Lite3DP Gen 2
A tiny, hackable 3D printer for everyone
This project is launching soon.
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Lite3DP Gen 2 is our new line of miniature MSLA resin 3D printers. It builds on lessons learned from the first version of Lite3DP to bring you an upgraded, open-source printer that is built to deliver. Small enough to fit on your work desk, Lite3DP printers showcase a minimalist design that has proven both distinctive and effective. Lite3DP Gen 2 is constructed from high-precision components, powered by an ESP32 microcontroller, and programmable using the Arduino IDE.
Boasting an upgraded display and accommodating larger print volumes, Lite3DP Gen 2 introduces various quality-of-life improvements for its users, including a cover plate that protects the main screen from leaks, capacitive touch buttons that simplify menu navigation, and customizable test functions that facilitate the definition of printing parameters. We are offering two different auxiliary displays as well: an OLED screen for monitoring the progress of your print jobs and a touchscreen that provides access to the application menu.
Everything about this project remains proudly open source. We’ve even designed a 3D-printable "Lite3DP Zero" as a gift to the open source community!
We’ve completely redesigned the Lite3DP Gen 2 PCB while ensuring that it retains backwards compatibility with Lite3DP S1. Our campaign will include standalone PCBs for existing Lite3DP users looking to upgrade and for those who want to build their own Lite3DP Zero.
The core of Lite3DP Zero, which is compatible with standard, easy-to-use mechanical components, can be built using only 3D-printed parts. Our upgraded Lite3DP PCB is designed to support 3D-printing enthusiasts while inspiring them to design their own printers.
MSLA printing—the layer-by-layer solidification of photosensitive resin subjected to 405-nm UV light—allows for the manufacture of small plastic parts with an extraordinary level of detail and surface finish. And Lite3DP Gen 2 makes it easy to experiment with different resins and resolutions for a given source file—a collection of PNG images for each section—while you’re dialing in your creation.
Precision parts, detailed models, prototypes, and miniatures are just a few of the proven applications for Lite3DP Gen 2, which is equally well suited to educational, medical, and industrial deployments.
Lite3DP Gen 2 is small enough and quite enough for your home, your workshop, your office, or just about anywhere else. The surface area of its aluminum base provides sufficient cooling, whereas most other resin printers rely on noisy fans to dissipate the heat generated by their UV-light source. Even magnetic-levitation fans get annoying after a while…
We’re pushing the envelope on energy efficiency as well. For starters, Lite3DP Gen 2 requires less than 7 W of power. (By comparison, some larger MSLA printers require close to 100 W.) And resin is precious, so it’s worth keeping in mind that smaller prints from smaller printers tend to produce less waste.
Lite3DP Gen 2’s minimalist design also makes it extremely portable. Weighing in at less than 0.4 kg (14 oz), and with a total size of 10 x 10 x 16.5 cm (4 x 4 x 6.5 in), Lite3DP Gen 2 fits in your bag, whereas traditional resin printers often weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 8 to 10 kg (17 to 22 lbs).
By default, the Lite3DP Gen 2 display is right there on the PCB itself, which makes it part of the print bed, just beneath the resin tray. This elegant design allows you to navigate the application menu when you need it, while also providing a mask during active print jobs.
Above: Default screen. Below left to right: OLED module and Touchscreen
Here’s an example of how the default display works: once you’ve prepared your build platform and selected your printing parameters, you must fill the vat with resin and the print job will begin. From that point on, as long as the job is actively printing, you will not be able to see the default screen, which means you might not have access to information about elapsed time, remaining time, number of layers printed, etc. (Though of course you can always pause the job, which will raise the platform and expose the screen, after which you can resume printing whenever you’re ready.)
If you’re looking for a different experience, we have two alternative display options: an OLED screen capable of displaying real-time print progress, and a touchscreen you can use to navigate application menus.
Our OLED display module provides sharp, high-contrast readability in a small module designed specifically for Lite3DP Gen 2. It’s positioned to remain visible throughout the printing process.
Our touchscreen, which mirrors the default display, provides a resistive touch panel that keeps you informed about the status of your print job while also allowing you to navigate the Lite3DP application menus. All job settings and print parameters will be selected using the touchscreen, which supersedes the default, on-PCB display and capacitive touch buttons.
Lite3DP is the original miniature MSLA printer, based on a concept strong enough that we are already starting to see iterations on the idea. We are passionate about open source and excited to have made this difference in the world of 3D printing. We are a team of one, however, and we’re working with limited resources. As miniature MSLA printers begin to proliferate, it’s thanks to your support that we are able to continue dreaming, creating, and sharing.
Lite3DP Zero 3D printable DIY design
Unlike filament printers, many of which came out of the the open-source RepRap project, MSLA printers have nearly always been proprietary, commercial products. Our goal is to provide the missing link to open-source resin printing. Just like its predecessor, Lite3DP Gen 2 is a fully open source project. Its design files, source code, and documentation will be published before the campaign goes live. Our goal is to empower users by making it as easy as possible to program, understand, customize, and repair Lite3DP Gen 2.
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"The Lite3DP Gen 2 3D Printer has a compact design and is ready for hackers."
"Leading the charge in tiny MSLA resin printing is Lite3DP and their new Lite3DP Gen 2 model is an open source wonder."
"[Lite3DP] supports all UV 405-nm resins and it can be configured with optional displays for real-time print progress."
"On the Electromaker Show we see a lot of cool crowd-funding projects, but every now and again, something sticks out for being both inventive and out of the ordinary all at the same time."
