[tomc]

I got an Elegoo Mars 2 for Christmas, and I'm liking it. The my first print of the two test rooks came out perfectly, I've printed Octopuses and such, and in general it just works as long as you're careful with the resin and cleanup.

Some things I've learned:

1) Chitubox does a good job adding the supports, so I just use the automatic support function.

2) Don't let the rafts on your models touch each other. It's harder to remove them from the build plate when they're all connected at the bottom.

3) If you use a flexible spring steel build plate that magnetically attaches to the build plate, you can remove it, flex it, and easily pop the models off, rather than removing them with a scraper and risk splashing drops of uncured resin everywhere. (NOTE: If you add one, don't forget to re-calibrate the "Z=0" setting, since functionally the bottom of the build plate will be lower.)

4) The height of the tallest piece is the sole determiner of build time. So when making multiples of a multipart model, group the parts by height and print similar heights together. For the Octopus, print six bases in the first run, then the six 3-arm pieces in the second, and the six main bodies last. It probably takes less than half the time.

5) A washing curing station (Elegoo Mercury Plus) is a nice luxury. Swishing the models around a tupperware full of alcohol and curing with a UV flashlight works, but is messier and less precise.