ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra, Review: ideal Resin Printer for beginners

Today we present the new resin 3D printer ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra in our analysis or review. A very interesting machine to incite you in this world.

As we will see in the review of the ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra we are facing a resin 3D printer with interesting innovations within its range. This machine is almost plug and play and we will not need to calibrate anything thanks to its integrated self-leveling system. In addition, we have a tilt mechanism of the resin tray that increases the speed of the system very noticeably. This printer also offers us good control features due to its screen, its integration with ChituBox software and Wifi connectivity.

Let’s see how it works and how it behaves in a domestic use.

Details of ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra

Unboxing and first contact

The ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra resin 3D printer is very easy to assemble. The system comes perfectly protected in foams. We only have to unpack and assemble the upper head by fitting it.

As extras with the main parts of the printer we have several screw tools, silicone gloves, masks, paper funnels, manual and two scraping spatulas. The manual should be read carefully before starting to operate the printer.

Assembly, adjustment and connection

Setting up the ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra printer assembly is very simple. Thanks to the documentation provided by the ELEGOO brand, although some specific functions are not very well explained.

At the top we have a socket for the construction platform, we just have to slide it and lock it with the lever.

Shafts and leveling

Thanks to the self-leveling system that includes the ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra we can have the system operational directly in a few seconds. The system has screws with internal springs in the columns that put pressure on the printing area, thus eliminating the leveling system.

Components, control and 3D software

Structure and base

The ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra printer offers an attractive and robust design. We have a vertical axis controlled by a spindle that rotates thanks to an internal servo motor. In the upper area we have the locking system of the build plate.

On one side of the box we have a USB 2.0 port and Wifi antenna connector, with these two systems we can introduce 3D models or update the firmware directly. You also have a DC connector and a power switch.

This ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra printer also stands out for the integrated video camera. The quality is only 720p, but it is enough to capture time-lapse videos, if the piece exceeds 50 mm in height.

The creation platform has a patterned surface and is quite solid. As we will see in the tests, the pieces adhere very strongly, we will have to be careful when separating them. The columns make cleaning the inner part somewhat complex.

Resin tank and projector

One of the most important new features of the ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra is the tilting system of the cuvette, thanks to this angled movement we get a higher printing speed. The tray has a FEP resin release film that we have to change every 60,000 movements, we can buy replacements of the FEP film and install them easily.

To load resin and remove printed parts it is essential to use the drip collector that comes with the printer. The tilt system causes the printer to have a slot where the liquid can fall and ruin the system.

Underneath the tray we have the 7″ monochrome screen with a resolution of 8520 x 4320 px (9K), we have an XY pixel definition of 18 microns (0.018mm). The back light is a 405nm UV COB that gives us a very defined image.

Controls on the ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra

The ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra printer offers a 4″ touch screen that allows you to control all the basic aspects of this hardware. A hardware calibration and check is always performed when the system boots up. The system is updated by OTA automatically and connects seamlessly via Wifi.

Control software

The Chitubox software is the one that works perfectly with this printer, although we can use others. We only have to select our printer in the configuration process. To load the model it is only necessary to load the STL file, position it, make the lamination and create the supports if necessary.

• Libraries of prefabricated 3D objects in the Thingiverse / Grab3D / Cults3D webs .
• To connect to the printer in Wifi network you have to run ChituManager (top right)

By default we have a printing profile with some values that have worked very well with our resins. As we can see we have an exposure speed of only 2.5 s, thanks to its resin tray tilting system. The first layers do have a long exposure of 32 seconds.

To calibrate the resin that we are going to use we have in the printer itself a test printing system. With it we can print at the same time up to 8 pieces with different exposures, something quite practical. It is not very well documented at the moment.

Real-time management and camera

To control the ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra printing we can use ChituManager and see the printing process from the internal video camera. We can also see the % of progress, estimated time, number of uses of the FEP sheet and manage the internal files. The AI functions of the camera for our part have not brought us much and have not detected problems such as unhooked parts of the plate.

• Time-Lapse recordings: To download them, click on the clock icon and then click on the movie icon in the completed print tab. Video is only captured on parts larger than 50 mm.

Test Bench

Print quality

We performed several tests with the ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra, the system behaves perfectly, especially when using a suitable and calibrated resin.

• Water washable resin mint color ELEGOO: Economic resin, smells pretty bad, better another color.
• Resin AB-Like gray ELEGOO: Resin very resistant to wash with alcohol, low odor, easy to work.+
• Washing and Curing: Using the ELEGOO Mercury Plus 2.0 Pack

During the tests the printing failures have been few, especially with the gray resin that gives better results than the mint green resin. The creation plate as we say has a high adhesion and it is difficult to remove the piece.

• Wash and Cure: We use the pack ELEGOO Mercury Plus V2.0.

We made an impression of the ELEGOO test model which gives very good results. As we can see, the definition is very good and all the details are reflected.

Even the letters with more detail can be read perfectly. Be careful with the piece in the lower area because we can damage it when removing it from the plate.

We have also printed a high detail figure from Loot Studios, with this print we have been able to see how the layer height of 0.05 mm has given us excellent results.

Once the printing supports are removed, the figure is perfectly defined. We only need to sand some points to remove the remains and leave it perfect.

Thermal and noise

We looked at the thermals of the ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra printer, the system heats up normally and we did not notice areas with abnormal temperatures in its components.

Conclusions of the review and purchase link

Review

As we have seen in our review, the ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra printer offers fantastic results for the price. Thanks to its tilt system of the tray gives us a very high working speed while maintaining optimal printing results. We also have a very well integrated software as Chitubox, Wifi communication and as an extra we have a video camera to observe the work process. The 18 micron XY pixel definition gives us magnificent results in all parts.

Undoubtedly the ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra is a highly recommended printer for all users who want to get started in this world. For the price we will have high quality parts.

Valuation

Where to buy ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra