The new Elegoo Mars PRO - what makes it better?

The new Elegoo Mars PRO - what makes it better?

With its very good price / performance ratio, the Elegoo Mars has created a large fan base. The improved version of the Elegoo Mars - the Elegoo Mars PRO - is now available. We tested what makes the PRO version better.

Hardware

The first improvement is visible immediately after unpacking. The USB port is now located on the front right below the touchscreen. A very good decision by Elegoo in terms of user-friendliness.

The accessories supplied differ only slightly from the Elegoo Mars. What is new is a seal that can be attached between the cover and the housing to reduce the escape of the resin odour. Attaching the seal is a bit cumbersome and the seal between the cover and the housing could also be a little better.

This brings us to another innovation in the Elegoo Mars Pro. Another fan is installed in the housing, which sucks the resin vapours and almost neutralises them with the help of a carbon filter. In fact, you only notice a slight resin smell during printing. Nevertheless, it is essential to operate a resin printer only in well-ventilated rooms.

Another improvement is the more stable Z-axis. The linear rail and leadscrew have been upgraded with better components and materials and thus ensure greater precision when moving the print bed.

In our opinion, the biggest plus is the improved UV exposure unit. The UV matrix ensures a very sharp and even exposure of the layers and noticeably shortens the printing time. The model with 1000 layers we used resulted in a time saving of 50 minutes (Mars: 4h01m / Mars Pro: 3h11m).

The surface structure of the printing platform has also been redesigned. The radial pattern on the adhesive surface is intended to ensure better hold of the first layers. In addition, the screws for leveling have been enlarged to improve the handling and stability of the print bed. This also means that you have to level the print bed less often.

Preparation & printing

The included slicer Chitubox is easy and uncomplicated to use. The Elegoo Mars PRO can be added in the settings with one click and you have already set the required parameters such as resolution and print bed size.

Since the Mars PRO has a more powerful exposure unit, you have to adjust the exposure times in the print settings - depending on the resin used. A value of 45-50s for the first layers and an exposure time of the layers of 5-7s has proven itself well in the test prints with our 3DJake Resin.

After slicing and saving the file to the included USB stick, you can start printing. Leveling the print bed is a little easier thanks to the larger Allen screws. The leveling process is well described in the operating instructions and we had good adhesion of the model to the printing plate from the start.

It should also be mentioned here that the newly designed resin tank holds a little more resin than the previous model.

During printing, thanks to the seal and the vapour extraction through the carbon filter, only a very slight resin smell is perceptible. However, as already mentioned, good ventilation of the room is still essential.

The pause function during printing is also very practical. If you press the pause button on the touchscreen during printing, the printing stops and you can determine at the beginning of the print (after approx. 30 layers) whether the print is stuck. With the “Play” button on the touchscreen, you can then continue printing seamlessly.

Print quality

As with the Elegoo Mars, the quality of the print is very good. The strengths of the Elegoo Mars Pro are particularly evident when printing models with fine structures. The contours are sharper and pointed shapes are printed in more detail. This also enables filigree shapes to be printed without significant loss of detail.

For larger models, it is recommended to activate the "Anti-aliasing" function in the "Advanced" tab in the slicer settings of the software (Chitubox). This ensures that the step effect between the individual layers almost disappears.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a cheap resin printer with a great price / performance ratio, you are well served with the Elegoo Mars Pro. The 40 Euro * higher price compared to the Elegoo Mars is more than justified due to the improvements and innovations in terms of time saving and quality of the prints and a real bargain.

The Elegoo Mars Pro can certainly compete with more expensive models from other manufacturers and is an ideal model for beginners and advanced users due to its usability, the quality of the components and the quality of the prints.

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Resins used for the test:

3DJake Resin transparent
Exposure Bottom / Layer: 45s / 5s (model hollowed out with hole to drain the resin)

3DJake Resin red
Exposure bottom / layer: 45s / 7s

3DJake Resin dark blue
Exposure bottom / layer: 45s / 6s

Post-treatment:

3DJake Resin Cleaner

Anycubic Wash & Cure
Cleaning: 6 min.
Hardening: 4 min **.

* Difference between the Elegoo Mars / Elegoo Mars Pro on 3DJake.at from 10.06.2020

** Note: The transparent resin model was not hardened, otherwise it will turn yellow.
After cleaning, the model was air-dried for 24 hours.