Taiwanese company Phrozen was founded in 2016 by 3D-printing enthusiasts and until recently was unknown to a wide range of buyers, until 2019, when it held a very successful crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the release of a new printer model -Phrozen Transform. This campaign raised more than half a million dollars from 139 makers around the world and, despite some delays, all customers received their long-awaited printers as early as March 2020.
For less than $2,000, users received a desktop printer with a huge build area. This was a breakthrough in Phrozen’s business. In parallel, Phrozen was the first to market with a 4K resolution LCD display printer, which also became a trend in photopolymer 3D printing.
Today, Phrozen leads the market of budget photopolymer 3D printers, primarily due to a higher level of R&D and active innovation. And it is already obvious that due to the lack of production capacity, it is not able to meet the rush demand for its products. Nevertheless, even in spite of numerous delays and high delivery costs from Taiwan, customers all over the world are willing to wait for Phrozen equipment. After all, by buying it, they can get a unique product, not presented in the line of other manufacturers. As the advertising slogan says: “With all the variety of choices there is no other alternative”.
Model Lineup
Well now let’s look in detail at the product portfolio of Phrozen, which can be conditionally divided into 3 lines. In the first one we have included Sonic Mini 4K and Sonic Mighty 4K printers. Who are these models suitable for? First of all, for creators of miniatures, animators, modelers, cosplayers and other people passionate about their hobbies. Structurally, these devices differ only in the size of the working camera, the Mini uses a 6″ display, and the Mighty 9.3″. But the Mini 4K has 35-micron XY resolution, and the Mighty 4K has 52-micron resolution, and the Mini 4K has better print quality of detailed elements. But the maximum model size or the maximum number of simultaneously printed models is significantly larger in the Mighty 4K. Nevertheless, both printers are excellent for a variety of tasks.
The second line can be called professional. Here we have Sonic 4K and Sonic XL 4K models. These printers, first of all, found their application in dentistry and jewelry creation. How do they differ from the initial line of Phrozen printers? In these models, everything is aimed at increasing reliability and, therefore, performance. The metal enclosure with hinged lid, improved Z-axis guides with smoother platform lift, aluminum printing pans and other differences allow users to use these printers non-stop. The models differ only in size, too. The Sonic 4K uses a 6.1″ sensor, while its big brother uses an 8.9″ sensor. This means that the resolution in the Sonic 4K is lower at 35 microns, and the quality of the detailed models is higher. But Sonic XL 4K takes its size, which is useful for printing large models or a large number of them.
And the last line consists of one model – Phrozen Transform, which comes in two versions – Standard and Fast. Externally they do not differ in any way. The Standard version has a 4K LCD display, while the Fast version has a Mono 4K LCD display, which speeds up the printing process significantly, which is especially important for large models such as architectural ones. Printing can take days, and the ability to speed up results is greatly appreciated by many customers. These printers are also used for bulk printing of small items, but one must keep in mind that given the large die size, they will have an XY resolution of 76 microns. This may not be enough for processing small detailed models (smearing of small elements may appear).
Using
Now consider the most popular tasks for photopolymer 3D printers Phrozen.
- Creation of miniatures by own original drawings for sale to fans of games, TV series, comics, movies, and anime
- Creation of exclusive models of ships, planes, trains, and automobiles
- Creation of historical miniatures from original drawings or by scanning existing samples
- Creation of weapons, accessories and masks for cosplayers
- Creation of architectural models
- Creation of exhibition models
- Prototyping in various fields
- Dentistry in its many forms
- Jewelry
To get the highest quality results from 3D photopolymer printing, you need to pay special attention to the post-processing of the models and the use of high-quality photopolymer resins. The printed models should be washed in alcohol or water (depending on the type of resin) and then post-illuminated in an ultraviolet camera. For this purpose, Phrozen makes three kinds of UV cameras that differ in size. Choose a camera based on the size of your 3D printer. There are currently 3 models available: the Cure V2, Luna, and XL.
Phrozen resins are suitable for most photopolymer 3D printers that print at 405 nm. The line includes standard resins, flexible, reinforced, 4K and many other interesting resins for their characteristics and purpose.
Conclusions
To summarize, the Phrozen ecosystem of printers, materials, post-processing equipment and software allows users to use 3D printing effectively. The Phrozen line fully covers the existing demand for photopolymer 3D printers and offers models for various tasks in affordable price categories.
Phrozen 3D Printers Feature Comparison Table
