Review – Elegoo Jupiter SE 6K

If overclocking.com is launching into 3D printer testing, it’s because we have an idea in mind for PC hardware. But let’s start by testing printers, and you’ll soon see what we want to do with them a little later 😉

Elegoo, a major player in the 3D printing industry, recently unveiled the Jupiter SE 6K resin printer, the little sister of the imposing Jupiter 6K . The aim? Lower costs, while retaining the heart of the Jupiter 6K. This new model, which favors high-volume construction, welcomes a series of enhancements designed to set a new standard in the resin printer market.

Resin 3D printers for the general public have been around for a few years now, and are available in all sizes. As printer manufacturers develop these printers, they are rapidly adding new features to make them easier to use and more accessible.

The Elegoo Jupiter SE is the latest large resin printer and dominates the brand’s Mars and Saturn range. This printer has been designed to be one of the best resin 3D printers in its class. The Elegoo Jupiter SE is currently available for €680 on the Elegoo website. Two years ago, the Jupiter 6K was released at a price of $1,300. As technology becomes more and more democratic, prices are rapidly becoming very affordable. For us, this is an indication that this “niche” is growing fast, and that it will soon collide with the PC world, to our delight!

With some small printers, you can expect to get better printing precision, if you look at the figures, but what about in reality?

[nextpage title=”Specification”]

Included with printer:

• Resin pump
• USB carbon filter
• Funnels, to filter your resin in the event of a print failure
• USB resin pump
• 2x bottle caps for the pump
• 2x handles
• 2x Mask and gloves
• Scraper
• USB key
• Spare screws
• Some tools
• User manual

[nextpage title=”Design”]

Design

Elegoo has focused on sturdiness and reliability, with the construction plate featuring a reinforced design. The inclusion of a charcoal filter and a resin pump indicates that Elegoo Jupiter SE 6K surely wants to appeal to a new clientele. Thanks to these advances, Elegoo is set to remain a competitive force in the world of 3D printing, while continuing to adapt and anticipate the needs of its users.

In addition to the physical redesign, the Jupiter SE 6K features a 2.0 Cobb LED screen, potentially offering greater precision and better print quality. While the overall build volume remains the same as the Jupiter 6K, support for multiple slicers, including VoxelDance Tango and ChituBox, ensures that the Jupiter SE 6K can cater for a variety of user preferences and software ecosystems.

The build plate also features a new engraving pattern to improve adhesion, a crucial factor for successful prints.

The machine stands on large rubber feet. It would have been interesting to have an option with adjustable feet to level it. This is rather important on a resin printer that’s often placed on a shelf that’s not always perfectly straight.

Under the hood, the Jupiter SE 6K introduces enhancements to refine the user experience. The resin pump is designed to manage resin levels. Importantly, it is only compatible with Elegoo bottles. But if you use other resins, remember to keep your Elegoo resin bottles empty.

The pump is perfect for filling. For recycling, however, you’ll need to tilt the printer and scrape the tray a little to help the pump. The recycling option is good, but there are surely a few improvements that could be made.

To help mitigate odors, the Elegoo Jupiter SE includes a charcoal filter to purify the air, powered by a USB port inside the printer. But it’s worth noting that while this helps the odor, it doesn’t change the toxicity of the resin. We don’t recommend having this type of printer in your bedroom. In fact, resin printers are best used in well-ventilated areas. And that’s probably why the Jupiter SE’s hood already has a slot for air extraction.

[nextpage title=”In detail”]

Control panel

The Elegoo Jupiter SE has an intuitive user interface with large buttons and simple menus. The interface is rudimentary, and could easily have been “pimped”. But navigation is really easy, and that’s the most important thing.

Other improvements could also be made, such as a virtual high limit on the Z (vertical) axis. Because the system knows the height of the plateau, but won’t prevent you from forcing it infinitely higher.

Construction platform upgrade

Levelling the build plate was strangely less easy than expected. The instructions supplied didn’t allow me to get a grip on the first print layer, and I think the leveling card supplied must simply have been a little too thick.

But fortunately the adjustments were quick. The solution was just as simple, using the empty resin tray rather than the calibration sheet. You tighten the 4 screws while holding the plate with your other hand, and that’s it.

Child’s play for the seasoned user, a headache for the novice. Elegoo could simply have been pre-calibrated at the factory for a better user experience.

That said, the 4-screw solution is simple and elegant, and once the adjustment was made, we never had any problems during our prints.

And that’s probably also due to the texture of the build plate, which isn’t just aesthetically pleasing, it’s a real asset for the adhesion of the first layers of resin.

Last but not least, the quick-release plate mounting screw with butterfly screw is a simple, robust solution. There’s no need to overtighten, and the plate won’t budge.

Removable lid

On this SE version, the lid is removable, instead of the hinged door of the first Jupiter. The practical advantage? It’s immediately easier to clean the machine. On the other hand, space is needed above the printer to fit and remove the cover. It’s this modification that helps the SE version to be much smaller than its big sister.

The Jupiter SE 6K has no built-in heater. While this omission doesn’t affect the printer’s capabilities in controlled environments, it could be a consideration for users working in cooler climates or less isolated spaces, where temperature fluctuations can affect resin viscosity and print quality.

[nextpage title=”Print quality & Speed”]

Print quality

8k 12k 14k … it doesn’t matter. Why doesn’t it matter? Simply because it’s marketing bullshit. It’s not the same as our monitors, the values aren’t standardized like TV resolutions. For example, Anycubic 14k is 13,312 x 5,120… or 68.1 million pixels… a far cry from 13,440 x 7,560, which is 101.6 million pixels. Yeah, almost half… go figure. So the resolution doesn’t even reach 12K. And that’s the first problem.

The second is that the size of the screen drastically changes its pixel size. No need to draw you a picture: if the screen is twice as big with the same resolution, the pixels will also be twice as big.

If we stop there, we understand that the value we need to look at is XY resolution.

So we’ve included some XL printers in the following table to give you a better idea of the actual values.

Now, this information doesn’t give us the final rendering, but it gets us close. To get an idea of the final rendering, you’d have to take into account the resin tray film, the technology used and the quality of the screen.

Ultimately, nothing beats tests and photos to appreciate the printer at its true worth. Our prints are made with 0.05 mm layers. This is the best compromise for almost cubic voxels. The resin used is Elegoo’s 8K Standard White Smoke. And Elegoo’s Jupiter SE is a pleasant surprise. I’ll let you have a look at the photos.

The details are incredible, the impressions are much better than the first tests of the first version of the Jupiter I found on the internet. To the naked eye, it’s impossible to see the voxels on the XY axis. But as with all printers, it’s the Z axis that creates the “layers”. This layer thickness is adjustable between 0.01 and 0.2mm. And with the Jupiter and 0.05mm layers, you’ll need a magnifying glass or good eyes to see them. And if you apply a thin layer of paint afterwards, no one will ever be able to see them. And if your supports are well made, they’ll leave very few marks. I’ll let you find out.

Speed

Resin printers aren’t known for their printing speeds. That said, some can do 15cm per hour on the Z axis (in height). The Jupiter, given its size, is less agile and, according to the brand, can do 7cm per hour, if you decide to print 0.2 mm layers. But at this resolution, you might as well use an FDM printer… So realistically, you’ll be printing at around 2 cm per hour with 0.05 mm layers.

[nextpage title=”Conclusion”]

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Elegoo Jupiter SE 6K resin printer, available for €680, represents a thoughtful evolution in the Elegoo range, targeting users who require high build volumes without sacrificing workspace efficiency. Its robust size is complemented by practical design features such as ergonomic handles and a removable lid, demonstrating Elegoo’s commitment to user comfort and operational practicality.

While the absence of integrated heating may be noticeable, the printer’s compatibility with several Slicers and redesigned components, including the resin management system, suggest a forward-thinking approach to the user experience.

This printer is a blend of XL-format printing capabilities with enhancements that experienced users will appreciate, all at an affordable price. The 51-micron XY resolution isn’t impressive, but in our tests it was impossible to discern the difference with 25-micron printing. As with most printers, the resin layers are visible on the Z axis.

We liked:

• Perfect prints
• Easy adhesion to building board
• Affordable price
• Large build volume
• Software compatibility

We would have liked :

• Factory levelling
• Integrated heater
• Adjustable feet

ELEGOO Jupiter SE 6K

Enthusiasts and professionals alike now have a convincing XL 3D printer at their disposal. And the whole community should be delighted at the affordable price for such a large machine. I hope the competition will take note and that improvements will come gradually. For us, it will be gold.