New Build Volume

In this day and age, there is plenty of variation in resin 3D printers sizes, but Anycubic has managed to pull a surprise on us with the new Mono SQ.

Where you would typically find rectangular-shaped build plates on most resin 3D printers, the Photon Mono SQ lays on an almost square build plate at 128 x 120 mm in size. Maybe the SQ addendum stands for”square” or, better yet, “slightly quadratic.” In any case, the larger base area should help when it comes to arranging and fitting prints onto the plate.

Anycubic doesn’t stop there in terms of build volume surprises, though. Alongside the weirdly shaped plate, the Mono SQ also offers 200 mm of printable Z-axis height. This is by far the tallest printable height compared to some of the other “small” resin 3D printers and puts the SQ actually more in the realm of the Elegoo Saturn albeit only in build height, however.

Nonetheless, those changes amount to quite the respectable print volume. To put it in numbers, it’s about 1.7 times larger than that of the original Photon Mono and close to a third larger than Elegoo’s latest Mars 3.

3K Resolution

Well, here’s another novelty. We’ve seen just about every even single-digit number of Ks on a printer so far, but the Photon Mono SQ is the odd one out, featuring a 6.9-inch, 3K monochrome screen. It’s odd for two reasons: One, three is obviously an odd number, and two: it’s not really groundbreaking in terms of resolution output. With 2560 x 2400 pixels across the 128 x 120 mm build area, you get what could be described as a “standard” 50-micron resolution that can be found on pretty much any resin 3D printer released within the last two years.

Whilst others strive for even finer resolution, such as the above-mentioned Elegoo Mars 3, which features a 4K screen and allows it to print at a 35-micron resolution, Anycubic seems quite content with its 50-micron resolution. It’s the same you can find on the smaller Mono (2k) or the larger Mono X (4k).

Adjustable UV power

Anycubic is advertising the Mono SQ as having a new light source that will offer a longer life span and a more uniform light diffusion across the whole screen. How exactly this new light source is working, we can only guess; Anycubic does not expand on its marketing claims any further. From the looks of it, we would guess it to be an array of LCDs spread across the bottom rather than a single light source and reflecting mirror setup. Anycubic’s UI allows you to adjust the UV power, though. This should allow you to process a wide variety of resins as well as dial down the UV lights for longer LCD durability.

More on the Mono family

Anycubic Photon Mono vs Mono SE vs Mono X: The Differences

Fast Printing

The Mono SQ also features a monochrome screen. Let’s be real – there’s no point releasing a resin 3D printer without one today. You might as well disqualify yourself before even attending the race. So, unsurprisingly, the Anycubic Photon Mono SQ (the name, duh!) features a monochrome LCD version which allows for blistering fast layer curing times, which according to its manufacturer, lets it print at an overall speed of 60 mm/h.

Oh yes, and the mono screen will also deteriorate much slower, leaving you more time before it needs replacing.

Anycubic Slicer

The Anycubic Photon Mono SQ comes with Anycubic Photon Workshop, the company’s proprietary slicing software. With it, you should be able to perform the requisite functions needed to successfully set up resin prints, including hollowing, punch-hole, and model cutting functions, plus a few neat extras such as the lettering function, which allows you to add text onto your model. Plus, it supports up to 8x anti-aliasing.

Past Anycubic MSLA 3D printers are compatible with the widely-used ChiTuBox and Lychee slicing software, so we would hope that, if not at launch, compatibility with those slicers will follow soon after.

Further Features

Additional features on the Mono SQ include

• Anti-scratch FEP film: You don’t want no scratches on your vat’s bottom, as this will lead to all kinds of unwanted messes. According to Anycubic, the SQ features a new and robust FEP film. Extra care is still advised, though. Use plastic scrapers only.
• Connectivity: Connectivity-wise, the Mono SQ plays it simple with a USB connection, which will be located on the right rear of the printer, together with the kill switch. Easily accessible, we think.