Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra

Same panel and same plate as the standard Saturn 4, but the mechanism underneath is different in the way that governs how long a print takes. Instead of pulling the whole layer straight off the film, the vat tilts to peel it from one edge — far lower force, which means the machine can lift faster and the print is far less likely to detach. Elegoo quotes up to 150 mm/h as a result, which is several times what a conventional Saturn manages on a full plate. A heated vat holds resin at 30 °C so viscosity stays consistent regardless of room temperature, which is the fix for the classic winter-garage failure. Add ACF film and a camera and the $130 over the base Saturn 4 buys throughput and reliability rather than resolution — the pixel pitch is identical at 19 µm.

Approx. price: ~$449
Build volume: 5.9 L
Per litre: $76
XY pixel: 19 µm

LAN-only modeproprietary firmware

Best forHigh-volume resin work where print time and failure rate matter more than pixel pitch.

Specifications

Build volume: 218.88 × 122.88 × 220 mm
Volume: 5.9 L
Motion: gantry

Optics and handling

LCD resolution: 11520 × 5120 px
LCD size: 10 in
XY resolution: 19 µm
Layer height: from 10 µm
Release film: ACF
Vat capacity: 800 ml
Multi-material: None offered
Firmware: proprietary
LAN-only mode: Yes
Cloud: Optional
Camera: Yes
Assembly: Pre-assembled
Weight: 11 kg
Footprint: 290 × 290 × 480 mm

Features

Tilt release: peels the layer from one edge instead of pulling it flat
Quoted at up to 150 mm/h
Heated vat holding resin at 30 °C
Same 10-inch 12K panel and 19 µm pitch as the Saturn 4
ACF release film and a monitoring camera
Intelligent levelling with residue detection

What it does well

Tilt release dramatically cuts peel force — faster layers and far fewer prints torn off supports
Heated vat keeps resin viscosity constant, fixing the classic cold-room failure
ACF film and tilt release together extend film life considerably
Camera included for monitoring long batch runs
Same area and detail as the base Saturn 4, so the premium is purely throughput and reliability

Where it gives ground

Identical 19 µm pitch to the $130-cheaper Saturn 4 — this buys speed, not detail
Non-square pixels, 19 µm across X and 24 µm along Y
Tilt mechanism is one more moving assembly to fail on a machine handling corrosive resin
The 16K version exists at a 14 µm pitch for those who do want detail

The points above are read off published specifications, not from owner reports.

What owners report

Drawn from owner discussions in 3D-printing communities, not from our own testing — this site has no test lab.

What owners like

Owners post finished work at 24 µm layers that stands up to close photography, which is the clearest evidence of what the machine can do
The large plate is what owners actually use it for — batches of miniatures and prototyping runs rather than single figures
Tilt release is repeatedly credited with the speed difference, with owners describing print times that make batch work practical
Owners replacing an older Saturn generation describe it as a clear step up rather than a lateral move
It is the printer miniature painters in these discussions most often show finished, painted results from

Common complaints

The full resin workflow is the real cost — owners describe wash, cure, alcohol handling and disposal as the part newcomers underestimate
Drying and curing prints properly is a recurring struggle, with owners posting about prints that will not dry as expected
Keeping the UV cover clean is a persistent maintenance annoyance owners discuss specifically
A plate this size holds a lot of expensive resin, which raises the cost of a failed print considerably
No heated vat means cold rooms slow it noticeably

The Saturn 4 Ultra is the machine that miniature painters in these discussions actually show their finished work from, which is a more useful signal than any specification. Owners post detailed, painted results printed at 24 µm layers, and the tilt-release mechanism gets specific credit for making batch printing practical rather than an overnight commitment per figure.

What owners warn newcomers about is not the printer but everything around it. Washing, curing, handling isopropyl alcohol and disposing of it properly is described repeatedly as the part people underestimate, and threads about prints that will not dry properly or UV covers that will not stay clean are common. The plate's size cuts both ways: it is what makes batch work possible, and it means a failed print wastes a lot of expensive resin at once.

The question owners ask each other most is whether to buy this or the smaller Mars 5 Ultra, where the price difference is around $100. The answers hinge on whether you print one figure at a time or a dozen, because the detail difference between them is small and the area difference is not.

Questions owners ask

+Saturn 4 Ultra or Mars 5 Ultra?

The pixel pitch is close — 19 µm against 18 µm — so this is a question about plate area, not detail. The Saturn's plate is roughly three times larger, which is what makes printing a squad of miniatures in one go practical. If you print one figure at a time, the Mars saves money and desk space.

+What does tilt release actually change?

Instead of pulling the whole layer straight off the film, the vat tilts and peels it from one edge. Far less force means the machine can lift faster and prints are less likely to tear off their supports. Owners consistently credit it for the print times that make batch work viable.

+What else do I need to buy?

A wash station, a cure station, isopropyl alcohol, nitrile gloves, eye protection and somewhere ventilated to work. Owners describe this as the part newcomers underestimate, and the total can rival the printer. Plan for the workflow, not just the machine.

+Would owners buy it again?

The threads asking exactly that skew positive, particularly from people replacing an older Saturn. The reservations that come back are about resin handling being tedious rather than about the printer, and about maintenance chores like keeping the UV cover clean.