Part 1 laid out the landscape: what resin printing is, what FDM printing is, and why you might want both sitting on your workbench. If you haven't read it, the short version is this: resin printers produce stunning detail at the cost of chemistry and patience, while FDM printers are workhorses that trade some resolution for speed and simplicity. That context matters here, because Part 2 is where things get physical.
This is the hands-on article. No more theory.
Welcome Back: What We're Doing in Part 2
Quick Recap of Part 1
Part 1 introduced the two dominant home printing technologies and made the case for understanding both before committing to one. You walked away knowing the difference between photopolymer resin and thermoplastic filament, and you had a rough map of the journey ahead. That foundation matters now, because Part 2 assumes you've chosen your machines and they're sitting in boxes somewhere nearby.
What You'll Have by the End of This Article
By the time you finish this article, both printers should be physically assembled, connected to your computer, leveled, and ready to run their first real print. The two machines in focus are the Anycubic Photon S (resin) and the FlashForge Inventor (FDM). Neither is the newest model on the market, but both are reliable, well-documented, and genuinely good for learning the craft without fighting the hardware.
Yes, there will be bolts. Yes, there will be a moment where you're not sure if you're doing it right. That's normal. The goal isn't perfection on the first try. The goal is understanding what you're doing and why, so the second try is faster and the third is automatic.
Know Before You Unbox: Safety First (Especially for Resin)
Why Resin Demands Respect
Liquid resin is a photopolymer: it cures when exposed to UV light, which is exactly what makes it useful and exactly what makes it dangerous. Uncured resin is a skin irritant, a potential allergen, and an eye hazard. Some people develop sensitivities after repeated exposure with no protection. That sensitivity doesn't go away once it develops.
The rules here aren't suggestions.
Always wear nitrile gloves when handling liquid resin. Not latex. Latex can degrade when it contacts certain resin compounds, which defeats the entire purpose. Safety glasses are non-negotiable whenever you're pouring or handling uncured material. A splash to the eye from a resin vat is not something you want to learn from experience.
Resin Disposal Warning
Never pour liquid resin down the drain. Uncured resin is considered hazardous waste in most jurisdictions. Cure it fully under UV light first, then dispose of it as solid waste according to your local regulations. Your municipal water system will thank you.
Ventilation matters more than most beginners expect. Resin fumes are real, they accumulate in enclosed spaces, and prolonged exposure isn't good for you. Work near an open window, run a fan pointed outward, or use a dedicated fume extractor if your space doesn't have natural airflow.
"The smell alone should tell you something. If you can smell it, you're breathing it." That's not alarmism. It's basic chemistry.
FDM Safety: Less Scary, Still Important
FDM printing is significantly less hazardous than resin work, but it's not without risks. The heated bed on the FlashForge Inventor reaches temperatures around 100°C during ABS printing. The nozzle runs hotter still, often above 230°C. Neither surface announces itself before you touch it.
Keep fingers clear while the machine is operating. This sounds obvious until you're trying to catch a failed print mid-job.
Filament fumes are the other consideration. PLA is relatively benign. ABS releases styrene and ultrafine particles during printing, and the evidence on long-term exposure isn't reassuring. Print ABS in a ventilated space, or inside an enclosure vented to the outside.
Children and pets should be kept away from both machines during operation. Hot surfaces, moving parts, and chemical fumes are a bad combination with curious small creatures.
Finally: don't leave either printer running overnight unattended for extended periods. Thermal runaway failures are rare on modern machines, but rare isn't zero. A smoke detector in the room is cheap insurance.
Setting Up Your Workspace Like a Pro
Choosing the Right Location
The single most important thing your workspace needs is a flat, stable surface. Vibrations during an FDM print introduce layer inconsistencies. Movement during a resin exposure cycle can ruin an entire build. A solid workbench or heavy table is worth more than any upgrade you'll buy later.
For the Anycubic Photon S, proximity to a window or vent isn't optional. Resin fumes need somewhere to go. If your workspace doesn't have natural airflow, a small air purifier with an activated carbon filter is a worthwhile investment. It won't eliminate fumes entirely, but it meaningfully reduces accumulation.
The FlashForge Inventor is more forgiving on placement, but if you plan to print ABS regularly, an enclosure helps maintain consistent temperatures and contains fumes for directed ventilation. You can buy enclosures or build simple ones from insulated panels. Either works.
Good lighting is underrated. A well-lit workspace lets you catch a failed print in the first few layers before it wastes hours of time and material. A simple LED desk lamp pointed at the build area is enough.
Organizing Your Supplies and Tools
Dedicate a specific zone for resin handling. A silicone mat protects your work surface and cleans up easily. Keep paper towels and a small trash bag within arm's reach before you open any resin bottle. Once your gloves have resin on them, you don't want to be searching for supplies.
Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) at 90% or higher is the standard resin cleanup solvent. Keep a bottle handy. Lower concentrations contain too much water to clean uncured resin effectively.
Tool Checklist
Before you unbox either printer, make sure you have: a spatula or scraper, flush cutters, needle-nose pliers, the Allen keys included with your machine (plus a backup set), a sheet of standard printer paper for bed leveling, and a small UV flashlight. That flashlight is surprisingly useful for spotting uncured resin drips before they cure onto surfaces you don't want coated.
Label your resin bottles with the color, brand, and date opened. Label your filament spools with the material type and any print settings you've dialed in. Future you, six months from now, will be genuinely grateful.
Unboxing and Assembling the FlashForge Inventor (FDM)
What's in the Box
The FlashForge Inventor ships mostly assembled, which is one of the reasons it's a good machine for beginners. Inside the box you'll find the main frame with the Z-axis gantry already attached, the extruder head (dual extruder, which we'll use fully in a later project), the build plate, a filament spool holder, a power cable, a USB cable, and a small accessory kit containing Allen keys, a spatula, and a test filament spool.
Take everything out and lay it on your work surface before touching anything. Inventory it against the included parts list. Missing a component is much easier to address before you're halfway through assembly.
Physical Assembly Step by Step
Assembly on the Inventor is straightforward. Attach the spool holder to the rear of the frame using the included screws. Connect the extruder cable from the head to the main board port on the side of the machine. Secure the build plate to the carriage using the thumbscrews and the locking lever.
Tighten all bolts until they're snug. Don't overtighten. Stripped threads on a plastic-mounted screw are a beginner trap that turns a five-minute job into an order for replacement hardware. Snug is enough.
Connecting and Powering On
Connect the power cable, flip the switch on the back, and the touchscreen boots within a few seconds. The interface is clean and navigable. You don't need to read a manual to find your way around, though reading the quick-start guide once is worth the ten minutes.
Install FlashPrint on your computer. It's available for Windows and Mac from the official FlashForge website. Connect via USB for the most reliable connection during early use. Wi-Fi is available and works well, but USB eliminates one variable while you're still learning the machine.
To load filament for the first time, navigate to the Preheat menu on the touchscreen, set the extruder temperature for your filament type (200°C for PLA is a safe starting point), wait for it to reach temperature, then navigate to Load Filament. Feed the filament into the top of the extruder until the motor grabs it and you see material coming out of the nozzle. You're ready.
The dual extruder is a capability we'll use properly in a dedicated project article later in this series. For now, load filament into the left extruder and leave the right one empty.
Leveling the FlashForge Inventor Build Plate
Why Leveling Matters More Than You Think
The distance between the nozzle and the build plate on the first layer is the single most critical variable in FDM printing. Too close, and the filament squishes flat, drags, and potentially damages the build surface. Too far, and the filament doesn't bond to the plate at all, and the print peels off within the first few layers. The margin for error is measured in fractions of a millimeter.
Think of it like tuning a guitar. Each adjustment is small. The difference between slightly off and properly tuned is enormous in the final output. And just like a guitar, it drifts over time and needs to be revisited.
Manual Leveling Walkthrough
The FlashForge Inventor has semi-assisted leveling through the touchscreen. Navigate to Tools > Leveling and the machine will walk the nozzle to each of the four corner positions automatically.
At each position, slide a standard sheet of printer paper between the nozzle and the build plate. Adjust the thumbscrew beneath the plate until you feel slight resistance when moving the paper. Not locked in place. Not sliding freely. Slight resistance. Repeat at all four corners, then check the center of the plate.
Always Level Hot
Preheat the nozzle and bed to your actual printing temperatures before leveling. Metal expands when heated. A level set cold will be wrong at printing temperature. This is one of the most common first-time mistakes, and it explains a lot of mysterious first-layer failures.
Re-level after every few prints, and always after moving the printer. The first test print should be the included sample file or a simple calibration cube. A calibration cube tells you immediately if your level is right and gives you a baseline for dimensional accuracy.
Unboxing and Assembling the Anycubic Photon S (Resin)
What's in the Box
The Anycubic Photon S arrives with the main body (housing the UV LCD screen and light source), the resin vat with FEP film pre-installed at the bottom, the build plate, a Z-axis rail, the orange UV-blocking cover, a power supply, a USB cable, and a small toolkit including Allen keys and a metal scraper.
Before you do anything else, inspect the FEP film. This is the transparent layer at the bottom of the resin vat, and it's the most important consumable on the machine. It should be taut, clear, and completely free of wrinkles, punctures, or cloudy patches. A compromised FEP film before your first print means ordering a replacement before you can do anything useful. Check it now.
Physical Assembly and FEP Film Check
Attach the build plate to the Z-axis arm using the locking screw. Tighten it firmly. A loose build plate is one of the primary causes of failed resin prints, and it's easy to prevent. Connect the power supply to the back of the unit. The Photon S doesn't require Wi-Fi and doesn't have it. Everything transfers via USB drive, which is actually simpler than it sounds.
Install Photon Workshop or ChiTuBox on your computer. Both are free. Photon Workshop is Anycubic's own software and handles the Photon S natively. ChiTuBox has a larger user community and more configuration options. Either works for getting started.
FEP Film Is a Consumable
The FEP film at the bottom of your resin vat will wear out. Expect to replace it every 20 to 40 prints depending on your resin type and print complexity. Keep a spare sheet on hand. Running out mid-project is avoidable with a little planning.
Filling the Resin Vat
Gloves on before this step. No exceptions.
Shake your resin bottle for at least 30 seconds before opening it. Resin pigments and photoinitiator components can separate during storage, and a poorly mixed bottle produces inconsistent prints. Pour slowly into the vat, watching the fill line marked on the inside wall. Fill to the MAX line and stop. Overfilling causes resin to overflow during printing, which creates a mess that's genuinely unpleasant to clean up and can damage the UV screen beneath the vat.
Replace the orange UV-blocking cover whenever the printer is idle. Ambient light, including sunlight and some indoor lighting, can partially cure resin in the vat over time. Keeping it covered between sessions extends the life of your mixed resin and prevents the film from developing a sticky, partially cured layer that ruins your next print.
Part 3 takes both machines from assembled and leveled to actually printing. We'll run the first real prints on each machine, walk through what a successful first layer looks like versus a failing one, and start troubleshooting the most common early problems. The printers are ready. Now we find out what they can do.
Leveling and Zeroing the Anycubic Photon S
Resin leveling is a different animal than FDM bed leveling. You're not trying to achieve a uniform gap across a heated plate. You're setting a single Z=0 reference point: the exact position where the build plate rests flat against the FEP film at the bottom of the resin vat. Get this wrong and nothing else matters.
The Paper Method for Resin Printers
The paper method translates directly from FDM to resin, with one key difference: you're placing the paper on the FEP film itself, not on a glass or PEI surface.
Remove the resin vat before you do anything here. Place a single sheet of standard printer paper flat on the FEP. Loosen the build plate locking bolt (the large bolt on the side of the plate carriage) just enough that the plate can pivot freely. Navigate to the home function on the touchscreen and let the axis descend. The plate will settle onto the paper and self-level against the FEP surface. While it's resting there with gentle pressure, re-tighten the locking bolt. The plate is now locked in its true flat position.
The pressure matters. Too tight against the FEP and the suction forces generated during each layer peel will rip prints right off the plate mid-print. Too loose and the first layers won't bond to the plate at all. You want firm, even contact. The paper gives you just enough gap to achieve that.
Home Position and Z=0 Calibration
With the plate locked and the paper still in place, navigate to the Z=0 save option in the menu. The printer stores this position in memory and returns to it at the start of every print. Remove the paper, reinstall the vat, and you're calibrated.
A few situations that require a fresh re-level: replacing the FEP film, switching to a different resin type with different viscosity, or transporting the printer anywhere at all. Vibration from a car ride can shift the build plate enough to matter. Always re-zero after moving the machine.
Before you pour resin and commit to a real print, run the included sample file. Manufacturers optimize those files for their default settings on their hardware. It's the fastest possible sanity check, and it costs you almost nothing in materials.
Your First Prints: Sanity-Check Test Files
Manufacturer test files exist for a reason. They're not filler content on a USB drive. They're tuned for that specific machine's default settings, designed to expose calibration problems quickly and cheaply. Run them before you run anything else.
FDM First Print on the FlashForge
Start the FlashForge test file and don't walk away. The first layer is your diagnostic window. Everything you need to know about your bed level and temperature calibration shows up in the first two minutes.
A good first layer looks slightly squished. The filament lines should be uniform in width, pressed firmly onto the build surface with no visible gaps between passes and no blobs or bulges where the nozzle changed direction. If you see that, exhale. You're in good shape.
A bad first layer tells you exactly what's wrong. Filament not sticking and peeling up at the corners means the nozzle is too far from the bed. Spaghetti strands floating in the air mean the nozzle is way too far and the filament has nowhere to anchor. The nozzle dragging through already-deposited material means you're too close. Each failure mode points directly at a specific fix.
If the first layer looks wrong, stop the print. Fix the level. Start again. Watching a bad print run to completion teaches you nothing useful and wastes filament.
Resin First Print on the Photon S
The resin test print runs differently. The first several layers, called bottom layers, use extended exposure times to create a strong foundation bonded to the build plate. The Photon S default is typically 8 to 10 bottom layers at 40 to 60 seconds each, compared to 2 to 3 seconds for normal layers.
Watch through the orange UV-blocking cover if your machine allows it. On each layer lift, you should hear a faint peel sound as the cured layer releases from the FEP. That sound is normal and healthy. Silence followed by a thud is not.
When the print finishes, remove it carefully using a plastic scraper. Never use metal tools on the FEP film. A single gouge in the FEP creates distortion in every print that follows, and FEP replacement is a calibration event.
Transfer the print directly to your wash station. Don't handle bare resin with ungloved hands.
Reading Your Results
Evaluate both prints against the same criteria. Are layer lines visible and uniform? Does the part hold its intended dimensions? Did adhesion hold all the way through? On the resin print specifically, check for elephant foot: a flared, widened base caused by over-exposure on the bottom layers. On the FDM print, check for layer separation or gaps, which point to under-extrusion.
Neither print needs to be perfect. It needs to tell you something. A finished test print with identifiable flaws is more useful than a failed print with no data.
Post-Print Workflow: Resin Washing and Curing with the Anycubic Wash & Cure
A finished resin print is not a finished object. It's a chemically active part that will irritate skin, remain slightly soft, and degrade over time if you skip the next two steps. Washing and curing are not optional finishing touches. They're the end of the manufacturing process.
Why Washing and Curing Are Non-Negotiable
Uncured resin contains photoinitiators and monomers that are genuinely hazardous. Handling a fresh print bare-handed isn't a good idea. Leaving uncured resin on the surface of a part and calling it done produces a print that's tacky, dimensionally unstable, and potentially irritating to anyone who touches it later.
Resin Safety: Non-Negotiable
Wear nitrile gloves every time you handle uncured resin or freshly printed parts. Resin sensitization is cumulative. Repeated skin exposure can cause an allergic reaction that doesn't go away. Gloves cost almost nothing. Sensitization is permanent.
The Anycubic Wash & Cure machine handles both steps in one unit. It's not a luxury item if you're printing resin regularly. It's the difference between a controlled, repeatable process and a chaotic one involving multiple containers, timers, and guesswork.
Step-by-Step Wash & Cure Process
Fill the wash basket with isopropyl alcohol at 90% concentration or higher. Lower concentrations wash less effectively and take longer to evaporate. Submerge the print, close the lid, and run the agitation motor. Three minutes handles most small prints. Five minutes is appropriate for larger or more detailed pieces.
After washing, remove the print and let it air dry for five to ten minutes before curing. This step gets skipped constantly and it matters. Wet IPA on the surface of a print interferes with UV penetration during curing, leaving a tacky surface even after a full cure cycle.
"The most common resin finishing mistake isn't under-curing. It's curing a print that's still wet from washing and wondering why it feels wrong."
Switch the machine to cure mode. The UV turntable rotates the print for even exposure on all sides. Standard cure time for most resins runs two to four minutes. Over-curing makes prints brittle enough to snap under mild stress. Under-curing leaves them soft and tacky. Start at two minutes, handle the part, and add time if it still feels off.
Used IPA doesn't go down the drain. Expose the container to direct sunlight for a day or two to cure the suspended resin particles, then dispose of the solidified material as solid waste. Keep a dedicated set of tools for resin work: spatulas, tweezers, mixing sticks. They don't go back in the kitchen drawer.
Troubleshooting Your First Prints (Before You Panic)
Something will go wrong. That's not pessimism. It's the universal experience of every person who has ever set up a printer for the first time. The goal isn't a perfect first print. The goal is understanding what the failure is telling you.
Common FDM First-Print Failures
Print not sticking to the bed is the most common first-print problem on any FDM machine. Re-level first, always. If the level is correct and adhesion is still failing, increase the bed temperature by 5 degrees. If that doesn't solve it, apply a thin layer of glue stick or hairspray to the build surface. PEI surfaces grip well on their own, but a light adhesion aid helps in humid environments or with difficult materials.
Stringing (thin threads of filament between separate parts of the print) points to temperature that's too high or retraction settings that need adjustment. Drop the print temperature by 5 degrees first. If stringing persists, increase retraction distance in your slicer by 0.5mm increments.
Layer shifting (the print looks like it slid sideways mid-build) means something physically stopped the gantry or a belt is loose. Check belt tension on both axes and clear any obstructions before the next attempt.
Under-extrusion (visible gaps or weak layers) usually means a partial clog or a tangle in the filament path. Check that the spool feeds freely, inspect the PTFE tube for kinks, and try increasing print temperature slightly.
Common Resin First-Print Failures
Print stuck to the FEP instead of the build plate is the resin equivalent of a bed adhesion failure. Re-level and increase bottom layer exposure time by 10 seconds.
Delamination mid-print means normal layer exposure time is too low for the layer height you're using. Thicker layers need more exposure. Increase by 0.5 seconds and test again.
Elephant foot (a flared, widened base) is the opposite problem: bottom exposure time is too high. Reduce it by 10 to 20 percent.
Support failures mid-print usually mean supports are too thin or spaced too far apart in the slicer. Revisit your support settings before the next attempt.
Keep a print log. Note the material, settings, temperature, and what happened. After ten prints, that log is worth more than any troubleshooting guide.
Part 2 Action Checklist: Are You Ready to Print?
Work through this list in order. Each item builds on the one before it. If you're checking off items out of sequence, stop and go back. The order matters more than the speed.
What's Coming in Part 3: Software, Slicers, and the Full Workflow
You've got two printers calibrated and at least one test print behind you. The hardware side is largely solved. Part 3 is where the software takes center stage.
We'll take a deep dive into FlashPrint for the FlashForge and Photon Workshop alongside ChiTuBox for the Photon S. That means printer profiles, layer settings, support generation, and how to take an STL file from download to finished print without guessing at any step. The end-to-end workflow, from idea to model to slice to print to post-process, gets mapped out in full.
Part 3 also sets up the first real guided project. You won't just be running test files anymore.
If you ran your first prints this week, share them. Post in the comments or tag ForopoulosNow on social. Every first print tells a story, and the ones with problems are usually the most interesting. Struggling with setup is completely normal. Every maker has at least one war story from their first week, and most of them are funny in retrospect. The fact that you got here means you're already past the hardest part.
