ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K Resin 3D Printer – Review


ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K Resin 3D Printer
ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K Resin 3D Printer

ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K Resin 3D Printer

| 3D Resin Printer | 16K | 10″ LCD |


ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K Resin 3D Printer, the newest, refreshed top-tier 3D resin printer in the Saturn family.

Around mid-year in 2024, ELEGOO released the ELEGOO Mars 5 and ELEGOO Saturn 4 series (including both the ELEGOO Saturn 4 and ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra); right now, around 5 months later, the brand is releasing an upgraded version of the Ultra variant, called ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K.





This new upgraded machine version includes several new features and core elements that we will evaluate throughout this review of the ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K.

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ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K Resin 3D Printer Review

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A

ACCESSORIES & PACKAGING
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The brand always pack very well their products and the ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K Resin 3D Printer is no exception, showing the same amount of internal protection and foam as seen when unboxing and reviewing the ELEGOO Jupiter SE, ELEGOO Saturn 3 Ultra, ELEGOO Saturn 3 12K, ELEGOO Mars 4 ULTRA, ELEGOO Mars 5 Ultra, also their laser engraver (ELEGOO PHECDA) and all their 3D FDM printers (ELEGOO Neptune 4 MAX, ELEGOO Neptune 4 PRO, ELEGOO Neptune 4 PLUS)

With the 3D printer you will also get:

• 4GB USB disk
• 2x masks
• 1x metal scrapper
• 1x plastic scrapper
• Disposable funnel
• Gloves
• Power supply
• Assembly tools
• Resin tank
• Build plate
• Resin tray
• Backup screws


AS

ASSEMBLY
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Same as with the packaging of all ELEGOO products, quick and simple user-assembly is another strongly optimized feature of their machines.

The ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K is packed nearly fully assembled from factory; when getting your 3D printer you will only need to remove the foam and film protections, place the build plate, replace 2 screws on the resin tank and you are good to go.



On your first boot, the printer will go through an automated self-checking and self-calibrating process but this step is fast and pain-free unlike the nearly 15 minutes that are needed for the self-check/calibration of 3D printers such as the Creality K1C, Creality K1 SE, Creality Ender-3 V3 Plus, Kingroon KLP1; that we have reviewed in the past.


D

DESIGN
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From a design point, the ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K and ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra share the exact same body and case size; being also that the new 16K model inherits similar large volume printing capabilities, still remaining as part of their mid-sized 3D resin printers – only the ELEGOO Jupiter and ELEGOO Jupiter SE are able to provide a bigger printing volume.

The main upgrade of the ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K vs ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra is the higher resolution mono LCD that now reaches 16K instead of the 12K of the previous Saturn 4 Ultra model.

It is nice seeing that the brand has not left out any of the extra innovations seen on the previous 4 Ultra model such as the tilting tank/LCD design, flip UV cover, quick release build plate, dual sprout resin tank and the inclusion of the detachable protective resin tray – if you want to read more about these, check out our review of the previous ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra.

Some of the shared but upgraded features on the new ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K include a new AI camera paired with a dedicated LED light, dual handles added to the quick release build plate, better non-slippery handles for the resin tank and resin level indicators with Low and Max level lines.

The internal AI camera can provide the same handy features seen on the older sibling, allowing real-time control and visualization of the 3D printing process, failure/error alerts and also the automatic creation of videos/timelapse of all the printing task.

If you see the ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra vs ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K sitting side-by-side you will have a tough time noticing which one is which as both machine are identical in every sense; from their size, color, finish, design and every visible detail – the new 16K model, though, has an internal Wi-Fi module without a visible external antenna.

Being very similarly named and aesthetically, some users might get confused or risk of buying the wrong model. Nonetheless, there is an easy way to recognize each model without any risk of purchasing the incorrect variant; you will simply need to double check that the front writings on the UV cover do explicitly say “16K” – if you do not see it, then you are buying the Saturn 4 Ultra 12K.

A detail about the AI camera and its video quality: content creators and overall users will be glad to know that not only a strong light is now built-in but also the video resolution of the new AI camera has been updated to offer a much more modern 1920×1080 resolution instead of the 720p of the older model. The combination of the much higher video resolution and dedicated LED light resulted in a way better video quality.

Regarding size and weight, the ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K measures 327.4 x 329.2 x 548mm and weights 16.1KG.


DS

DISPLAY SCREEN
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The front bottom right section of the case holds a large 4″ touch sensitive color screen with nice resolution, crisp text and an intuitive UI.

This screen serves as one of the main ways of controlling, setting and operating the machine with access to parameters information and live view details.

On top of that, the screen enables users to get control of:

• Calibration
• Axis control
• Files explorer with capability of selecting and sending to print
• Adjustment of parameters while printing
• Camera light control
• Tank heating
• Resin preheating
• Wi-Fi connection settings
• Firmware updates


CB

CONSTRUCTION & BUILD

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Construction-wise, the ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K is a solid machine with excellent build and durable feel with a combination of metal and plastic seen throughout the external case and UV cover and hefty metal components used for mechanical pieces, rods, axis and even the resin tank and build plate – expect the same rugged build as on the Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra, Saturn 4, Saturn 3 Ultra, Saturn 3 12K, Mars 5 Ultra, Mars 4 Ultra and nearly as on the Jupiter SE too.

We mentioned in the Design section some upgrades incorporated in the new Saturn 4 Ultra 16K such as the boost in the mono LCD resolution to 16K (133.33% resolution in comparison with the older 4 Ultra) but another more technical upgrade is also found on the rear side of the resin tank with a bi-pin system that is complemented by an internal sensor of the machine that now also controls if there is a specific problem with the resin tank, such as a misplacement or inverted installation – this is now part of the self-checking process of the machine as well. We even tested and forced a tank failure of this new sensor by blocking the pins and the machine immediately informed about the error during its self-checking.

Furthermore, the new 16K model is now also equipped with resin preheating and tank heating features and manual control overrides.

Inherited from the previous sibling, the new Saturn model also offers useful sensors and operational efficient features like:

• Build plate self-leveling – no longer needing manual leveling with cards or paper sheets (manual leveling still accessible if ever needed)
• Resin shortage
• Residue detection
• Resin level detection – new feature
• Smart tank heating – new feature
• Leveling failure
• Temperature control
• Build plate anomalies (through the AI camera)
• Warp edges detection (through the AI camera)
• Empty plate detection (through the AI camera)
• Resin calibration (build plate divided in independent 2×2, 3×2 or 4×2)
• Power loss recovery

Internally, the ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K runs with the same custom-OS from ELEGOO, includes 8GB of internal ROM and shares the quality COB and Fresnel collimating lens seen on other newer flagship 3D resin printers from ELEGOO.

 


CON

CONNECTIVITY

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The right bottom of the case sports all the I/O connectors of the printer, which include an USB-A port, power connector and power switch.

The USB-A connection serves a port for Udisks with pre-sliced files, allowing the machine to work fully as a standalone 3D printer by navigating the sliced 3D files from the UI of the touch screen and sending directly to print without any pairing/connection with an external PC/mobile device.

In addition to this, the ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K is equipped with an internal Wi-Fi module, enabling full wireless control and connection of the printer with a PC running either ChituBox or the newest software from Elegoo itself (Elegoo SatelLite)

When connected to a PC with either slicing software, users can send wirelessly the edited and sliced files to the printer and also gain access to live-viewing through the AI camera and real-time info/control of the printing tasks.


P

PERFORMANCE

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As we mentioned several time already in the review, the ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K main upgrade is they brand new, higher resolution printing capability offered by the upgraded 16K mono LCD, which boosts the XY resolution to 14x19um (15120×6230 px) while keeping a z-axis accuracy of 0.02mm and adjustable layer thickness of 0.01mm to 0.2mm.

The only “drawback” when comparing the ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra vs ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K is a minimal loss in build volume, were the previous model reached 218.88 x 122.88 x 220 mm³ and the new 16K can print as large as 211.68 x 118.37 x 220 mm³ – though we are talking about as insignificant as max. 7.2mm of difference on the (L) size.

Regarding real life print quality and speeds, the new 16K model was able to offer extremely precise printing details and the ability to resolve even the most intricate micro-details on miniature prints while still offering double the max.

speed of the previous generation of Saturn 3D printers at 150mm/h (vs Elegoo Saturn 3 and Elegoo Saturn 3 Ultra). In fact, we did some re-printing of some designs printed previously on other 3D resin printers to evaluate the capability of the new machine and forced to miniaturized some of them to put to stress the resolving power of the 16K resolution.

All the printing tests done with the ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K did not only show superb fine resolution but also benefited from the optimized laser etched build plate and combination with the PFA release film; these 2 design elements presented excellent build adhesion on all tested print tasks that we carried in the review with no single job failing due to a detached print from the bed while printing nor getting stuck to the bottom of the resin tank, yet not struggling to detach it for washing, when the print had finished.

When comparing real printing times with some other 3D MSLA resin printers, the ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K exhibited faster printing than many and shorter total required hours/minutes to fully print identically sized prints. To test these timings, we compared a 208mm (nearly full height) print on the ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K against others with the following results (using ChituBox 2.3):

• ELEGOO Saturn 4 ULTRA 16K vs ELEGOO Saturn 4 ULTRA (12K): 7:04 hours for the ELEGOO Saturn 4 ULTRA 16K vs 7:05 hours Saturn 4 ULTRA

• ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K Resin 3D Printer vs ELEGOO Saturn 3 ULTRA: 9:37 hours for the ELEGOO Saturn 3 ULTRA vs 7:04 hours Saturn 4 ULTRA 16K

ELEGOO Saturn 4 vs ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K Resin 3D Printer: 7:04 hours for the ELEGOO Saturn 4 16K vs 11:59 hours Saturn 4

• ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K Resin 3D Printer vs ELEGOO Jupiter SE: 15:31 hours for the ELEGOO Jupiter SE vs 7:04 hours Saturn 4 ULTRA 16K

• ELEGOO Saturn 4 ULTRA 16K vs ELEGOO Saturn 3: 11:58 hours for the ELEGOO Saturn 3 vs 7:04 hours Saturn 4 ULTRA 16K


PQ

PRINT QUALITY
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To get the best final print results we used a dedicated washing and curing machine (ELEGOO Mercury Plus V3.0) for all the test prints done throughout the review of the ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K.

PRINT EXAMPLES COMING SOON


PC

POWER CONSUMPTION

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Despite the upgraded higher resolution LCD, the power requirements, consumption and even power supply of the new model is the exact same as the previous Saturn 4 Ultra; with a max. consumption of 144W – specs of the power supply: 100-240V 50/60 Hz 24V 6A.

This is a miles lower electricity use when compared with mid and large 3D FDM printers (you can check the power consumption of some ELEGOO 3D FDM printers in our reviews of the ELEGOO Neptune 4 Max, ELEGOO Neptune 4 Plus, ELEGOO Neptune 4 Pro and also the laser ELEGOO Phecda Pro) and similar or less than some other laser engravers such as the LaserPecker LP5, LaserPecker LP4, LaserPecker LX1 Max, AtomStack A40 Pro, IKIER K1 PRO Max, Ortur LaserMaster 3.


SW

SOFTWARE
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The ELEGOO Saturn 4 ULTRA 16K is fully compatible with the newest 2.3 or above version of ChituBox and can be, theoretically, configured to work well with other slicers such as Voxeldance Tango or take full control of the machine with the recently released ELEGOO SatelLite software.


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Specifications

ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K Resin 3D Printer Technical Specifications

BUILD VOLUME
211.68 x 118.37 x 220 mm³
PRINTING SPEED
MAX 150mm/h
LAYER THICKNESS
0.01-0.2mm
XY RESOLUTION
19×19μm(15120×6230)
Z-AXIS ACCURACY
0.02mm
PRINTING TECHNOLOGY
MSLA
LIGHT SOURCE
COB light source + Fresnel
collimating lens
LCD SCREEN SIZE
10-Inch 16K Mono LCD
LCD SCREEN PROTECTOR
9H hardness tempered glass
CONNECTION METHOD
USB offline printing & WiFi
SYSTEM
EL3D-4.0
SLICING SOFTWARE
CHITUBOX
OPERATING SCREEN
4.0-inch capacitive touch screen
LANGUAGE
Chinese, English, Japanese, Dutch, Korean, French, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Portuguese
AIR PURIFIER
USB connection unavailable, compatible with Mars Mate air purifier
OTHER FUNCTIONS
Tilt Release Technology, One-Click Self-Check, One-Click Automatic Leveling, AI Camera, Smart Mechanical Sensor, Power-Loss Resume Printing
RESIN
Supports most resins on the market (water-washable, standard, ABS-like, plant-based, etc.)
POWER REQUIREMENTS
100-240V 50/60 Hz 24V 6A


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ELEGOO Saturn 4 Ultra 16K Resin 3D Printer

9.8

SCORE

9.8/10