Onerous resin-tank cleaning and maintenance process
Small build volume
Somewhat pricey
Prusa Research s Original Prusa SL1, a stereolithography-based 3D printer, represents a branching out from the company’s focus on trusty, top-quality filament-based 3D printers. But at least based on our experience, it s not a particularly successful sideline, so far.
While the $1,699 SL1’s strengths include very good print quality, a sturdy frame, a clever design, multiple connectivity methods, and an intuitive menu system, it also suffers from a host of shortcomings. These include a small build volume, a relatively high price, and onerous, necessary processes of resin-tank cleaning and tank film replacement. Most of all, at least in our case, the SL1 exhibited a finicky nature. After two successful test prints, it stubbornly refused to print anything else, despite our working through a host of potential fixes from Prusa’s extensive Help forums and knowledge-based resources.