inches in height and weighs 6.2 kilograms. It is compact and doesn’t occupy much space on the table which is a good thing as it makes it convenient to use this 3D printer. Coming to the components, this 3D printer features a Rotary Knob, Z-Axis, Build Platform, Resin Tank, Levelling Pad, an outer cover, and has a touchscreen on the front which is used to control the actions of the printer, and there is a USB Type-A port below the display. The LCD is 6.08-inch with 2K resolution and takes 2 seconds per layer exposure to cure resin.

Further, the materials used are metal predominantly and it reflects in the sturdy build quality. The outer body and the components are sturdy, well built, and feel polished. There are rubber pads on the bottom which helps in preventing the printer from slipping when placed on a floor or a table. Since this is a 3D printer, necessary heat dissipation is important, and the company has taken care of that too on this product.

There are a lot of vents to prevent overheating, and this is a good thing, considering the compactness of this printer. Overall, I liked the build quality of this 3D printer and if I had to nitpick one thing, it is the placement of the power button. The power button is located on the back of the printer and can be inconvenient to reach when placed against a wall, and this is just my opinion.

Touchscreen Display on the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 3D Printer

The Elegoo Mars 2 Pro has a nifty small touchscreen display on the front which allows users to control the operations of the printer. From the touchscreen display, users can view the information about the 3D printer, calibrate the touch screen, check for service options, change the language (Chinese, English, Japanese, Dutch, Korean, French, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Portuguese), Adjust Z axis, Exposure, Set Z = 0, Clean the tank, Stop, and more. 

Initial Set of the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 3D Printer.

The initial setup was quite straightforward, thanks to the clear instructions given in the user manual. That said, it did take some time for me to figure out certain things, but most of the setup process is easy and straightforward. Firstly, there is a plastic film covering the printer and it must be taken off. Next up, the initial setup can be started by connecting the power adapter, cable to the printer, and inserting the build platform carefully by fastening the rotary knob. There is a groove in the build platform which clamps onto the main part of the printer and it holds steadily after tightening it. 

Further, for the leveling you must place a plain A4 sheet between the LCD screen and the build platform and select the ‘Move Z-axis to zero’ using the touchscreen display. This will do the levelling and to bring it to a central position, you must press it and tighten it using an allen wrench which is supplied in the tool kit.

Now that the leveling is done, the initial height is set to the current Z-axis position, and this can be done by setting Z equals to zero from the menu. After this, you can adjust the Z-axis by pressing the ‘10mm’ -> ‘up’ option 10 times which will make the Z-axis go up about 100mm. Voila! This is the initial setup of the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 3D printer. As I said before, the process can seem to be tough initially, but following the instructions given in the manual makes the setup easy. 

Printing and Software of the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro 3D Printer.

The models are printed by inserting the USB Drive onto the Type-A port and selecting the CTB file as this printer supports the CTB file format. Appropriate precautions are necessary before printing a model and the toolkit contains masks, gloves which must be worn before starting the print job. As for the resin, we used the Standard Photopolymer Resin (500g) for testing and it comes in a range of colors including Clear Blue, Yellow, Black, Green, Grey, Beige, Blue, White, Maroon, Red, Translucent. 

As for the Slicer software, Elegoo uses ChiTu Box for preparing the models for printing. The software can be downloaded from the official website and has less learning curve for beginners whilst allowing granular control and options for advanced users. This software has an in-built profile for the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro and the default parameters should be good for most models. If you are printing models bigger than the printer build volume, then the size can be adjusted.

The various options available in the parameters include Resin Density, Resin Cost, Layer Height, Bottom Layer Count, Exposure Time, Bottom Exposure Time, Light-off Delay/Bottom Light-off Delay, Bottom Lift Distance, Lifting Distance, Bottom Lift Speed, Lifting Speed, and Retract Speed. Further from our testing, the printing took 3 hours for a small model, and it can take a longer time up to 8 hours for larger shaped models. As said, the duration strictly depends on the model and the ChiTu Box software shows the estimated time to print a model. Overall, the print quality from this 3D printer is very good and is of high quality. Good job, Elegoo!

Conclusion

The Elegoo Mars 2 Pro is an excellent 3D printer for its price and gets the basics right. It ticks most of the boxes for a good 3D printer and works as expected. Sturdy build, Amazing Design, Nifty display, Software, and High-quality 3D printing is now possible at home without spending too much, thanks to printers like the Mars 2 Pro. This 3D printer sells for $233 (as of publishing this article) on Elegoo’s official website and is definitely one of the best 3D Resin printers in this price segment. 

Buy – https://www.elegoo.com/collections/mars-series/products/elegoo-mars-2-pro-mono-lcd-3d-printer