D7 Enhanced mSLA Upgrade Pack
Two of the most used budget printers in the mSLA (DLP/SLA/DUP) category are the Wanhao D7 and the Anycubic Photon. Both having huge followings (the 2 main facebook groups for these members have a combined total of 24,000 members) there are a lot of these printers in the wild! That being said, they do come with their issues/quirks and one company has tried to alleviate some of these with an elegant revamp…. Elmon D7 Enhanced Upgrade Pack!
Two of the biggest printers in the budget mSLA market. (Left; Wanhao Duplicator 7, Right; Anycubic Photon)
New Kids on the Block…
Elmon ResinWorks is a new company formed in 2019. They have spent the last several months developing an upgrade kit suitable for either of these printers; the “Elmon D7 Enhanced mSLA Upgrade Pack”. On top of this, they specialise in acrylic/resin art, bespoke mould making, and custom modelling / printing services.
Pushing The Boundaries
Elmon are also branching out in to R+D for mSLA 3d printing. They’re looking to bring a variety of 4k printers to the table next year ranging from hobbyist machines to prosumer models. These will be release in a Kickstarter March / April time next year. If you can’t wait that long; you can have early access to an Alpha build of either their 5.5″ Jewellery model (120x68x150mm 31um x/y) or the 12.5″ wargames terrain model (277x156x250mm 72um x/y) now, via the Elmon Enhanced D7 upgrade pack KS!
Elmon Enhanced D7!
According to their Kickstarter, the new Elmon D7 Enhanced UV source (Parallel Diode Array Unit) boasts 28 individual diodes. This means the unit is rated at 70w (over twice that of the Photon or D7). On top of this, they reworked the cooling system to take the added heat / prolong the life of the LCD. The Kickstarter contains 3 main backer rewards, 2 of which are specific to the Duplicator 7. This is because 1. the lid is not needed for the Photon, and, 2. another community member created a z-axis modification for the Photon. Kudos, guys! Nice to see a company with morals!
They have also reassured that nothing extra will need to be purchased on top of these kits…
Parallel Diode UV Array Upgrade Kit
“The new, enhanced, UV array from Elmon is a 70 watt, 28 diode, parallel light source. This type of light source is usually used in high precision measurement equipment. Due to the design (and each diode having a lens to magnify it); there is less light scattered, the unit produces higher contrast at the edges of the screen and it reduces reflections from diffusion. With the new light source also comes a new shroud and bottom case extension with new rack fittings for your boards, new fans and a reworked cooling system. You will now have 2x 50mm fans at the back of the machine (one either side) to keep the boards cool, and 3x 50mm fans under the array. Coupled with the heatsink, this is enough to keep the diodes from overheating, even on the longest prints. There is now also a 60mm fan on the front (camera right hand side) of the machine. This has been positioned to blow in directly between the array and LCD screen, stopping any build-up of warm air in the cavity, prolonging the life-span of your screen…”
Z-Axis Upgrade Kit
“…Here at Elmon we have designed a new z-axis and build plate attachment so you no longer have to worry about these issues! We’ve upgraded the z-axis to dual linear rails, instead of the smooth rods – this is a lot more stable as the rails are attached to the z bracket, which is screwed into the top plate of the bottom case, instead of resting inside holes, and being gripped with grub screws like the smooth rods…”
Tilt-Lid Upgrade Kit
“This product has been designed to mount the back of the lid to the printer, enabling us to hinge the front of the lid so that it doesn’t need to be removed any more, this saves on the height needed for the space the printer is kept in, as well as keeping the footprint of the machine down when cleaning, the lid has catches to hold it closed as well as brackets to keep the front lifted, unaided; for maintenance, removing prints, etc…”
Test Prints…
Have a look at some of the test prints below and see the improvements for yourselves! These were all made using the Elmon D7 Enhanced full Upgrade kit for the Wanhao Duplicator 7.
The Elmon D7 Enhanced Kickstarter is running until 11/09/2019 so do yourself and your printer a favour, head over to the page and pledge away!!
Make sure to check out our other D7 related article, here.
