Photon P1 Is a Dual-Material Resin Printer for Two Colors at Once
This dual-material resin printer runs two resin tanks in one job, adding automated print monitoring and a one-year warranty for high-viscosity work.
Photo source:
Photon-P1
Photon P1 Is a Dual-Material Resin Printer for Two Colors at Once
Printing
an object in two colors or two different resins on a desktop resin printer has
always meant stopping partway through, swapping the vat, and hoping the layers
still line up. Anycubic built the Photon P1 specifically to remove that
interruption, making it a dual-material resin printer that can run two resin
tanks side by side and complete a two-color or two-material model in a single
job. The company describes the machine as bridging industrial-grade precision
with the simplicity expected of a desktop printer, aimed at people who found
earlier resin printers either too limited or too complicated for serious work.
The
dual-material capability comes through an optional add-on kit rather than being
locked to one configuration, so a buyer can start with a single-tank setup and
add the second tank later if their work calls for it. Anycubic backs the
printer with a one-year warranty, a 30-day after-sales guarantee, and a 14-day
no-reason return window, terms usually reserved for a company confident enough
in a new product to stand behind it from day one.
What's Different About Running Two Resins at Once
The
dual-material kit includes two independent resin tanks along with matching
build plates, and each tank gets its own settings in the slicing software. For
a two-color print using the same resin type, a user pours a different color
into each tank and sets the parameters accordingly; the printer then outputs
both colors in the same run instead of requiring two separate print jobs. For
true dual-material work, each tank can be assigned an entirely different resin
type, with the printer maintaining separate parameters for each material while
curing both during the same print.
Behind
that capability sits a 14K, 10.1-inch monochrome LCD screen delivering XY
resolution down to 16.8 by 24.8 micrometers, paired with what Anycubic calls
its LighTurbo optical system, built around an aspherical Fresnel lens holding
collimation accuracy under 2 degrees and light uniformity above 92 percent
across the build area. In plain terms, that combination is meant to keep light
landing evenly and precisely across the whole print surface, which is what
actually determines how sharp and consistent fine detail comes out layer after
layer, rather than just the screen resolution number alone.
Built to Handle the Resin That Usually Causes Problems
A
common failure point in resin printing is thick, high-viscosity resin, the kind
used for engineering-grade or industrial parts, which tends to resist smooth
layer separation and cause failed prints. Anycubic built the Photon P1 around
handling that specific case, rating it for resins up to 8,000 centipoise, well
beyond typical standard resin. A Wave Release Technology reduces peel force
between layers by up to 60 percent according to the company, and a dynamic
release system continuously monitors real-time separation forces during
printing to adjust lift height and speed layer by layer rather than using one
fixed setting throughout a job.
The
build plate itself is precision-milled steel rather than the aluminum found on
many resin printers, holding a flatness tolerance under 80 micrometers and a
6.5-liter build volume. An auto-leveling system with a self-check runs before
each print, and a leveling-assist feature displays real-time force readings at
all four corners so a user can fine-tune manually if needed. Print monitoring
extends further with build-plate installation checks, bottom-layer separation
inspection, resin level inspection, and residue inspection, all running
automatically during a print rather than only being visible after a failure has
already happened.
Small Details Anycubic Says Add Up
Beyond
the core mechanics, Anycubic points to a set of smaller design choices it
frames as solving everyday annoyances rather than headline features. A resin
drip hanger cuts down on wasted resin during vat changes, a stepless hinged lid
holds open at any angle instead of only fully open or closed, and both the
build plate and resin vat use a quick-release design for faster swaps between
jobs. The printer runs at 45 decibels or below throughout a print, quiet enough
for a shared office or living space, and an optional air purification accessory
addresses resin odor directly rather than leaving ventilation entirely up to
the user.
Software
plays a role too: the printer pairs with Anycubic's latest slicing software,
which is also compatible with third-party slicers, and adds automatic support
generation alongside ready-to-print profiles built for Anycubic's own resin
lineup. One planned capability, one-click slicing and printing, is not yet
active and is scheduled for release in the second quarter of this year, meaning
part of the software experience Anycubic describes is still arriving rather
than already available in every unit shipping today.
Whether Dual-Material Printing Was Worth Waiting For
Dual-color
and dual-material capability has been a known gap in desktop resin printing for
years, with the alternative typically being either expensive industrial
equipment or a manual, error-prone process of stopping a print, swapping resin,
and hoping registration held. Whether Anycubic's approach closes that gap
completely is still an open question this early in its release: the
dual-material kit is an optional accessory rather than a standard inclusion,
meaning a meaningful share of buyers may never actually use the feature the
printer is named for.
Early
customer feedback on Anycubic's own product page is largely positive, including
specific praise for handling difficult, highly viscous engineering resins
without failures, though this is a small, self-selected set of reviews rather
than a large-scale, independent test. As with any printer whose most
distinctive feature depends on an add-on kit purchased separately, how well
dual-material printing performs across a wide range of resin combinations, and
how many buyers actually adopt it rather than sticking to single-tank use, will
become clearer only as more units reach a broader base of users.
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