First, we are going to start off with the separate professional curing stations, and a great choice that many resin 3D printer users love is the Elegoo Mercury UV Curing Machine.
It is specially designed to offer focused, stabilized, and consistent UV lights to cure the 3D models printed using photopolymer resins.
The curing process after printing a 3D model allows the model to get hard and become safe to touch. This post-curing process increases the durability of the resin 3D printed models to many folds.
Because of its high quality, efficiency and many other benefits, the Elegoo Mercury has become one of the top choices of many 3D printer users to cure their 3D prints.
There is an LCD display located at the top of its lid that allows you to control the curing length/time. The machine has a transparent see-through window that allows you to safely see your resin 3D model during the curing process.
The Elegoo Mercury curing station includes a pair of 405nm LED strips with 14 UV LED lights in total. These LEDs are used as a light source and there are reflective sheets inside the machine that improve the curing process to cure all angles of your models.
The machine is equipped with a light-driven turntable that allows the whole print model to absorb UV lights as it rotates.
Being able to take your model and put it into a professional curing station, with a built-in turntable with reflective sheets works really well for curing your freshly made prints.
There is an intelligent time control function so you can set the exact curing times which you’ll need to adjust depending on the size and complexity of your model.
Users’ feedback claims that the machine’s control buttons are so soft to touch that they are sometimes presumed as touchpads.
The Elegoo Mercury can only be used for curing purposes as there are no washing components included. There are more expensive all-in-one solutions as well but we’ll talk about that further down this article.
Check out the Elegoo Mercury on Amazon today for an amazing curing process.
Another curing station that is appreciated is the Sovol 3D SL1 Curing Machine. It is a fast, efficient, and high performance curing machine with many amazing features.
It’s cheaper than the Elegoo Mercury but not as popular.
There are 12 LED UV lights in two 405nm strips which is the same as many other curing stations but the best thing about this curing machine is the addition of another LED strip that has two UV LED lights on the roof.
This addition allows the light to reach every part of the resin print and increases the speed of the curing process which is loved by its users.
The 360° turntable is capable of absorbing the UV lights energy so it can keep on rotating without requiring any battery.
There are smooth, sensitive, and extremely responsive touch buttons allowing you to operate the machine with ease.
The wall is also covered with a reflective sheet that illuminates the light and brings better curing results, similar to the Elegoo Mercury.
There are different time intervals of 2, 4, 6 minutes, allowing users to control the curing time according to the requirement without wasting time or damaging the print model.
A see-through window is equipped on the front to give a clear view of the print and curing process, while still blocking the UV lights inside the machine.
One user who has used many alternative curing stations mentioned how the Sovol 3D SL1 Curing Machine is one of the best solutions out there in this price range.
The Sunlu UV Resin Curing Light Box is great curing solution which is compatible with almost all types of 3D printers such as LCD, SLA, DLP, etc.
This light box is suitable to cure 3D prints of 405nm resins efficiently. It is equipped with a UV light stripe that consists of 6 heavy-duty and powerful 405nm UV LED lights, perfect to cure all types of resin models.
These power packages have the ability to cure the resin 3D prints properly and entirely in just a few minutes. It ensures that there will not be any uncured resin residues once the post-curing process is completed and the model has become hard.
The cured print will not only have an elegant and smooth finish but will be durable as well.
It has a highly responsive control button that allows you to set the time at any interval from 0 to 6 minutes.
Operating and using the machine is much easier because there are fewer chances that the model will get stained or burned if kept in the light box for a relatively long time.
The light box ensures that each part of the print model can get cured evenly. This curing solution includes a turntable that rotates the model at a consistent speed of 10 revolutions per minute.
It has a special optical filter material so the UV light is properly kept within the chamber and doesn’t leak out like other cheaper curing solutions.
On top of all this, you have a 1-year guaranteed after-sale service for any issues, so you aren’t left guessing.
Comgrow UV Resin Curing Lamp is specially designed to complete the post-curing process in less time as compared to other resin curing lamps.
Compared to the solutions above, this one is more on the budget side, yet still works really well.
There are 6 powerful 405nm UV LED lights that can cure the resin print model effectively.
A 360° turntable is included in the system to rotate the model and doesn’t use batteries to work, instead utilizing UV lighting or natural solar light as the power source.
The turntable can easily rotate the model weighing up to 500g which is enough for pretty much any resin print.
As it gets power from the UV lights, it is recommended to keep it near to the lamp to increase its spinning speed if desired.
Thicker or complex parts may take a bit more time but normally a thin resin print can be cured efficiently in just 10 to 15 seconds even if it is placed 5cm away from the lamp.
It’s recommended to wear protection glasses or goggles because the lamp emits powerful ultraviolet rays that can be harmful to the eyes.
Users find it quite helpful especially because of its solar-powered turntable that eases the post-curing process at a reasonable price.
Many people use this as a key part to their own DIY curing station, using something like a bucket lined with metal reflecting duct tape.
One person even used the delivery box it came with, cut a hole in there, and taped the UV light right onto it.
It has an inline switch so you can turn it on and off with ease, rather than having to plug it in and unplug it each use.
Simple light lamps can become weak in just 3 weeks and cannot survive for more than 6 months. The Befenybay UV Curing Light Set can serve you for more than 10,000 hours without losing its full power and efficiency.
This complete set protects you from looking into the UV light which is a great safety feature unlike some of the other options in this list. It’s still a good idea to use safety googles just as a precaution, to maximize your safety.
The light bulbs are really bright. It’s recommended to not expose your skin to the light for a long time either.
The curing box is made out of acrylic and effective blocks the UV light from getting out, similar to your standard SLA 3D printer.
These LED UV resin curing lamps do not contain any sort of mercury which makes them 100% eco-friendly.
The closer you place the object to the lamp, the better your results will come out.
Its cold light source with low heat generation makes it a safe, yet powerful UV light lamp solution. It can cure any resin print without causing any damage to the surfaces.
Users love that the turntable spins automatically so they don’t have to occasionally move their uncured resin prints around a few times for an even cure.
It doesn’t even require battery which is a gamechanger for most people.
When it comes to the best resin UV light curing station for 3D prints, Anycubic Wash and Cure cannot be ignored. No matter if it is an SLA, LCD, DLP, or any other kind of 3D printer, the services of Anycubic Wash and Cure can be utilized.
A 4.8/5.0 rating on Amazon at time of writing is hard to ignore!
This is a dual-purpose machine that can cure prints and has a built-in ultrasonic washer for washing purposes as well. The machine has a sealed plastic container that allows you to store the washing liquid to be used in the future instead of throwing it away after each wash.
The machine is compatible with almost all types of 3D printers because it is equipped with 405nm and 305nm UV lights.
The platform keeps on rotating 360° to make sure that each part of the print can absorb the UV lights and get better post-curing during effects.
There is a semi-transparent see-through window that can stop up to 99.95% of the internal UV lights from entering your eyes and allow you to monitor the curing process without any hassle.
To enhance the safety of the user, there is an auto-pause feature that can stop the post-curing process anytime if something goes wrong especially if the top cover is removed.
The washing mechanism consists of a propeller at the bottom that rotates the water at a high speed and alters the spinning direction during the process which ensures the complete cleaning of the 3D print.
There are two different washing modes that allow you to place the model after removing, directly into the basket to get washed or hang the print platform into the basket pad.
The first one is known as the basket washing mode while the latter is called suspension washing mode.
Users are happy with the machine because it is secure, leak-proof, agitates well, and has different washing modes and curing time intervals.
Elegoo Mercury Plus 2-in-1 is the upgraded version of the Elegoo Mercury. It is compatible with most of the LCD, SLA, and DLP 3D printers including Photon, Photon S, Mars, Mars Pro, Mars C, and many more.
Its price is a bit higher as compared to other curing machines but it is efficient and useful for the users in the long run. It is widely considered a great alternative to the above mentioned Anycubic Wash and Cure machine.
It includes a dual-purpose resin 3D print curing and washing box that offers several different washing modes to provide better and efficient results. It allows you to fill the basket with different amounts of liquids by using its height-adjustable platform bracket.
You can wash the resin 3D print separately in the washing basket and you can also place the print with the build plate to thoroughly wash them properly in the station.
There is a turntable platform and the machine has 385nm and 405nm UV light curing beads that allow the light to reach every inch of the resin 3D print in the chamber. The equipped TFT display screen has a brief timer that shows the remaining and total time.
There is an acrylic hood that is capable of blocking 99.95% of the UV lights and its safety features stop the curing process immediately if the hood is removed or opened.
Users say that with its different LED light frequencies, safety features, washing modes, and all the amazing features, it is worth it to spend $100 to get this helpful curing station.
Anycubic Wash & Cure Vs Elegoo Mercury Plus 2-in-1
The Anycubic Wash & Cure and the Elegoo Mercury Plus 2-in-1 are amazingly efficient machines that help users facilitate the post-processing of their high quality resin prints.
They both have very similar functions in terms of how they look and what they do, which is washing freshly-made resin 3D prints in a bath of cleaning solution, then having a curing station with in-built 405nm UV lights to cure the models.
The Elegoo Mercury is much cheaper than the Anycubic Wash & Cure even though they can hold very similar-sized models, so I would opt-in to get the Mercury between these two machines.
It also has stronger curing lights with a 48W rated power compared to the 25W of the Wash & Cure.
Conclusion
Now that you are aware of the curing station options for your resin 3D printer, you can carefully pick the best option that makes the most sense for you.
I currently have the budget solution, but I definitely will upgrade to a professional all-in-one solution as soon as the bigger size comes out, since I have an Anycubic Photon Mono X (my review on it).
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