Review on Upgraded High Resolution Parallel Lighting Printing by James Roper

UPDATED: I got this back after crash after crash. The last straw was that the plate stuck to the FEP twice after repeated attempts at alignment. I had maybe a 10% success rate and spent 2 weeks searching the web trying every tip with no success. I bought a Mars Pro and am now 99% successful right out of the box and dozens of prints later. Orange 30 is NOT intended for beginners. This is my first 3D printer and I chose the resin printer because I mainly assemble and paint game miniatures. A friend recommended the Longer Orange 30, which has been a good entry-level printer for a long time. After about 5 days of fiddling and many failed prints I made my first successful miniature. I'm hesitant to give this 5 stars and it really should be 4 for a couple of elements that don't seem to be common traits. I've included them below, and at the bottom of this review are some troubleshooting tips I had to do to get a good first print. As a newbie to printers I didn't really notice the unusual features until others were listed so it didn't really matter but here they are: see product photo) and it's held together with two rubber bands. . It was a bit odd even for a beginner like me and will need to be replaced with something more permanent at some point2 - The USB port is on the back. It's also a little strange, but I don't mind it, but I think for those who want to place the printer in a corner, access will be less convenient.3 - The LongerWare software that comes with the printer is very, Very easy. I highly recommend using Chitubox and see the Troubleshooting section below for more information on how to do this. I've struggled with LongerWare and I don't like it at all. 4 - The instructions are inaccurate. It's outdated and I don't recommend using it. Visit the website, join the FB group and watch videos on YouTube. That's where I found my answers.5 - Forget the test prints that come on USB. You are terrible. Get the pre-supported file from the web and get started. After 2 attempts to print with test files I just used the pre supported file I bought and it worked (with Chitubox).6 - The pictures show that it comes with test resin and film (FEP). It is not. Apparently they recently stopped sending in a box. So if this is a recent production, it won't be. When you receive it you will have an early production run. Okay, but does it work well once set up? YUP! My print was fantastic and I am very happy with the result! It took some adjustments and learning, but I'm really looking forward to more prints. Once you get started, the actual functionality will be implemented on the device itself. TROUBLESHOOTING Why did my first few prints fail? Here's what I found: 1. Plug the USB into the device BEFORE you turn it on. Apparently, if you don't do this, you may get an LCD malfunction. Then turn off the device BEFORE removing the USB.2. Level, level and more level. When you install it, really take the time to align it by criss-cross tightening the screws while holding both sides of the panel. I noticed on mine that one of the screws always lifted a certain angle. I had to come up with a tightening scheme so this wouldn't happen. The same applies to the resin bath. First you need to tighten one side. Once you align the plate correctly, you don't need to do it again, just check from time to time.3. The instructions on how to use the Chitubox plugin in the manual are WRONG. It's just a matter of creating a zip file and putting it in LongerWare etc. no Do not do that. Follow YouTube's instructions on how to do it right. You can then save directly as a longer file.4. In Chitubox (after the plugin loads properly) make sure the resin settings are set correctly in the dropdown list. I used Longer3D Standard Rapid for 0.05mm and I have a water washable resin (here is Elegoo on Revain).5. Until you're a pro, use the defaults in Chitubox for Longer3D Orange 30. Someone forced me to change all the defaults and it didn't work. Just stick to the basics. Hope some of this helps. Enjoy