2019 Best Resin 3D Printers (Fall Update)
Looking for an LCD, DLP, or SLA 3D printer? Check out our buyer's guide to the best resin 3D printers on the market right now.
Resin 3D printers are great. They produce incredibly accurate prints, offer a wide variety of materials and are relatively fast. These precision machines used to cost thousands of dollars, but in recent years desktop resin 3D printers have become ridiculously cheap.
If you want to learn about the differences between LCD, DLP and SLA 3D printing, click here.
If you just want to get a few parts professionally 3D printed in resin we recommend Craftcloud - 3D Printing & Price Comparison Service by All3DP.
See Also: 2019 Best 3D Printers (Fall Update)
Our Resin 3D Printer Picks of Fall 2019
SLA gets redefined with the Formlabs Form 3. Utilizing Low Force Stereolithography (LFS) to produce more accurate prints with lighter and less destructive supports, expect high quality and effortless operation. Learn more
Our fall 2019 pick for the Best Budget Resin 3D Printer, the Elegoo Mars balances affordability with top print quality, effortless setup and all-round ease of use. A stellar budget printer. Learn more
The new improved version of the successful Moai now offers an FEP vat, an easy-to-level build plate, and a better heater module. Learn more
If you want to look further through the list of resin 3D printers, please choose your budget to get to the right price range.
Choose your Budget:
Otherwise, keep scrolling to the list of the best desktop resin 3D printers to find a printer for your needs.
The following printers are ordered by price. Note that prices fluctuate, and as such, we provide approximate values that were correct at the time of publishing.
| 3D Printer | Max. Build Volume (mm³) | Resolution (µm) | Market Price (USD) | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparkmaker | 98 x 55 x 125 | XY: 100 Z: 20 | ~$249 |
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| Elegoo Mars | 120 x 68 x 155 mm | XY: 47 Z: 10 | ~$279 |
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| Monoprice MP Mini Deluxe SLA | 120 x 70 x 200 | XY:- Z:20 | ~$289 |
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| Anycubic Photon | 115 x 65 x 155mm | XY: 47 Z: 25 - 100 | ~$299 |
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| Epax X1 | 115 x 65 x 155 mm | XY: 47 Z: 10 | ~$379 |
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| Anycubic Photon S | 115 x 65 x 165 | X/Y: 47 Z: 10 | ~$399 |
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| Wanhao Duplicator 7 | 120 x 68 x 200 | XY: 50 Z: -- | ~$440 |
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| Flyingbear Shine | 120 x 68 x 210 | XY: 47 Z:40 | ~$579 |
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| Peopoly Moai 130 | 130 x 130 x 180 | XY: 70 Z: 15 | ~$1,295 (kit) |
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| Phrozen Shuffle XL | 190 x 120 x 200 | XY: 85 Z: 10 | ~$1,299 |
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| Zortrax Inkspire | 74 x 132 x 175 | X/Y: 50 Z: 25 | ~$1,990 |
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| Uniz Slash Plus | 192 × 120 × 200 | XY: 75 Z: 10 - 300 | ~$2,849 | |
| Peopoly Moai 200 | 200 x 200 x 250 | XY: 70 Z: 10 - 200 | ~$3,099 |
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| Formlabs Form 3 | 145 x 145 x 185 mm | XY: 25 Z: 25 | ~$3,499 |
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| FlashForge Hunter | 120 x 68 x 150 | XY: 63 Z: 13 - 50 | ~$3,599 |
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| B9Creations B9Creator v1.2 | 100 x 75 x 203 | XY: 30 - 70 Z: 5 - 200 | ~$5,000 |
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Resin 3D Printers Under $500
If you’re interested in experimenting with resin 3D printing, or just a maker on a budget, there are plenty of affordable options on the market. Here are the best LCD/DLP/SLA 3D printers under $500.
Sparkmaker
The Sparkmaker introduced itself to the 3D printing community via a successful Kickstarter campaign, and thankfully the company behind this compact resin printing machine delivered to backers. This printer has managed to beat out other budget resin 3D printers like the Anycubic Photon as far as price goes, and can even be found online for as low as $250.
Considering that the cheapest resin 3D printer in its respective market, the Sparkmaker does lack certain features that other machines offer. For instance, it has a small build volume of 98 x 55 x 125mm and no touchscreen, opting instead to use a simple button that starts and stops the machine.
It could be argued that the Sparkmaker is hampered a little by a low-resolution screen. This has recently been addressed by the maker with the recent launch of the Sparkmaker FHD. Offering higher resolution prints and Bluetooth connectivity in the same compact form factor, it is expected to retail at significantly more than the original Sparkmaker.
Elegoo Mars
Offering staggering print quality, effortless simplicity in operation, and a rock-solid print preparation workflow for a paltry sub-$300 price tag, the Elegoo Mars is a superb budget resin 3D printer.
It is already a pretty straightforward process to print on LCD-based resin printers, but the Elegoo Mars masters this simplicity with a partially self-leveling print plate (using a hand-tightened ball joint), contemporary print preparation software in ChiTu’s ChiTuBox, and overall competent print performance.
It’s not particularly flashy, but for the price it offers everything you could want with no fuss or frustration.
Monoprice MP Mini Deluxe SLA
Widely recognized for bringing incredibly affordable desktop FDM 3D printers onto the market, Monoprice is also getting its feet sticky with cheap resin 3D printing as well.
A rebadging of Wanhao’s D7 Plus, the Monoprice MP Mini Deluxe SLA is capable of printing at a layer height of up to 20 microns. It can also print with negative gaps as small as 30 microns. You also get a relatively speedy printer that can print up to 30mm/hour vertically.
Monoprice claims that this desktop resin machine is compatible with a wide variety of UV resins, making it ideal for beginners looking to prototype for applications in the medical and dental field, as well as jewelry.
Anycubic Photon
Budget at launch and continuing to drop in price, it’s no surprise that the Anycubic Photon has become one of the hottest tickets to getting into resin-based 3D printing. This affordable LCD-based 3D printer offers an impressive 2k resolution, and also comes preassembled.
However, the 115 x 65 x 155mm build volume is a bit small for some people, so if the size is of grave importance, you may want to look elsewhere. Otherwise, the AnyCubic Photon 3D printer is an appealing option for makers on a budget who want to venture beyond the world of FDM 3D printing.
Epax X1
Part of the great wave of affordable new LCD-based resin printers, The Epax X1 is another commendable choice if a tight budget is your primary concern. While not quite as affordable as other printers on this list, the Epax X1 offers a couple of unique features that at the least make it stand apart.
For starters, it comes with an imported, proprietary non-FEP film for its resin vat, it is claimed the benefits include reduced peel force and prolonged operational life compared to other common resin printing interface layers. Another highlight is, Epax claims, improved Z-axis stability.
Anycubic Photon S
Folding user feedback into its devilishly simple design, the Anycubic Photon S is an incremental update to the wildly popular Photon, but a welcome one all the same.
Increased rigidity in the Z-axis thanks to dual linear rails, plus a different UV unit that Anycubic claims give a more uniform distribution of UV light should translate to marginally better prints.
Fundamentally the printing will be the same as the original Photon, thanks to the same 2K resolution screen giving, again, a 47-micron pixel size across a 115 x 65 mm print area. The differences lie in small improvements to the usability, from a redesigned UI and inclusion of an activated charcoal air filter to a small bump to the printable Z-height.
We wouldn’t suggest the Photon S presents thaaaaat much of a better value proposition than the original Photon, though on paper it is certainly the more attractive machine. Prices fluctuate wildly for machines primarily bought on the likes of AliExpress, so do your research if you’re thinking of getting one. To date we’ve seen the Photon S going for close to $400 in some places (and some dodgy listings for as much as $699); shop around.
Wanhao Duplicator 7
Similar in form to the Micromake L2 but lacking many of the quality of life features, the Wanhao D7 could be considered a comparatively basic resin 3D printer. But what it lacks in features, it makes up for in community and manufacturer support.
The most recent incarnation of the Wanhao D7 is version 1.5, which features a redesigned Z-axis structure, improving stability and addressing issues with Z-wobble translating to prints. Unfortunate for those that invested early, but good news for those tempted by the D7’s large and inventive community for inspiration for further tinkering with their machine.
A Wanhao D7 Plus is also available, which boosts user-friendliness with a color touchscreen interface. As with many of the printers it offers, Monoprice rebadges the Wanhao D7 and D7 Plus as its Monoprice Mini SLA and Monoprice Mini Deluxe SLA 3D printers.
Resin 3D Printers Between $500 and $2500
For makers on a bigger budget and those looking for sturdier machines to operate in the long run; here are the best resin 3D printers going for $2,500 and less.
Flyingbear Shine
The Flyingbear Shine is an affordable DLP 3D printer with a generous 120 x 68 x 210mm print area, a full-color touchscreen, and fine layer resolution. This machine is equipped with a 2K LCD that offers a resolution of 2550 x 1440.
The Shine includes CNC machined aluminum parts and, looking to the mechanics, a ball screw driven Z-axis, which should give stable movement in the Z-axis. Other features include WiFi connectivity, an easily removable resin vat, two cooling fans and a dustproof net to protect the printer’s electronics.
For the price and features present, the Flyingbear Shine poses a compelling alternative to the likes of the Anycubic Photon.
Peopoly Moai 130
The best gets better in the Peopoly Moai 130. Building upon the robust platform established with the original Moai, the Moai 130 offers the same print volume, granular control of its laser, accessible electronics and an active community, but slaps on a wealth of hardware upgrades tailored toward improving reliability and ease of use. And all for some $100 more than the asking price of the original printer.
Gone is the cumbersomely fiddly bed leveling of the original, replaced with an easy-to-level print platform which pairs well with the new metal resin vat featuring FEP film for its interface layer.
Boasting a greater lifetime and improved performance against peel forces, the FEP vat goes some way to boosting print reliability, as does the also-new print chamber heater. Indeed, your resin stays a toasty 35+ degrees Celsius, ensuring optimum printing performance.
Another goody thrown in with the Moai 130 is a dedicated UV LED curing lamp for expediting your post-processing and locking your green models in mere minutes.
Those looking to print big — like, really big — should check out the Moai 200 which, at the time of writing, is in production and available soon. It’s the same machine, albeit with a 200 x 200 x 250 mm print volume.
Phrozen Shuffle XL
A notable upgrade to the previously released Phrozen Make, the Phrozen Shuffle is a new resin 3D printer that offers stunning print quality for a comparatively low price. Available in two variants that are identical in virtually every way except print volume and pixel size. Here, we’re focusing on the Phrozen Shuffle XL – the larger of the two, which features a tantalizingly large print volume of 190 x 120 x 200 mm.
Operable offline via USB memory sticks, and online when physically connected to your local network via Ethernet cable, the Phrozen Shuffle XL is capable of slicing models itself thanks to the inbuilt Raspberry Pi running NanoDLP.
In our review, we found the Shuffle to be a premium-feeling and sturdy machine, albeit suffering from a stuffy workflow that takes some getting used to. Cross that barrier, and it’s a solid resin printing machine.
Go for the XL if you must have one and can stretch the budget — the large print volume rocks. The smaller, ‘standard’ Phrozen Shuffle has a print volume of 120 x 68 x 200 mm and retails for $799, with the only other difference being a finer pixel size of 47 microns, to the XL’s 85.
Note: it appears that newer units now include WiFi connectivity, which is pretty cool.
Zortrax Inkspire
Polish 3D printer manufacturer Zortrax’s first crack at the resin printing puzzle, the Zortrax Inkspire appears a robust entry to the company’s array of professional machines. Filling the familiar form factor of an LCD-based resin printer, the Inkspire boasts of a large and elegant UI in its 4-inch color touchscreen, a 50 x 50-micron pixel size with 25-micron minimum layer height, up to 36mm per hour build speed, and 74 x 132 x 175mm build volume.
Operable with all resins designed to cure under 405 nm wavelength UV light, the Inkspire should serve as a versatile tool in any 3D printing arsenal. And perhaps best of all, it folds into Zortrax’s existing workflow using the company’s Z-Suite slicing software, so users of the company’s M200, M300 and Inventure printers will feel right at home.
Setting it apart from most machines on this list is the Inkspire’s inclusion of a dedicated part cleaning module — a Zortrax Ultrasonic Cleaner is included in the box. Less mess, more making.
Resin 3D Printers Between $2500 and $5000
While there are many budget options on the market, prosumers and small businesses looking to integrate resin 3D printing into their product development process will want to look at higher quality machines. The following LCD/DLP/SLA 3D printers are ideal for professional use.
Uniz Slash Plus
From San Diego, USA, Uniz brings you the “world’s fastest desktop 3D printer”. Whether or not that’s true, it certainly is an easy-to-use LCD 3D printer that delivers.
Compared to the other printers in this list, the Slash+ offers a large build volume, and that for a decent price. Add to that a convenient cartridge system to easily swap printing material and a steel reinforced column to reduce deformation and enhance precision.
Built-in multi-printer management and wide connectivity options make it a solid choice for those looking to create a farm or remotely observable machines.
Check out the Uniz website for more info.
Peopoly Moai 200
Functionally the same as the smaller Peopoly machines (it even looks the same), the key difference here in the Moai 200 is the whopping build volume — a gargantuan 200 x 200 x 250 mm of print space means your detailed prints can now be big. Really big.
As with the Moai 130 above, a number of hardware add-ons developed since the original Moai’s launch are included. A tough FEP film resin vat should provide long-lasting durability against long hours of printing, and a chamber heating unit keeps resin nice and toasty for optimum performance.
It might not have all the bells and whistles of more expensive systems, but few offer such a large build volume.
Formlabs Form 3
Showing what the tippy top end of the desktop resin printer market is capable of, Formlabs knocks it out of the park with the Form 3. A plethora of sensors provides meaningful feedback on print progress and other variables, giving professionals oversight and the ability to manage resources.
The company’s web-based dashboard allows direct ordering of replacement resins and vats, request model support should a print fail, which in our experience was a rarity thanks to the PreForm software generally doing a standup job appropriately arranging and supporting prints. About as turnkey as they come.
FlashForge Hunter
FlashForge is known as one of the leaders in affordable desktop 3D printers and scanners, and that’s true as well in the DLP 3D printer market.
The Flashforge Hunter features a long-lasting proprietary DLP projector, providing uniform UV exposure throughout its generous build space. It also comes equipped with a durable aluminum resin vat, guaranteed to require fewer replacements.
Compatible with both Flashforge-made (including specialized dental, tough and castable) and third-party resins and operated using a slicer that offers numerous distortion correction modes to improve print quality, the Flashforge Hunter is a versatile machine.
B9Creations B9Creator v1.2
With the DLP projector at its heart on full display, the B9Creator is arguably the most distinctive looking resin 3D printer on this list.
Thanks to its high accuracy and a wide range of materials, this DLP 3D printer is ideal for both jewelry makers and researchers.
B9Creations provides castable (emerald, yellow, cherry) and prototyping (black and red) material. The latter is designed to be accurate, strong, and temperature resistant. Users can also use third-party resins.
What are the Differences Between LCD, DLP and SLA 3D Printing?
Although SLA and DLP technology are extremely similar in principle, there are slight differences that separate the two.
SLA 3D printing utilizes two motors known as galvanometers. These motors, placed on the X and Y axis, work together to rapidly angle a pair of mirrors to aim a laser beam across the print area, solidifying resin into a 3D model. The layers of the model are broken down into a series of points and lines, which the galvos use to direct the laser beam.
On the other hand, DLP technology uses a digital projector screen to flash a single image of each layer across the entire platform at once. Each layer of the 3D model is displayed as square pixels, meaning that the print is comprised of voxels.
As for LCD 3D printing, the process is nearly identical to DLP in that it utilizes projected light to solidify resin layer-by-layer until a 3D model is built. The main difference is that LCD 3D printers use a bank of UV LEDs to project light through a mask of the layer on an LCD panel, whereas DLP 3D printers utilize an array of micro-mirrors (each mirror corresponding to a pixel) to either project light, or not, thus creating a mask.
A number of companies are attempting to rebrand LCD-based resin printing, with one notable example being Structo and its Mask SLA (MSLA) – a term also adopted by Prusa for the upcoming SL1.
Phew — quite the terminological quagmire, that. Return to the list to check out our top resin 3D printer picks.
(Lead image credit: Zortrax)