{"id":9528,"date":"2018-09-18T14:00:31","date_gmt":"2018-09-18T14:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/?p=9528"},"modified":"2019-01-07T17:40:24","modified_gmt":"2019-01-07T17:40:24","slug":"3dnatives-lab-uniz3d-slash-3d-printer-180920184","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/3dnatives-lab-uniz3d-slash-3d-printer-180920184\/","title":{"rendered":"3Dnatives Lab: Testing the UNIZ3D Slash+ 3D Printer"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2016, the manufacturer UNIZ3D made itself known by collecting the sum\u00a0of half a million dollars on Kickstarter\u00a0for a high-speed resin 3D printer named Slash. Their secret?\u00a0Use an LCD rather than a laser, and use an optimised cooling system (called Cooling System) of the printing process, all for a selling price below the 5,000 \u20ac mark.<\/p>\n

So more recently, the company launched their first upgrade of its 3D printer with\u00a0Slash Plus.\u00a0With an advertised print speed of\u00a0\u00a0200mm\/h, the Slash+ is the fastest 3D desktop resin printer on the market<\/strong>.\u00a0On the performance side, the UNIZ3D printer has an XY resolution of 75 microns for a minimum layer thickness of 10 microns.<\/p>\n

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The Slash + 3D printer from UNIZ3D and its various accessories<\/p><\/div>\n

To weigh the price to performance, we had the pleasure of receiving the machine within the 3Dnatives Lab thanks to a loan from its French distributor\u00a0Atome 3D<\/a>.\u00a0Find below a comprehensive test to find out how the Slash+ 3D printer really is. Is it really as fast as advertised?\u00a0Has the speed of production been favoured at the expense of print quality?\u00a0And more globally, can Slash+ compete with other desktop 3D SLA printers?<\/p>

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1. Unpacking<\/h3>\n

The Slash+ 3D printer is delivered in a well thought out package, although, do to its size, you will have to call for someone to help you get the printer out of it.\u00a0When opened, it displays the following dimensions: 350 x 400 x 530 mm similar to Form 2 Formlabs (350 x 330 x 520 mm).\u00a0Visually, the Slash+ is equipped with a white frame made of carbon fiber and reinforced steel that suggests a solid machine. The\u00a0first visible point is the absence of a control screen. This implies that the management of the printer will run directly through the computer software.<\/p>\n

The accessories that come with the machine include the printing plate, resin tank, power cables and a quick start guide. But also a green zABS resin cartridge and an empty cartridge for cleaning. Along with resin and various tools such as an Allen key, two sizes of spatula, a needle to open the resin cartridges and finally sandpaper for finishing.\u00a0As part of this test, the distributor Atome 3D also provided us with a resin cartridge of 1L White Snow White from Funtodo (sold at a price of 50 \u20ac HT) and an isopropyl alcohol spray, essential to clean your parts at the output of the printer.<\/p>\n

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The green zABS resin cartridge supplied with the Slash + 3D printer.\u00a0Sale price 69 \u20ac HT.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

2. Installation<\/h3>\n

To start the machine, you can follow the guide provided (in English).\u00a0The first step will be to connect the power supply and then connect your machine to your WiFi network to activate the product.\u00a0However, you will need to perform two actions that are not specified in the paper guide but are well explained in the UNIZ3D YouTube channel videos. Remove the protective film located between the LCD screen and the resin tank and install the resin level sensor.<\/p>\n

You will then be able to install the resin supplied with the Slash+ 3D printer.\u00a0Simply insert the cartridge into the appropriate space (carefully remove the cap). Then drill it with the needle in the accessories, and finally refit the cap on the other end of the bottle.\u00a0In order for the resin to empty automatically into the tray, you will have to wait to install the printer software.<\/p>\n

Although getting started is rather easy, we must admit that the documentation provided is relatively simple.\u00a0Basic and not necessarily obvious information for neophytes is missing. This such as resin replacement, machine maintenance or print media management.\u00a0Various unofficial guides, written by a growing community, have emerged on the web, like\u00a0this one<\/a>.\u00a0You are also invited to watch the many video tutorials on YouTube, including those of\u00a0the UNIZ3D channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Slash+<\/p>\n

Regarding materials, although the brand offers its own range, UNIZ3D had the good idea to open its 3D printer up, allowing it to use competitors resins.\u00a0In this test we were able to test the White Snow White resin from Fun To Do.\u00a0To use it, you will have to manually pour it into the printer’s tank. This while also choosing the correct curing parameters in the software, such as the power of the LED or the light exposure time of each layer.\u00a0Parameters that you can find in communities of users of the Slash+ 3D printer.<\/p>\n

A last comment regarding the installation is the lack of a processing station, as the one included with the Form 2 from Formlabs. This accessory can easily be replaced by purchasing two hermetic boxes (Tupperware type) at a very affordable price. They will be able to do the job of cleaning the 3D printer parts from non-solidified resin as well.<\/p>\n

3. Software<\/h3>\n

Simply named Uniz, the software developed by the manufacturer is compatible with Windows 7 SP1+ and Mac OS X 10.8+. This is at the time of this test only available in English or Chinese.\u00a0However, it has the merit of existing and offers an overall well done ergonomics.\u00a0You will be able to make all basic changes to 3D files (move, rotate, zoom), generate print media (with the ability to add or delete specific media in advanced mode), slice the model.<\/p>\n

It also offers a printer control panel.\u00a0Different controls will be available from this one such as the option to fill\/empty the resin tank. The possibility of cleaning the bottom of the tank can be done by printing a thin film of resin, or the calibration of the Z axis. Various information is provided such as the estimated printing time, the volume of resin used, the number of layers etc.<\/p>\n

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Preview of UNIZ software provided with Slash+<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

4. Printing<\/h3>\n

Once you have added media and slicing from the printer software, you will only need to start printing.\u00a0It will be necessary to make sure that the level of resin in the tank is sufficient, and if necessary to pause the printing in order to refill the tank.\u00a0An option for automatic tank filling can be selected before printing.\u00a0Noise level, although it is slightly higher than Form 2, it remains quite suitable and compatible with use in an open office.<\/p>\n

The other point to raise is the speed of printing, which has confirmed the status of the Slash+ 3D printer being ultra-fast. An example: Preform software from Formlabs announces a printing time of 8H34 for the realisation of the 3D file of the bust “The Bearded Yell” in 100 microns (ie 953 layers of printing and 131.47 mL).\u00a0On the Slash+ 3D side, with equivalent layer thickness and design inclination (ie 962 printing layers and 133.59 mL), the UNIZ software indicates a manufacturing time of only 3H01. This makes the Slash+ 3D printer really fast!<\/p>\n

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Zoom on the resin level sensor of the tank<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

It should be noted that in general, PreForm software tends to add more print media than at UNIZ, which can ensure that your avoid unpleasant surprises.\u00a0These speed tests are also closely related to the resin used.\u00a0The resin from Uniz3D has the property of a relatively low exposure time for each layer, while the FunToDo resin requires an exposure time of 5 to 7 seconds, lengthening the printing time accordingly.<\/p>\n

Where it becomes very interesting is with the fact that the printing time does not increase when the objects are added to the board.\u00a0Printing a dental model in 30 minutes is actually fast, but using an LCD rather than a laser means that the time will be exactly the same for 3D printing of dental model of 6 or 7.<\/p>\n

It should be kept in mind, however, that this comparison with SLA technology does not take into account important parameters such as the surface quality of the part, the success rate of the printing or the necessary post-processing time.<\/p>\n

We’ll let you give your opinion on the print results of the Slash+ 3D printer seen below.\u00a0The appearance remains very clean and globally similar to other resin machines on the market.\u00a0No post-processing was performed on the parts below.\u00a0They were simply cleaned with isopropyl alcohol.\u00a0However, it is possible to pass them in a UV oven to further solidify them or sand them lightly to improve the surface condition.<\/p>\n

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Queen model available in the UNIZ library<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Ring model available on Thingiverse<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Model “The Bearded Yell” by bendansie, available on Thingiverse<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“Vorono\u00ef Loopy” model by Antonin Nosek available on Thingiverse<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“3DBenchy” model by Creative Tools available on Thingiverse<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Dental model by kikique available on Thingiverse<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Find all of our 3D printer tests in the 3Dnatives Lab<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

What do you think of the\u00a0UNIZ3D Slash+ 3D Printer?\u00a0Let us know in a comment below or on our\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0pages! And remember to sign up for our free weekly\u00a0Newsletter<\/a>, to get all the latest news in 3D printing send straight to your inbox!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2016, the manufacturer UNIZ3D made itself known by collecting the sum\u00a0of half a million dollars on Kickstarter\u00a0for a high-speed resin 3D printer named Slash. Their secret?\u00a0Use an LCD rather than a laser, and use an optimised cooling system (called…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6060,"featured_media":9598,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,1,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-3d-printers","category-news","category-tests"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6060"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9528"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9684,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9528\/revisions\/9684"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}