This is just the initial impressions from the unboxing, to see more info on using the printer go here

What is it?

SparkMaker SLA 3D Printer is a DLP Resin Printer with an affordable price for those looking to get into high resolution Resin printing. Whether it be to step up to a higher resolution from FDM printers, or to be able to print more intricate prints the SparkMaker is a good entry level printer to get your foot in the door of 3d Printing with Resin and see if you like the process and outcome.

What is a DLP Printer?

DLP Printers differentiate from say Laser Based SLA printers by instead of focusing the Light to specific areas the Printer instead uses a LCD screen to mask a UV light and only allow certain shapes to be printed per layer, its almost like the screening process of shirt making except your changing the screen every few seconds.

DLP Printers differentiate from FDM printers in many ways. The instead of a spool of filament that is melted an placed on a surface from bottom up, Resin is exposed on a build plate an entire slice at once and then printed form the top down.

Provided in the box

what was provided in the box was :

• SparkMaker Original – Fully Assembled
• Power Supply
• Quick Start Guide
• Allen Key

What was not provided in the box

What i needed to gain access to additionally was :

• Resin (Anycubic or Siraya)
• Isopropyl Alcohol 99% perferred
• Spray Bottle
• Nitrile Gloves
• SD Card + Reader
• Paper Strainers + Funnel
• Small Buckets
• lots of Paper Towels
• Turntable for curing
• UV Light or access to area with sunlight

Resin not included

Most importantly the printer does not come with Resin, so dont forget to add that to your cart, otherwise the whole printer is no good.

Banggood suggested resins are
– Sparkmaker Resin – https://www.banggood.com/custlink/3GGGiYK2eG
– Anycubic Resin – https://www.banggood.com/custlink/GGKDZdGMjU

I ended up ordering the AnyCubic Resin from Amazon this : and when that runs out i think im going to try the Blu Resin by Siraya for its strength reviews.

Initial Thoughts

The SparkMaker seems very simple, a single stepper motor, an ACME rod, a UV LED, and LCD screen makes up the majority of the device. that simple design should eliminate troubleshooting when issues arise. The printer is smaller than I visualized in my head, i was surprised at how small and compact it is, especially compared to the footprint of the 200mm and 300mm FDM printers im using currently printing on. This limits the print area to 98mm x 55mm x 125mm which I will have to get used to, especially after recently getting a 300mm cubed printer. Im hesitant to immediatly jump into printing from all the precautions ive been seeing with the toxicity of the resins and the mess of cleanup and post processing the prints, so i want to get all the items in place like the alcohol and buckets and curing station setup before i really dive into this. but im really excited to get some small detailed prints out of this printer that my FDM printer just cant touch that kind of resolutions.

Likes

• Simple, ready to go out of the box
• affordable – around $200 at the time of this article
• SD card printing is simple
• Offline printing can be placed anywhere with only power connection
• simple design and construction

Dislikes

• Instructions a little light
• Status light can be vague
• No USB connection
• No Ethernet/WiFi Connection
• trying to find full sized SD cards
• Messy Resin gets everywhere
• Resin is toxic (negative on the process more than the printer itself)
• extra stuff to buy

Where to purchase

Purchase from Banggood – https://bit.ly/32vRP3O
Purchase from Amazon – https://amzn.to/2lflJbn

Image Gallery from initial unboxing

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See my second post on this printer by clicking here

disclaimer : although the product above was provided to me they did not pay me, any opinions are genuine and unbiased as possible. external Links may contain affiliate links.