[UPDATE 8/16/2020]
After using this thing constantly for months now, I can tell you that it's a good printer. I got a defective unit, but I'm bumping this review up to 4 stars again because even despite the defects it's still a workhorse.
----------
After using the Sonic Mini for about a week, here's what I can tell you-
[INTERFACE]
Familiar stuff here, the printer uses Chitubox software and UI so you can see stuff like time remaining and the layer exposure settings directly on the machine while printing. You can pause and resume a print, manually level the build plate, etc.
Phrozen 3D claims the machine is already calibrated when you get it so you can start printing right away, and from my experience it's true. You should go through the simple process of leveling the build plate anyway though, so you're familiar with it.
I should note, the instructions for leveling the build plate say the piece of paper should be unmovable when the build plate is fully lowered, but I could still slide it out with some effort, similar to other machines like the Elegoo Mars. It printed fine.
[DESIGN]
Every mad roboticist out there is pumping out their own samey version of a resin 3D printer nowadays. The Sonic Mini isn't much to look at, but it sure is an earful! It's whisper quiet when not printing, but as soon as the cantilever starts moving it grinds out a loud mechanical drone that changes in pitch as it lowers and rises. It even physically vibrates the machine, though I haven't noticed any negative effects on the Sonic Mini's prints or the prints coming from my other resin printer next to it.
The trans-red cover is slightly sloped on the front face and has to be placed that particular way for it to sit properly. Unfortunately it can be hard to tell which face it is so you may have to rotate a few times until you get it right.
The black body is made of plastic while there are metal plates on the top and bottom. It's a sturdy machine.
It's a great little printer, though I think if you're going make the body plastic you might as well give it a cool techy, robotic, futuristic design to make it stand out (and match the crazy noise). Maybe Phrozen3D could share a 3D model of the guts of the machine, so we can then design and 3D print our own plastic shells for it.
One more thing, don't place any items that are UV sensitive near the machine when it's printing because a ton of UV light spills out through the vent holes.
[METAL VAT]
Yes, all these Sonic Minis now ship with an upgraded metal resin vat. The vat design is simple, functional, and impales neatly onto 2 threaded rods. It's securely held down by two speed nuts that you can tighten or loosen in 2 seconds or less by spin-dashing them with a finger. Some hedgehogs may argue that a metal version isn't always better, but we'll agree to disagree.
[BUILD PLATE]
Included with the printer is a flat slab of metal to use as a build plate. It levels by adjusting 4 small screws and fastens to the cantilever with the big knobbed screw on top. When removing a finished print you have to hold the plate sideways to let all the pooled up resin on the flat top run back into the vat.
I haven't had any adhesion issues, use proper exposure times and it'll be fine.
DO NOT MANUALLY LOWER THE CANTILEVER FARTHER THAN THE LCD SCREEN. For example, if the build plate is 7mm above the LCD screen, and you manually lower the cantilever by 10mm, it will try to push through and make a horrible grinding noise as well as bend the cantilever up! Keep this in mind if you like to move the build plate up and down to mix the resin.
[PRINT TIMES]
If you're drooling over the thought of printing things 4 times faster because the layers cure 4 times faster than the competition...sorry bub, not gonna happen. Remember that other settings like Lift Speeds/Distance greatly affect the printing time. That said, you'll still save a significant amount of time, especially if you print many times a day. I regularly save 1 to 1.5 hours per print session over something like the Elegoo Mars, which in my case adds up to about 4 hours of saved time over the day! Black resin benefits greatly because it will cut the usual 15 second exposure time down to around 4-5 seconds.
For that magical 1 second Normal Layer exposure time you'll specifically need to use "rapid" resin that cures quickly. However, "standard" and "ABS-like" resins cure quickly too. For example, you only need ~2.3s of exposure for Elegoo's ABS-like White.
[RESOLUTION AND PRINT QUALITY]
People who post 3D resin printer "reviews" (and I use that term loosely lmao) say they don't notice a difference in print quality. The difference is actually very obvious...if you know what you're looking for.
At a glance or on your shelf there's zero noticeable difference in print quality between .0625mm and .047mm XY-resolution screens (Sonic Mini FHD vs Mars 2K). But if you're printing small items and used to working with small items a lot, you're going to spot the faint "stepping or "ringing" along the XY-axis. Yes, the Sonic Mini's lower .0625mm XY-resolution (in other words, the "sideways resolution") is noticeable.
In the attached picture, the XY-axis when these heads printed ran from ear-to-ear, nose to back of the head, and as you can see the ringing effect appears on the .0625mm (XY) head along those axis while the .047mm (XY) head is smooth all around.
On the painted head, the lower res is very obvious.
[SCRAPHEAP OR LIGHT ON ITS FEET?]
Ordering the Sonic Mini is like ordering a chilidog but you find out the meat in the chili is actually tofu. Yeah, it's not the peak explosion of flavor you were expecting, but hey, you still got a chilidog and it ain't too shabby!
This is a great printer for rapid prototypes and models that don't need to be flawless, but it's not the best choice for miniatures because of the XY-resolution.
Product Description
About Phrozen
Phrozen is a Taiwan-based startup that develops professional and consumer-friendly LCD 3D printers. Our mission is to strive towards enhancing human creativity and productivity by creating groundbreaking, innovative 3D printing solutions.
Since its launch in 2016, Phrozen has successfully brought once-inaccessible 3D printing technology to consumers while maintaining industrial-grade precision and printing capabilities. The company is now rapidly expanding to markets in the U.S., Europe, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and more.
Phrozen printers are now widely adopted by creative makers, jewelry manufacturers, miniature hobbyists, industrial engineers, and dentists for professional and personal use. We will continue to propel innovation with the aim of making 3D printing an unforgettable experience for everyone.
Epoch-making Printer For Future Designers
Package List
Phrozen Sonic Mini 3D Printer comes with a simple yet well-protected package box which contains all the necessary parts you need to start a perfect printing.
Specs / What's Included
System: Phrozen OS
Slicer Software: CHITUBOX V1.6.1
Connectivity: USB
Technology: Resin 3D Printer - LCD Type
Light Source: 405nm ParaLED Array Matrix
- XY Resolution: 0.0625 mm
- Layer Thickness: 0.01 - 0.30 mm
- Printing Speed: 50 mm / hr
- Power Requirement: AC 100-240V~50/60Hz
- Printer Size: L9.8 x W9.8 x H12.9 in
- Printer Weight: 9.9 lbs
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Fast PrintingOur Mono-LCD Cures Resin in 1 sec ! Highly improve your manufacturing & prototyping process. |
Offline Printing by Touch PanelOne touch printing by clicking on 2.8 inch Touch Panel in reliable offline printing mode. |
Excellent Accuracy and Print QualityUnlike conventional COB LED design, Phrozen uses ParaLED technology (parallel UV LED matrix back light system) which makes Sonic Mini have excellent printing accuracy and quality for the entire build platform. |
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Reliable and Less MaintenanceWe use thermal stable mono-LCD for Sonic Mini. It has a lifetime of more than 2000 hours! No more panic about maintenance. |
Works with 3rd Party ResinsCompatible not only with ALL LCD resins but also for MOST DLP resins. |
Easy OperationStart Printing Within 5 Minutes: Install the building platform, fasten the resin vat, and upload your file by 3 clicks. Sonic Mini is the easiest printer to start your journey in 3D printing field. |
Customer reviews
Fast Printer that could use some QOL Improvements
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2020
This printer is fast, it's lightweight, and the cost is very attractive. I will compare it to the Elegoo Mars printers since I am familiar with those as a close competitor.Build quality seems good - Phrozen has reduced costs by using plastic for the chassis and other elements instead of metal. I was pleased to see an lcd gasket, motor coupling, and linear rail right out of the box, no upgrades needed. The mechanism feels pretty solid - this is an area that was weak on the original Mars. The screen is slightly smaller than the Mars but very bright and clear, with good responsiveness. No complaints there or with the UI.Things I don't love:* The build platform isn't sloped on top and retains a lot of resin. Puzzlingly, there is not drip attachment provided even though it's pretty necessary with this geometry.* I'm not sold on the plastic vat. It seems like a cost cutting measure, and I don't want it to break and cause a mess. Parts stock is also hard to come by unless you want to pay $$ shipping direct from Phrozen.* There is "UV" light leaking from beneath and behind the chassis during exposure, which seems odd as I would expect that to all be directed to the LCD.My first prints went great - the pre-sliced model finished in less than 2 hours without issue. I used a standard Grey resin (not from Phrozen) so it's definitely faster than the original Mars. I will update here if I encounter any issues in the coming weeks.
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2020
Images in this review
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2020
After using this thing constantly for months now, I can tell you that it's a good printer. I got a defective unit, but I'm bumping this review up to 4 stars again because even despite the defects it's still a workhorse.
----------
After using the Sonic Mini for about a week, here's what I can tell you-
[INTERFACE]
Familiar stuff here, the printer uses Chitubox software and UI so you can see stuff like time remaining and the layer exposure settings directly on the machine while printing. You can pause and resume a print, manually level the build plate, etc.
Phrozen 3D claims the machine is already calibrated when you get it so you can start printing right away, and from my experience it's true. You should go through the simple process of leveling the build plate anyway though, so you're familiar with it.
I should note, the instructions for leveling the build plate say the piece of paper should be unmovable when the build plate is fully lowered, but I could still slide it out with some effort, similar to other machines like the Elegoo Mars. It printed fine.
[DESIGN]
Every mad roboticist out there is pumping out their own samey version of a resin 3D printer nowadays. The Sonic Mini isn't much to look at, but it sure is an earful! It's whisper quiet when not printing, but as soon as the cantilever starts moving it grinds out a loud mechanical drone that changes in pitch as it lowers and rises. It even physically vibrates the machine, though I haven't noticed any negative effects on the Sonic Mini's prints or the prints coming from my other resin printer next to it.
The trans-red cover is slightly sloped on the front face and has to be placed that particular way for it to sit properly. Unfortunately it can be hard to tell which face it is so you may have to rotate a few times until you get it right.
The black body is made of plastic while there are metal plates on the top and bottom. It's a sturdy machine.
It's a great little printer, though I think if you're going make the body plastic you might as well give it a cool techy, robotic, futuristic design to make it stand out (and match the crazy noise). Maybe Phrozen3D could share a 3D model of the guts of the machine, so we can then design and 3D print our own plastic shells for it.
One more thing, don't place any items that are UV sensitive near the machine when it's printing because a ton of UV light spills out through the vent holes.
[METAL VAT]
Yes, all these Sonic Minis now ship with an upgraded metal resin vat. The vat design is simple, functional, and impales neatly onto 2 threaded rods. It's securely held down by two speed nuts that you can tighten or loosen in 2 seconds or less by spin-dashing them with a finger. Some hedgehogs may argue that a metal version isn't always better, but we'll agree to disagree.
[BUILD PLATE]
Included with the printer is a flat slab of metal to use as a build plate. It levels by adjusting 4 small screws and fastens to the cantilever with the big knobbed screw on top. When removing a finished print you have to hold the plate sideways to let all the pooled up resin on the flat top run back into the vat.
I haven't had any adhesion issues, use proper exposure times and it'll be fine.
DO NOT MANUALLY LOWER THE CANTILEVER FARTHER THAN THE LCD SCREEN. For example, if the build plate is 7mm above the LCD screen, and you manually lower the cantilever by 10mm, it will try to push through and make a horrible grinding noise as well as bend the cantilever up! Keep this in mind if you like to move the build plate up and down to mix the resin.
[PRINT TIMES]
If you're drooling over the thought of printing things 4 times faster because the layers cure 4 times faster than the competition...sorry bub, not gonna happen. Remember that other settings like Lift Speeds/Distance greatly affect the printing time. That said, you'll still save a significant amount of time, especially if you print many times a day. I regularly save 1 to 1.5 hours per print session over something like the Elegoo Mars, which in my case adds up to about 4 hours of saved time over the day! Black resin benefits greatly because it will cut the usual 15 second exposure time down to around 4-5 seconds.
For that magical 1 second Normal Layer exposure time you'll specifically need to use "rapid" resin that cures quickly. However, "standard" and "ABS-like" resins cure quickly too. For example, you only need ~2.3s of exposure for Elegoo's ABS-like White.
[RESOLUTION AND PRINT QUALITY]
People who post 3D resin printer "reviews" (and I use that term loosely lmao) say they don't notice a difference in print quality. The difference is actually very obvious...if you know what you're looking for.
At a glance or on your shelf there's zero noticeable difference in print quality between .0625mm and .047mm XY-resolution screens (Sonic Mini FHD vs Mars 2K). But if you're printing small items and used to working with small items a lot, you're going to spot the faint "stepping or "ringing" along the XY-axis. Yes, the Sonic Mini's lower .0625mm XY-resolution (in other words, the "sideways resolution") is noticeable.
In the attached picture, the XY-axis when these heads printed ran from ear-to-ear, nose to back of the head, and as you can see the ringing effect appears on the .0625mm (XY) head along those axis while the .047mm (XY) head is smooth all around.
On the painted head, the lower res is very obvious.
[SCRAPHEAP OR LIGHT ON ITS FEET?]
Ordering the Sonic Mini is like ordering a chilidog but you find out the meat in the chili is actually tofu. Yeah, it's not the peak explosion of flavor you were expecting, but hey, you still got a chilidog and it ain't too shabby!
This is a great printer for rapid prototypes and models that don't need to be flawless, but it's not the best choice for miniatures because of the XY-resolution.
Scrapheap or light on its feet?
By Henchmen4Hire on May 14, 2020
[UPDATE 8/16/2020]By Henchmen4Hire on May 14, 2020
After using this thing constantly for months now, I can tell you that it's a good printer. I got a defective unit, but I'm bumping this review up to 4 stars again because even despite the defects it's still a workhorse.
----------
After using the Sonic Mini for about a week, here's what I can tell you-
[INTERFACE]
Familiar stuff here, the printer uses Chitubox software and UI so you can see stuff like time remaining and the layer exposure settings directly on the machine while printing. You can pause and resume a print, manually level the build plate, etc.
Phrozen 3D claims the machine is already calibrated when you get it so you can start printing right away, and from my experience it's true. You should go through the simple process of leveling the build plate anyway though, so you're familiar with it.
I should note, the instructions for leveling the build plate say the piece of paper should be unmovable when the build plate is fully lowered, but I could still slide it out with some effort, similar to other machines like the Elegoo Mars. It printed fine.
[DESIGN]
Every mad roboticist out there is pumping out their own samey version of a resin 3D printer nowadays. The Sonic Mini isn't much to look at, but it sure is an earful! It's whisper quiet when not printing, but as soon as the cantilever starts moving it grinds out a loud mechanical drone that changes in pitch as it lowers and rises. It even physically vibrates the machine, though I haven't noticed any negative effects on the Sonic Mini's prints or the prints coming from my other resin printer next to it.
The trans-red cover is slightly sloped on the front face and has to be placed that particular way for it to sit properly. Unfortunately it can be hard to tell which face it is so you may have to rotate a few times until you get it right.
The black body is made of plastic while there are metal plates on the top and bottom. It's a sturdy machine.
It's a great little printer, though I think if you're going make the body plastic you might as well give it a cool techy, robotic, futuristic design to make it stand out (and match the crazy noise). Maybe Phrozen3D could share a 3D model of the guts of the machine, so we can then design and 3D print our own plastic shells for it.
One more thing, don't place any items that are UV sensitive near the machine when it's printing because a ton of UV light spills out through the vent holes.
[METAL VAT]
Yes, all these Sonic Minis now ship with an upgraded metal resin vat. The vat design is simple, functional, and impales neatly onto 2 threaded rods. It's securely held down by two speed nuts that you can tighten or loosen in 2 seconds or less by spin-dashing them with a finger. Some hedgehogs may argue that a metal version isn't always better, but we'll agree to disagree.
[BUILD PLATE]
Included with the printer is a flat slab of metal to use as a build plate. It levels by adjusting 4 small screws and fastens to the cantilever with the big knobbed screw on top. When removing a finished print you have to hold the plate sideways to let all the pooled up resin on the flat top run back into the vat.
I haven't had any adhesion issues, use proper exposure times and it'll be fine.
DO NOT MANUALLY LOWER THE CANTILEVER FARTHER THAN THE LCD SCREEN. For example, if the build plate is 7mm above the LCD screen, and you manually lower the cantilever by 10mm, it will try to push through and make a horrible grinding noise as well as bend the cantilever up! Keep this in mind if you like to move the build plate up and down to mix the resin.
[PRINT TIMES]
If you're drooling over the thought of printing things 4 times faster because the layers cure 4 times faster than the competition...sorry bub, not gonna happen. Remember that other settings like Lift Speeds/Distance greatly affect the printing time. That said, you'll still save a significant amount of time, especially if you print many times a day. I regularly save 1 to 1.5 hours per print session over something like the Elegoo Mars, which in my case adds up to about 4 hours of saved time over the day! Black resin benefits greatly because it will cut the usual 15 second exposure time down to around 4-5 seconds.
For that magical 1 second Normal Layer exposure time you'll specifically need to use "rapid" resin that cures quickly. However, "standard" and "ABS-like" resins cure quickly too. For example, you only need ~2.3s of exposure for Elegoo's ABS-like White.
[RESOLUTION AND PRINT QUALITY]
People who post 3D resin printer "reviews" (and I use that term loosely lmao) say they don't notice a difference in print quality. The difference is actually very obvious...if you know what you're looking for.
At a glance or on your shelf there's zero noticeable difference in print quality between .0625mm and .047mm XY-resolution screens (Sonic Mini FHD vs Mars 2K). But if you're printing small items and used to working with small items a lot, you're going to spot the faint "stepping or "ringing" along the XY-axis. Yes, the Sonic Mini's lower .0625mm XY-resolution (in other words, the "sideways resolution") is noticeable.
In the attached picture, the XY-axis when these heads printed ran from ear-to-ear, nose to back of the head, and as you can see the ringing effect appears on the .0625mm (XY) head along those axis while the .047mm (XY) head is smooth all around.
On the painted head, the lower res is very obvious.
[SCRAPHEAP OR LIGHT ON ITS FEET?]
Ordering the Sonic Mini is like ordering a chilidog but you find out the meat in the chili is actually tofu. Yeah, it's not the peak explosion of flavor you were expecting, but hey, you still got a chilidog and it ain't too shabby!
This is a great printer for rapid prototypes and models that don't need to be flawless, but it's not the best choice for miniatures because of the XY-resolution.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2022
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2022
So far so good!
By Cole Bishop on September 7, 2022
Had some challenges at first as expected just getting familiar with the settings but once I dialed things in everything is going well. Super satisfied with this printer so far.
By Cole Bishop on September 7, 2022
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2020
Top reviews from other countries
Cliente de Amazon
Perfecta para empezar pero tiene un tiempo de vida muy corto
Reviewed in Mexico on January 2, 2022
Perfecta para empezar pero tiene un tiempo de vida muy corto
Reviewed in Mexico on January 2, 2022
La compré el 25 de noviembre y la he utilizado menos de 50 horas, las impresiones tienen muy buena calidad y excelente velocidad sin embargo el primer error que tuve fue que la USB incluida no la reconoce la impresora y debes cambiarla, luego el LCD empezó a fallar a los pocos días de funcionamiento, imprimía unas pequeñas tiras similares a cabellos del lado izquierdo, empezaban fuera de la placa de impresión y se iban deslizando a la derecha. Hace unos días mis impresiones empezaron a salir como en las fotografías, toda una parte del modelo salía corrupta y destrozaba el trabajo.Reviewed in Mexico on January 2, 2022
Desde ese día TODAS las impresiones salen con errores, al contactar a soporte técnico me dicen que es porque los modelos son demasiado grandes, que puede ser problema de mi USB, busqué ayuda en foros y todos me dicen que es un error común en el LCD que Phrozen conoce pero no hacen nada para solucionarlo, incluso hay una reseña de 2 estrellas en inglés que menciona que en cuanto la impresora empieza a hacer eso lo mejor es devolverla a riesgo de quedarte con un pisa papeles pues las refacciones son casi imposibles de conseguir.
Si estás iniciando en esto, invierte un poquito más y hazte de una impresora mejor
Images in this review
Jesus Garcia Diaz
Buena calidad de impresión.
Reviewed in Mexico on December 4, 2021Karen
facil de usar increible relacion calidad-precio
Reviewed in Mexico on May 17, 2022
facil de usar increible relacion calidad-precio
Reviewed in Mexico on May 17, 2022
la recomiendo mucho, voy por el 4to litro de resina y todo super bien.. .. los errores son solo cuando cambio de resina y la tengo que calibrar... nunca le he cambiado la mica....ojo no imprimo cosas mas grande de 6cm ni lleno la plancha de figuras...con figuras tan chicas como las que ocupo si se le notan las "layers" en comparacion con una de 4k pero solo usando la lupa o deplano tomando fotografias con mucho zoom ... la vdd con la figura en la mano se ven iguales.. eso si... el usb tienes que formatearlo llegando... y la resina es casi la misma de la que usan para poner uñas...no es tan toxica como dicen... nomas no te chupes los dedos y con cuidad de no embarrar todo... tmb con alcol del 96 y un poco de agua se limpian super bien las piezas.... si va a ser tu primera impresora de resina creo es una buena opcion.... si ya tienes una fdm.. la vas a querer mas.... si es un poco tedioso estar limpiando, vaciando y llenando el vat ...
Reviewed in Mexico on May 17, 2022
Images in this review
Juan Hernandez
Excelente calidad y precio.
Reviewed in Mexico on September 16, 2021
Excelente calidad y precio.
Reviewed in Mexico on September 16, 2021
Realmente es mi primer impresora de resina no puedo compararla con alguna otra, pero en cuanto la comencé a usar fue muy fácil, seguí las instrucciones de configuración del manual y la pude calibrar como debería. (Importantísimo calibrarla antes de usar) la misma impresora en Tools te dice como o en el manual.Reviewed in Mexico on September 16, 2021
Los materiales se sienten de muy buena calidad, había leído que tiene una tina de plástico que se tronaba, la que me llego tiene una de aluminio bastante resistente.
En cuanto al eliminador de corriente tiene un ligero zumbido a la hora de encenderla, no creo que sea normal pero como me urgía sacar unas piezas me arriesgue y no pedí cambio. La he usado 12 horas seguida y no ha presentado inconveniente.
La resina que he utilizado es de 3DMaterials con los parámetros recomendados por el fabricante para uso en esta impresora.
Images in this review
