Stereolithography, or SLA 3D printing, can be pretty messy. When working with resin, a wash and cure station drastically simplifies post-processing. Since you’ll need to first rinse off, then harden resin 3D prints, a wash and cure station is a must-own. It’s far easier to clean and fully cure your resin prints. But you’ll want the right hardware for the job. Check out the best wash and cure stations for 3D printing!
Best Wash and Cure Station Overall – Elegoo Mercury X Wash & Cure Station
The Elegoo Mercury X wash and cure kit is a fantastic all-in-one solution for cleaning and curing resin 3D printable objects. It’s fully compatible with a wide range of SLA 3D printers including the Elegoo Mars 2 Pro, Mars 3, and Saturn. Elegoo’s Mercury X bundle includes a washing station along with an ultraviolet (UV) curing chamber.
Boasting a generous 8000ML capacity, the sealed water tank sports a snap-on lid with rubber sealing strips. In addition to the tank, there’s a washing basket and bracket. The water tank washing bracket supports up to two Elegoo Mars, Mars 2, Mars 2 Pro, or Mars 3 build plates. Alternatively, it can handle a single Elegoo Saturn build platform.
The UV curing machine touts a 360-degree automatically rotating curing platform with a 200 x 260mm curing size. Built-in UV 405 nanometer UV lights and a bottom reflector ensure complete curing. A transparent yellow shade blocks 99.9% of UV light letting you safely monitor curing.
There’s a maximum 30-minute timer and dual connector design that supports simultaneous washing and curing. In our review, we appreciated the user-friendly operation, excellent rinsing capabilities, fast curing times, and large capacity water tank as well as curing chamber. However, we found its large footprint somewhat cumbersome.
Nevertheless, the Elegoo Mercury X Wash & Cure Station is the best wash and cure station for the Elegoo Saturn, Elegoo Mars 3, Anycubic Photon Mono X, and a slew of other printers. Whether you’ve got a massive SLA printer or regular resin printer, the Elegoo Mercury X bundle is a great option.
Pros:
- Includes 8000ML capacity washing bucket with snap-on lid and rubber sealing
- UV curing chamber with 360-degree automatic rotating curing chamber with 200 x 260mm size
- Transparent yellow acrylic shade for ultraviolet curing chamber blocks 99.9% of UV light
- Dual power sockets for simultaneous operation
- Simple one-knob operation
- Good value
Cons:
- Large footprint
Best Value Wash and Cure Station – Anycubic Wash & Cure Station 2.0
Anycubic is renowned for its excellent resin 3D printers such as the Photon Mono 4K, and its Wash & Cure Station 2.0 is a solid accessory for do-it-yourselfers (DIYers). It comes with a fully enclosed washing bucket that includes a wash rack and basket. There’s a 360-degree rotating curing platform alongside 405nm UV lamp beads which provide uniform illumination for superb curing and smooth surface finishes.
A transparent yellow acrylic shade blocks out 99.95% of UV light for safe print curing monitoring. The Anycubic Wash & Cure Station 2.0 is an all-in-one dual cleaning and curing station. Unlike Elegoo’s Mercury X Bundle, the Anycubic doesn’t arrive with separate wash and cure foundations. Instead, there’s the same platform for both. While that means a smaller footprint, you can’t cure and wash at the same time.
Although Anycubic’s Wash & Cure Station 2.0 is suitable for modestly-sized prints from smaller resin 3D printers like the Photon Mono 4K or Elegoo Mars 3, it’s not ideal for bigger prints. So if you’ve got a large SLA 3D printer like the Elegoo Saturn or Anycubic Photon Mono X, you may be disappointed.
Notably, Anycubic offers its Anycubic Wash & Cure Plus kit with a much larger volume that’s compatible with high-capacity resin 3D printers. But its affordable price tag, the Anycubic Wash & Cure Station 2.0 is the best value 3D printing wash and cure station on the market.
Pros:
- Excellent value
- 405nm UV lights
- Maxiumum model size for washing: 120mm x 74mm x 165mm
- Max model size for washing: 140mm x 165mm
- Machine dimensions: 225mm x 235mm x 365mm
- Single-platform for washing and curing
- Transparent yellow acrylic shade blocks 99.95% of UV light
- 360-degree uniform curing
- Water tank with snap-on lid and rubber sealing, includes washing basket and bracket
- Compact footprint
Cons:
- Can’t handle large 3D prints
- Only one platform – no simultaneous washing and curing
Best Budget Wash and Cure Station – Creality UW-01 Wash and Curing Station for Resin 3D Prints
The Creality UW-01 is an affordable 2-in-1 wash and cure machine for resin 3D printers. With its 325 x 295 x 584mm size and 260 x 160 x 200mm washing capacity, the Creality UW-01 tackles print jobs from standard SLA printers with up to 10.1-inch build plates with ease. Its 360-degree complete curing functionality arrives via a rotating platform and 385nm along with 405nm LED beads.
You’ve got an array of timer settings all the way up to 30 minutes. There’s a wash bucket with a snap-on lid and rubber seals along with attachments including two build plate holders and a basket. A single platform doubles for washing and curing. As such, the UW-01 takes up very little desk space.
In their review, Not Enough Tech appreciated the Creality UW-01’s ability to speed up resin 3D printing post-processing, its good value, and outstanding performance. However, they noted that the build plate brackets feature a single knob, so you’ll need an extra when slotting in two build platforms. Additionally, the rotating curing platform is somewhat finicky to insert.
Despite a few minor drawbacks, the Creality UW-01 is the best budget wash and cure station for 3D printing. It supports most popular 3D printers including the Elegoo Mars 3, Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K, and Anycubic Photon Mono without breaking the bank.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Works with most resin SLA 3D printers 10.1 inches and smaller
- 2-in-1 washing and curing station
- Wash bucket with snap-on lid and rubber seal, wash basket, build plate bracket
- Small footprint
- Excellent 360-degree curing with 385nm and 405nm LEDs
- Machine capacity: 25 x 295 x 584mm
- Washing capacity: 260 x 160 x 200mm
Cons:
- Doesn’t support large 3D prints
- Can’t wash and cure simultaneously
- Finicky rotating platform, single-knob on wash bucket build plate bracket
Best Wash and Cure Station for Big 3D Prints – Anycubic Wash & Cure Plus
For big 3D printers such as the Elegoo Saturn and Anycubic Photon Mono X, you can produce larger prints. And the Anycubic Wash & Cure Plus machine is the best wash and cure station for big 3D printers. With a 192mm x 120mm x 290mm washing capacity, the Anycubic Wash & Cure Plus is ideal for unwieldy print jobs.
It features a huge wash tank complete with a mesh basket and build plate holder bracket. There’s reliable 360-degree curing thanks to a rotating curing platform and reflectors on the bottom of the curing chamber. Its yellow acrylic see-through lid blocks 99.95% of UV light for extreme safety. You can select 1-60 minute curing times.
The Anycubic utilizes a single platform for both washing and curing. While this means that it has a modest footprint considering the machine’s heft, you can’t wash and cure at the same time. It’s also fairly bulky and heavy, as well as expensive.
In their testing, Electromaker praised the Anycubic Wash & Cure Plus for its resin 3D printing post-processing efficiency, blisteringly fast wash and cure times, plus the ability to handle large print jobs. However, they pointed out its singular wash tank and higher cost than the average wash and cure kit. Granted, most competing options are significantly smaller. Ultimately, if you have a large resin 3D printer, the Anycubic Wash & Cure Station Plus will drastically reduce your post-processing times.
Pros:
- Machine dimensins: 290mm x 270mm x 279mm
- Washing capacity: 192mm x 120mm x 290mm
- Curing size: 190mm x 245mm
- 405nm UV lights
- 1-60 minute curing times
- Dual washing and curing
Top Resin 3D Printing Wash and Cure Station FAQs
A wash and cure station is a device meant to fully clean, dry, and harden your resin-based 3D prints thereby reducing post-processing times. It consists of a wash bucket with propellor for agitating some sort of cleaning solution along with a UV (ultraviolet) curing chamber.
You need to wash and cure resin so that your prints are sufficiently hard as well as safe to handle. Since 3D printing resin is toxic, you’ll need to wash off excess resin, then fully cure or harden a print making it tough enough that its surface isn’t malleable while also safe to touch without getting resin on your hands.
No, a curing station isn’t absolutely necessary for 3D printing, but it does make the messy post-processing significantly easier and less time-consuming.
Yes, a wash and cure station for 3D printing is absolutely worth it! Cleaning prints is far less messy and you’ll cut down on the lengthy print curing process.
Best Wash and Cure Stations for SLA 3D Printing – Final Thoughts
Overall, there are loads of wash and cure stations on the market for 3D printing. The best option for most people is the Elegoo Mercury X Bundle. Anycubic’s Wash & Cure Station 2.0 is a great value, while the Creality UW-01 is a solid budget pick. For large 3D printers, the Anycubic Wash & Cure Plus is a must-have.
Your turn: What wash and cure stations do you recommend for reducing post-processing hassle?
Recent Comments