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Sovol Zero
About the Sovol Zero
The Sovol Zero is based on the open-source Voron 0.2, which is a fully enclosed CoreXY design that sacrificies almost everything to achieve high speed. One of the tradeoffs is size - this is a small printer with a 152 X 152 X 152mm print volume. But it has a big beefy frame to maintain rigidity and reduce vibration since it has a maximum speed of 1200mm/s with 40,000mm/s^2 acceleration. It should be noted that to achieve this surprising speed, the printer needs time to accelerate and since it's so small, it will rarely have the time to get up to maximum speed. It uses a 50mm^3/s high flow nozzle heated up to 350°C by a fast ceramic heater, cooled by a large 5020 blower fan with a very large auxiliary fan. The double-sided PEI-coated flexible spring steel build plate is magnetically mounted on the print bed and is rapidly heated by AC power to a temperature of 120°C. In a sealed enclosure this small, a chamber heater shouldn't be necessary but one will be available. This combination of an enclosed printer with very high nozzle and bed temperatures along with a chamber exhaust filtration system means that the Sovol Zero should be fully capable of printing demanding filaments like PA, PC, PLA-CF or PETG-CF. It should also be able to print filaments producting toxic gases and requiring heated enclosure air to prevent warping, like ABS and ASA. Automatic bed leveling is accomplished in a few seconds with an eddy current detector flying over the bed, with a nozzle strain detector and a few points of contact for fine-tuning and to set Z offset. All axes ride on linear rails, with two linear rails on the Z axis and dual leadscrews driven by a single motor with a syncronizing belt. Very soft, wide silicone pads on the bottom corners of the frame absorb vibration. Linear advance and vibration compensation are essential to ensure quality at this speed. This printer implements them both using Klipper. The display is a very stripped-down 3.5" monochrome LCD type with knob control since most advanced control and model loading can take place over Klipper's Mainsail web interface, with the printer connecting to the network by 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.
Benefits of the Sovol Zero
Modern mainboard features - Many 3D printer features relate to the version of the mainboard and firmware, including features like resuming prints after a power failure and support for silent stepper motor drivers for quieter printing. Newer boards also include safety features like thermal runaway protection which shuts the printer down if it detects issues with overheating.
Auto bed leveling - auto bed leveling will ensure your prints have perfect first layers every time and greatly reduce issues with bed adhesion. When using an auto-leveling system, the probe allows better tolerances for slightly warped print beds by measuring and compensating for any inconsistencies. Without this feature, you'll need to adjust the bed level manually using nuts on each corner of the print bed.
Easy to assemble - This 3D printer is shipped with most of the parts pre-assembled, and you will only need to attach a few components and connect a couple cables in order to get the machine ready to print.
Direct drive extruder - Direct drive extruders are mounted right above the hot end, and push the filament directly into it, as opposed to a side mounted bowden extruder setup. We prefer direct drive extruders to bowden since they are less prone to jamming and typically require less maintenance. they also are much easier to use with flexible materials
PEI build surface has good balance of adhesion and part removal - PEI beds are one of the more premium build surface options, and for good reason. They offer great first layer adhesion with no spraysor other treatments, and can be flexed to quickly remove parts. You'll need to clean the bed with a solvent like acetone or IPA every so often to maintain the bed's adhesion.
Wireless printing - In addition to the standard USB and SD card connections, you can connect wirelessly to this printer to print from your computer or mobile device.
Linear rail motion system - Linear rails provide added stability to the moving parts of the printer, allowing higher printing speeds without sacrificing quality. Keep in mind that the most important factor to consider when optimizing for print speed is the flow rate of filament, which depends on the hot end and nozzle size moreso than the motion system.
All-metal hot end - An all-metal hot end allows for printing at high temperatures up to 300C, while standard hot ends are capped at 260C before the PTFE material begins to degrade. All-metal hot ends are also less susceptible to jamming, and do not degrade as fast.
CoreXY Kinematic System - A CoreXY 3D printer kinematic system uses two stationary motors to move the print head in the X and Y directions, resulting in faster and more precise movements compared to traditional printers. By separating the movement of the print head from the movement of the build plate, the CoreXY system is able to avoid the added weight and momentum of a moving build plate. This results in less vibration and better control of the print head, allowing for faster and more precise movements. Additionally, the CoreXY system can print at higher speeds compared to H-bot systems because it only needs to move one motor for each axis of movement, reducing the overall weight and inertia of the system.
Enclosure - An enclosure seals air around the print area. This holds warm, still air around the print area and is essential for printing temperature-sensitive materials like ABS. Enclosures also prevent particulates and gasses from being emitted into the surrounding area, increasing safety. They also greatly reduce printer noise.
Dual gear extruder - A dual gear extruder grips filament from both sides and can exert much more force on the filament before slipping. It helps with all filaments but especially with flexible, slippery TPU.
Disadvantages to consider
Bare-bones appearance - This printer is not built to be attractive, which is apparent by the standard aluminum extrusions used throughout the design, and the exposed power supply unit. While this is a purely cosmetic issue, it makes the printer less attractive than some of it's more expensive cousins.
Where to buy the Sovol Zero
Brand Summary: Sovol
Sovol is a 3D printer brand known for producing innovative printers with more features than their competitors at a lower price. Their printers are beginner-friendly and have good build quality, but their entry-level printer, the SV01, lacks a bed leveling probe. While Sovol's community is still establishing itself, the company's support is well-regarded, and they have over 80,000 users. Sovol has experimented with complex dual extrusion features, which led to clogging problems and quality issues in some of their previous models. However, their current printers, such as the SV06 Plus, offer impressive features like 25-point auto bed leveling and a 500W bed heater. Sovol's varied printers appeal to different users, from new users to advanced users.
Pros
- Modern mainboard features
- Auto bed leveling
- Easy to assemble
- Direct drive extruder
- PEI build surface has good balance of adhesion and part removal
- Wireless printing
- Linear rail motion system
- All-metal hot end
- CoreXY Kinematic System
- Enclosure
- Dual gear extruder
Cons
- Bare-bones appearance
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